RUMURUTI, Laikipia West: For a farmer in Laikipia West, climate change can begin with a simple question: Will the rain come when the crop needs it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The answer is becoming less certain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Laikipia’s highland areas, including Githiga and Igwamiti, lie above 2,100 metres above sea level and support important agricultural activities including dairy, maize, beans, wheat and Irish potato production. The highlands normally receive more than 1,000 mm of rainfall annually, making water central to both farming and livestock livelihoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the timing and distribution of rainfall are becoming increasingly difficult to predict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the October to December 2025 rainfall season, Laikipia experienced below-average and poorly distributed rainfall, with prolonged dry spells interrupted by isolated heavy rainfall events, according to climate and drought monitoring assessments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For farmers, the consequences are immediate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A prolonged dry spell can reduce soil moisture and crop performance. Heavy rainfall arriving within a short period can increase runoff and erosion rather than replenish the soil. For livestock keepers, reduced pasture and water availability can increase pressure on household incomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cost of producing food is also rising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Laikipia’s May 2025 drought monitoring report recorded high costs of seeds, agrochemicals, fuel and casual labour, adding further pressure to farmers already dealing with uncertain weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The challenge is therefore not simply to produce more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is to protect the water, keep the farm productive and make the harvest pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Rumuruti and surrounding communities, Hega Self Help Group through HEGA FM has been engaging farmers, women and young people on practical responses to these pressures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through community broadcasting and direct engagement, the focus has been on soil and water conservation, diversified food production, better use of available water and protection of springs, streams and catchment areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The message is straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When rain falls, communities need to retain more of that water in the landscape instead of allowing it to quickly run off degraded land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For women, this has a direct connection to household food and water security. For young people, it creates an opportunity to participate not only in farming, but also in aggregation, marketing and other parts of the agricultural value chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The approach puts local knowledge at the centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Farmers know what happens when a spring dries, when pasture disappears or when a crop fails. The role of community engagement is to connect that experience with practical information and choices that can reduce the risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Improving production solves only half of the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other question is one farmers have asked for generations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who will buy what I have grown?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Selina Wamucii provides a digital marketplace through which organised farmers and producer groups can connect with buyers. Its platform covers agricultural products including fruits and vegetables, grains and pulses, tubers, dairy, meat and livestock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company’s farmer programme is open to registered farmer groups and requires a minimum of 50 active members, among other organisational requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This creates an important link between production and markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Farmers can begin thinking not only about what their land can produce, but also about what the market requires and how organised production can meet that demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Hega Self Help Group and Selina Wamucii, the roles are complementary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hega Self Help Group brings information and community engagement closer to farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Farmers apply that knowledge to their land and livelihoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Selina Wamucii helps organised producers connect with markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result is a more complete agricultural chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Women and young people are central to making that chain work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Women are often closely involved in household food production, water management and livestock care. Their participation ensures that adaptation measures respond to household realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Young people bring an opportunity to strengthen the less visible parts of agriculture, including aggregation, digital market access, logistics and value addition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That matters because climate adaptation cannot end with telling farmers how to survive a dry season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Farmers need a reason to invest in better production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If protecting water helps produce food, and a reliable market helps turn that food into income, adaptation becomes an economic decision as well as an environmental one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The idea is simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep the rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Protect the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grow the food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Connect the farmer to the buyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earn from the harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every part supports the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A protected catchment helps sustain water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Water supports production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Production supports food security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Markets create an opportunity to turn production into income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And income gives households greater capacity to cope with the next difficult season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Laikipia West, this is becoming an increasingly important way of looking at agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question is no longer simply whether farmers can produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is whether they can produce in a changing climate, protect the resources that sustain production and reach markets that recognise the value of what they grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is where the connection between Hega Self Help Group through HEGA FM, communities and Selina Wamucii becomes important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From Laikipia’s highlands to the market, the journey is one chain: water, food, farmers and income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Protect one, and you strengthen them all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RUMURUTI, Laikipia West: For a farmer in Laikipia West, climate change can begin with a simple question: Will the rain come when the crop needs it? The answer is becoming less certain. Laikipia’s highland areas, including Githiga and Igwamiti, lie above 2,100 metres above sea level and support important agricultural activities including dairy, maize, beans,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":24039,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n