One of the major causes of low agricultural productivity is the inability of soils to retain adequate moisture, which in turn limits plant growth, reduces yields, and increases vulnerability during dry seasons.
This global challenge is strongly felt in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), where sandy soils dominate and more than 2 million people struggle with poor crop performance. The situation is also experienced in countries like Ethiopia, where over 15 million people face acute food insecurity, driven by climate change and the dwindling capacity of soils to hold moisture and sustain resilient food systems.
Although researchers have undertaken numerous initiatives on soil water management over the years the main challenge, according to Dr. Shem Kuyah, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Botany at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), is that these solutions rarely reach the farmers who need them most.
Dr. Kuyah is part of an international consortium in which JKUAT is one of six institutions to receive funding from the Netherlands Research Council to improve soil moisture retention in Sub-Saharan Africa, starting January 2026.
JKUAT is partnering in the project “Understanding Scaling of Soil Moisture Retention Practices for Climate-Resilient Food Production in Semi-Arid Ethiopia and Kenya (SMARTSCALE)”
The project aims to help farmers in semi-arid regions of Kenya (Makueni and Machakos Counties) and Ethiopia use soil moisture more effectively, cope with drought, increase food production, and improve their livelihoods.
Previous initiatives have often failed to reach the majority of those in need, and so the problem (loss of soil moisture) persists.
Dr. Kuyah will work with a multidisciplinary team that includes Dr. Erwin Bulte and Dr. Luuk Fleskens (both from Wageningen University & Research), Dr. Stanley Ng’ang’a Karanja (Alliance Bioversity-CIAT), Dr. Mulatie Mekonnen and Dr. Mulunesh Alebachew (Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia), and Dr. Mirjam Pulleman (Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT & Wageningen University), who serves as the project’s overall lead.
Through this strategy, which brings together scientists, local partners, and governments, the SMARTSCALE project aims to build on past lessons from the farmers, and academic research findings, and design more effective ways of promoting moisture-saving practices.
The approach focuses on inclusive engagement, capacity building, and context-sensitive and utilization of context-sensitive methods that help expand these practices to more communities through intentionally prioritizing the participation of women, youth, and other vulnerable groups.
By strengthening local ownership and ensuring that solutions fit community realities, the project seeks to deliver long-term impacts, with the potential to be replicated in other regions.
