Adopting road water harvesting

The document details the experience of Edward Ndolo, a farmer in Kitui, Kenya, who adopted road water harvesting in 1990 to divert road runoff to his 3-acre farm. Despite high labor costs—such as 20,000 Kenyan Shillings for a 50-meter channel—and the physical effort required, the technique has allowed him to maintain green crops and sell surplus beans, maize, and fruits to neighbors. Ndolo observes that climate change has shifted rainfall patterns, noting that in 2016, the long rainy season began late on November 1st. He advocates for sensitization and the use of simple water-optimizing techniques to build resilience against arid conditions.

• Road water harvesting allows farmers in dry areas like Kitui to divert runoff from roads to their farmland, significantly increasing crop productivity and profitability compared to neighbors who do not use the technique.
• The adoption of road water harvesting is hindered by high costs and intensive labor; for example, constructing a 50-meter channel cost 20,000 Kenyan Shillings (approximately 200 Euro), primarily for hired manpower.
• Observations from Kitui indicate a shift in climate patterns, with rainfall becoming less predictable; specifically, in 2016, the long rainy season, which usually starts around October, did not arrive until November 1st.

APA

Global Resilience Partnership (2017). Adopting road water harvesting. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/travellingfarmer/

Chicago

Global Resilience Partnership. Adopting road water harvesting. 2017. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/travellingfarmer/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Resilience Partnership |title=Adopting road water harvesting |date=31 January 2017 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/travellingfarmer/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalresiliencepartnership2017adopting, author = {{Global Resilience Partnership}}, title = {{Adopting road water harvesting}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2017}, month = jan, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/travellingfarmer/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }