Preserving Water in Concrete Tanks for Dry Days
As Africa grapples with climate change induced extreme weather patterns mechanisms to transform agriculture and ensure food security through adoption of innovative ways are gaining prominence.
In Kenya, like most African countries, small-scale farmers who are the majority are opting for sustainable solutions. One such farmer is Albert Waweru, a retired police officer with 1.75-acre farm in Kasarani on the outskirts of Nairobi. He has 50 dairy cows that produce 290 litres of milk daily. He also rears poultry, dairy goats and has several green houses where vegetables are grown.
But he is no ordinary smallholder farmer. He has taken to what experts call climate smart agriculture. To counter the challenge of water, for example, he embarked on harvesting rainwater from rooftops in his compound and storm water flowing into his compound.
“I harvest any drop that comes my way,” he says. The water is preserved in a network of several underground concrete tanks some of them 12 metres deep. This has ensured that he has enough water at any moment on his mixed farm.
Neil Palmer/CIAT