An irrigation project slowing down development. Waiting for rice

Auteur:

Delphine Lebrun

Date de publication:

23 Avril 2018

Mots-clefs:

Tana River Delta
irrigation project
Natural resources
Development

Publié ici :

21 Avril 2018

Mis à jour le :

23 Avril 2018

Langue de publication:

Anglais

Zone géographique:

Afrique

by Delphine Lebrun,

Mambo! Volume VIII, n°2, 2009.

“Let us make it our job, NOT to see through one another, but to see one another through.” (Duncan Mwanjila, Project Manager TDIP from 1992 to August 1997)

Land in the Tana River Delta is a highly valued resource and consequently a strongly desired asset. As population density in the Tana River Delta District increased at considerable speed over the last decades, access to water and natural resources has become increasingly problematic. Traditionally, local communities used to rely on a wide range of risk-spreading livelihood strategies such as farming, fishing, livestock and beekeeping, hunting, gathering, etc. Their coping mechanisms were based on profound environmental and wetland knowledge and have principally been determined by the flooding regime and seasonal changes of the Tana River (long rainy season from mid-March to mid-June and short rainy season from mid-October to mid- December). Aiming for higher productivity, the introduction of development and irrigation projects has altered traditional usage of natural resources.

However, knowledge of the balance between nature and human activities and the understanding of the services ecosystems provide is of great importance in decision- making on sustainable use.

This study raises the hypothesis that a bottom-up approach to the implementation of development projects with the added value of population consultation might have achieved better results. The study has been conducted within the framework of a multidisciplinary (hydrological, ecological, anthropological) three-year research project on the Tana River Delta coordinated by IRD–IFRA (Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement – Institut Français de Recherche en Afrique), in partnership with the National Museum of Kenya (NMK), the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) and Tanzanian institutions. The study combines the consultation of existing data and documents with a four-week field visit (15 April to 10 May, 2009). The fieldwork consisted of group discussions and participatory mapping exercises in two predominantly Pokomo and one Orma village, respectively Hewani, Vumbwe and Baandi. Likewise, different transect walks were undertaken in and around the project area. Various stakeholders and resource persons (researchers, TARDA employees …) were also interviewed. The relevance of this analysis lies in its effort to provide insight into the perception of the advantages and disadvantages of the irrigation project by collecting facts and views from different stakeholders. This information is important in making a comparison of the project’s achievements and failures. In this manner, lessons learned from past mistakes can improve the implementation of future projects.

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An irrigation project slowing down development. Waiting for rice

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