ARID AND SEMI-ARID LANDS DEVELOPMENT

PROBLEMS WILL BE ADDRESSED AT BOTH THE NATIONAL LEVEL, PRIMARILY THROUGH ASAL PLANNING AND DATA COLLECTION, AND THE DISTRICT LEVEL, PRIMARILY THROUGH SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES IN A PILOT AREA IN KITUI DISTRICT. THE PLANNING COMPONENT WILL CONSIST OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FROM 3 ASAL PLANNING ADVISORS. TWO ADVISORS WILL PROVIDE ASAL PLANNING ASSISTANCE AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, AND THE THIRD ADVISOR WILL WORK AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, SPECIFICALLY FOCUSING ON PLANNING FOR KITUI DISTRICT. IN THE DATA COLLECTION COMPONENT, 3 DIFFERENT METHODOLOGIES WILL BE EMPLOYED TO PROVIDE BASIC DATA NEEDED FOR EFFECTIVE PLANNING IN ASAL. THESE INCLUDE: PRE-INVESTMENT RESOURCE INVENTORIES, AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY, REMOTE SENSING IMAGERY, AND OTHER MAPPING AIDS; AND FEASIBILITY AND PROJECT DESIGN STUDIES. IN THE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION COMPONENT,SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES WILL BE TESTED IN A PILOT AREA OF KITUI DISTRICT. A 350-ACRE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DEMONSTRATION FARM AND TRAINING PROGRAM WILL BE ESTABLISHED AT THE BETTER LIVING INSTITUTE IN KITUI. SIXTY SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION TECHNICIANS WILL BE TRAINED AT THE INSTITUTE EACH YEAR, AND TRAINING WILL BE PROVIDED ABROAD IN MODERN CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES FOR SELECTED OFFICERS. ALSO, FARMERS WILL BE ORIENTED TO IMPROVED CONSERVATION MEASURES. IN ADDITION, MOISTURE CONSERVING TILLAGE IMPLEMENTS WILL BE DESIGNED AND TESTED,AND CONSERVATION ORIENTED AFFORESTATION ACTIVITIES WILL BE SUPPORTED. PROJECT WILL DIRECTLY BENEFIT AN ESTIMATED 21,000 FARM FAMILIES IN KITUI DISTRICT, 170 CERTIFICATE LEVEL GRADUATES THROUGH TRAINING IN SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION METHODS, AND APPROXIMATELY 40 GOVT OF KENYA PERSONNEL THROUGH TRAINING RECEIVED OUTSIDE KENYA.