Saline Agriculture and Halophyte Agro-ecologies Conference in Turkana County, Kenya

With the support of the Saline Water & Food Systems Partnership (SW&SF) of the Netherlands Food Partnership (NFP) and Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP), a three-day workshop took place in Turkana County, Kenya. The workshop revolved around the challenges and opportunities of using saline resources in Turkana County, Kenya. It brought together various stakeholders from the Government, including the local government, NGOs, United Nations organisations, knowledge institutes, and the private sector. The workshop was run by Seawater Solutions and The Salt Doctors, in close collaboration with the World Food Programme, FAO, and the Turkana County Government.

Saline agriculture as a potential solution for food security

Saline agriculture is seen as a potential solution for food security at the county level as well as at the national level by the central and local government. The workshop in Turkana County focused on knowledge transfer, cooperative project design, and future collaboration. At the workshop, a first outline for a strategy to move forward in the short and long term was composed. As part of the practical activities, various water sources were sampled and analysed. Although there are several options for the salinity levels observed (salinity levels are in the range of 0.4 to 5.8 dS/m) the pH is clearly a concern as well (with values of 8.2 to 9.6 for several water sources).

Next steps

The Minister of Agriculture initiated a working group of 30 stakeholders to explore the establishment of saline agriculture projects in Turkana and facilitate the development of public-private sector working relationships. New initiatives should focus on identifying the most suitable locations for implementation, developing tailor-made, cost-effective approaches for cultivation, and supporting policy formulation.

Source: Salt Doctors