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5/18/1962 - Mwea Irrigation Scheme by Ian Michael Wright

NOT FOR PUBLICATION INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS Izaak Walton Inn Embu Kenya Mwea Irrigation Scheme May Mr Richard H Nolte Institute Current World Affairs Madison Avenue New York New York Dear Mr Nolte Kenya wealth crops produced Agriculture accounts roughly national product exports I wanted important Kenya industries several visit three major areas African agriculture Embu Meru Nyeri major areas European production Nanyuki Njoro In series newsletters I describe recent developments within these areas We first Embu center district inhabited appropriately Embu tribe Kikuyu The thirty miles murrain local equivalent bumpy until reached miles Embu where disappear quagmire which judiciously passed through We across sections during visit For Embu however black cotton cause appalling blessing alone which responsible success growing irrigation project miles which sizable impact development district spite small numbers taking The Mwea Irrigation Project essentially settlement scheme several reducing pressure Kenya Central Province Of course provides employment tenants largely unemployed increases production Kenya It produces thirds Kenya The criterion tenancy settlement lessness previous experience cultivation Nevertheless average yield times higher India Burma The Mwea Plain about twenty miles south Embu below slopes Mount Kenya altitude Years local agricultural officer noticed tremendous irrigation potential until small pilot scheme started At Mau Mau Emergency several detention camps thousands inmates located Mwea In attempting provide useful detainees decided proceed immediately construction irrigation scheme though experimental infancy little known about important methods In spite hasty start Mwea scheme three similar projects Kenya which breaking actually making profit first At present order million IMW The settlement divided blocks Mwea N block Tebere block roughly acres apiece In acres developed units irrigated cultivation black cotton There still development acres enlarged Mwea block alone usual being funds Water provided rivers Thiba Nyamindi which Mount Kenya whose extraordinarily rainfall pretty assures continue supply amount water needed The project major limiting factor extremely fertile which expected ideal cultivation found phenomenally seepage Irrigation economical under circumstances considerable research being undertaken utilized The fertile black cotton content holds water proved project savior There tenants plots Each given house nearby village although responsible upkeep extra vegetables On acres allowed follow strict rules regarding cultivation Al though Embu tribal rarely cultivated tenants Embu Kikuyuo When project first mooted Embu furious Kikuyu would their agreement reached whereby vacancies project after initial allocations would given Embus Thus their numbers increase years Financially proiect doing following table Recurrent expenditure Non recurrent expenditure Total Revenue Difference Revenue earned water rates rotivating charges marketing handling administration The recurrent expenditure reflects project development Crop statistics follows _1960 Acreage cropped Total yield Mean yield Average income shillings The increase yield almost during With these facts spent scheme talking acting manager Jack Carver IMW Mr Carver front Thiba waterworks Everything tenant All doesn estimate about three months We water though For acres first second and0from third wards The subsidized first years allow tenant settle We introduced mechan cultivation which shillings tenant provided house tools spraying services tilizer He until reaps first For produce about In average What profit about He allowed about worth consumption which included above figure A story everything harvest When dazed astonishment bills amounting having never before handled shillings Carver continued Our greatest problem maintaining dards because We rules covering aspects irrigation scheme Most similar schemes which failed discipline going happen Each tenant bound Those warning letter reform fined Repeating offenders kicked those abandon imprisoned months On whole tenant discipline although there offences dealing waterways Now Tenant Liaison Council which gives representation every village scheme It equal number nominated elected members clearing house local troubles distribution channel advice information tenants It worked especially explaining tenants provisions irrigation rules IMw Mr Carver itself We drove miles between empty plots since harvest Finally rotivator churning effect prior planting We rotivate while under water settle slowly level At first tenants sceptical whole operation mainly because carry portable bridges tractors enthusiastic Altogether The rotivator action mchanical cultivation greatly assisted timing operations given rational water improved discipline When rotivator finishes farmer transplant seedlings fields We communal nurseries until We discontinue because respon sibility everyone share Now farmer nursery We trying plant seedlings closer together because think increase their yields perhaps They living better before I think effort The weeded reaped threshed tenants Then collect paddy unmilled threshed bring collecting centers Mwea Tebere where weighed dried moisture cleaned packed standard pounds The entire shipped Central Province Marketing Board which sells tenants after ducting costs Theoretically tenant allowed consumption But black market perhaps third entire Luckily bothered pests diseases cultural human Occasionally enslaught quelea birds They small things breed numbers migrate search If their route They everything worse ocusts Luckily haven years there destroying blasting spraying They roost swamps where We talked others about quelea birds Blasting effective killing spraying dangerous Not pilot plane above ground visibility poison powerful drops would splash killed instantly A local character Timber Wood flies these missions Although during World War II citations bravery local people convinced nothing approached The scheme medical department which carries malarial bilharzial services Bilharzia bilitating disease amoebic dysentery carried water snail which penetrates human contact The snail survive moving stream still water seems prefer moving water found paddies It slowly destroys liver Mwea outbreak could cause untold damage So neither appeared One important aspects Mwea research experimentation There fertile which economic found The problem overhead irrigation expensive value crops successfully grown But research continues higher priced crops We doing sorts things Rice increase product ivity We proved value fertili still haven crops At beginning project tried planted before rains turned All heads blind In other words there grain During short rains temperatures higher trouble This again trying crops IMW A Mwea village gotten several farmers volunteer looks their fields going badly The widespread Asian practice paddies thereby getting double harvest enquire about possi bility Unfortunately haven although experimenting years Not unsatisfactory growth found enough getting growers their properly We staff necessary growers their hands anyway The previous director enthusiast pushed We eighteen villages where farmers Lines houses thatched roofs stood indication planned Europeans Each village system waterborne sanitation houses privieso The villages shops community halls houses teachers We vaguest population project We tenants although theory tenant family should house themselves practie there often three families house On Embu afternoon stopped Mucii Urata Homestead Friendship social center Mwea jointly sponsored Friends Service Council Christian Council Kenya The Warden Onesimus Wanjau returned social course England Mucii Urata founded people resettlement scheme develop community We serve tenants WaKamba graze their cattle nearby We leadership training courses youth clubs health clinic liter classes nursery school We special hardship cases People interested doing always plenty applicants courses IMW We walked around children playing almost finished slide cooks inspected their spotless kitchen In unobtrusive Mucii Urata accomplishes The whole project accomplishing It brightest spots country which Agriculture Department estimates certainly African soundly farmed present Sincerely yours Ian Michael Wright