How poisoned Solai soils have made farmers' yields shrink

When the Solai Dam burst five years ago, the trail of destruction left behind was only quantified in property damage and the death of 48 people.

But unaware to many, smallholder farmers in the are also lost one of their key natural resources – soil. And their farms will never be the same again. The deadly dam burst affected food stability and today the smallholder farmers are staring at empty stores because the food that was always available, accessible and nutritious is no longer there. 

The tragedy disrupted various aspects of life and aggravated poverty levels, food insecurity  the impacts which are visible on the ground. Pollutants like insecticides and pesticides, fertilisers, and other contaminants are rife in the soil as they were deposited by the raging waters from the dam.

The impacts have decreased the living standards of people affected and have impeded development progress, especially among the poor smallholder farmers, and have destroyed the social capital of people and the physical environment and taken away the little savings of the already poor households. 

With no harvest for five years, many smallholder farmers suffer constant food scarcity and hunger as they also lack the cash to purchase other food and non-food items they need.

The inability to sustain living on the land makes life harder for them and the damage to their soils, many fear, can never be can reversed again.

The crops are yellow and farmers have been forced to use excessive fertilisers to grow healthy crops, but that isn’t helping. When the flood waters swept through their land, all the top soil was stripped away, leaving behind land that is barely cultivatable.

The farmlands are now a pale shadow of themselves and are reeling from many types of damage. They include crop loss, contamination, soil erosion, debris deposition, and the spread of invasive species. 

The poor soils on the farms have deterred the advancement of agricultural development among poor smallholder farmers. Also, the poor soils have exacerbated poverty levels as farmers' harvest decline every year. Detrimental environmental effects include huge trenches on the small farmlands.

“Apart from losing our livestock and pastures, some sections of my farmlands are unsuitable for cultivation. Harmful sediment was deposited and, some sections of the farm can't be cultivated for a long time, creating a cycle of food scarcity and hunger for my family,” said Julius Gikonyo, 63.

Food insecurity is a serious, growing problem amongst the farmers hard hit by the tragedy. Some of the farmers interviewed said they were now harvesting less than five bags from their farms and did not have enough to eat.

“Last year I had nothing in my store. Before the dam burst I used to harvest at least 10 bags of maize but today I hardly harvest two bags. I fear the magnitude and impact of the water on my farm may be a lifetime effect,” lamented Mr Gikonyo.

“Nobody, including government agencies, has ever visited my  farm to ask me how I was affected by the spilling water from Solai dam. The agriculture officers need to carry out research that will provide insights into how the destruction of my farm has affected me. The food which was constantly available is no longer there. I spend the meagre resources buying organic fertiliser to increase nutrients in the soils instead of buying food,” he added.

Despite the impact of the damage and subsequent food security, the destruction of the farmlands is not recognised as a threat by the county government of Nakuru since there are no plans to revive farming in the region.

“Agriculture is a devolved function and extension officers must pay more attention to what is happening to our degraded soils to ensure food availability,” said Mr Gikonyo. 

He said since the dam burst there has been a sharp decline in agricultural productivity and food has become more scarce, hard to physically obtain, and more expensive and nutrition from food is lacking because there’s been nutrient and soil loss. 

“The high prices and unavailability of preferred food choices like sweet potatoes, beans, cassava which I used to grow has forced me to limit consumption and opt for less nutritious food, which has an impact on my health,” said Mr Gikonyo who is suffering from tuberculosis.

“My health is not good. I depended on my small farm to produce more cash crops which I would sell and get money to travel to Bahati Health for TB drugs. Today I cannot afford to get the Sh200 bus fare unless I borrow from relatives who may not sustain me for a long time,” said Mr Gikonyo.

Long-term psychological distress, five years after the tragedy, is very common and stress disorders, anxiety, and depression, are evident among smallholder farmers. 

Mr Gikonyo said the owners of the dam had promised they will replenish their farms with fresh soil but that remains an unfulfilled promise.

“I waited for the soil and I became very anxious because I could not grow anything on the farm. I need about 80 bags of animal manure and one bag goes for Sh250 and that translates to Sh2,000 which I cannot afford,” he said.

He said his only avocado tree which he used to harvest fruits worth Sh2,000 per harvest was swept away by the waters.

“I have planted over 10 trees of avocado but their growth is very slow and I suspect this is because of the poor soil nutrients,” he added.

“I had planned to buy a heifer and construct a semi-permanent house but my plans were scuttled after the dam burst.”

Another farmer Teresiah Nyakeru said her farm is full of deposits mainly stones that were rolled into her farm by the raging waters.

“For the past four years, I have not harvested anything on this farm. The farm is full of stones and resembles a quarry. I have planted again this year and I don’t know whether I will harvest anything. I used to plant a lot of potatoes but since the dam burst the farm has not been productive. I used to sell excess produce and pay school fees for my grandchildren,” she said.

She added: “I have tried to replant avocado trees after the ones I had were swept by the waters from Solai dam but they have remained unproductive. I think the soils are not healthy anymore.”

Another farmer Teresiah Njeri said her crop has failed for the past four years due to poor soils.

“The fertile soil in my farm was swept away and every year for the past five years since the tragedy my maize crop has failed despite using fertliser. Last year I harvested one and a half bags of maize. I can’t afford to buy the subsidised fertiliser which goes for Sh3,500,” said Ms Njeri who narrowly survived death after she was swept away by the waters.

A soil scientist Jennifer Wainaina says degraded soil produces low-quality and low-nutrient food as they also harbour invasive species of weeds which compete for nutrients with the crops.

“Most of the nutrients are swept away by the water and the best thing is for the farmers to have their soils tested. The invasive species should also be tested to establish the effect they have on the soil and crops as they also attract new pests on the farms. The remaining soil could be corrected by adding additional organic manure and fertilisers after comprehensive soil testing is done,” said Ms Wainaina.

However, the soil testing fees for the smallholder farmers is beyond their reach as they are required to pay between Sh3,000 and Sh4,000.

She added: “Alternatively the farmers should incorporate other farm management practices like mulching and putting gabions on the sloppy sides of the farm and use specific fertilisers recommended for their areas that have micronutrients and this will stabilise the equilibrium of the soil instead of using Di-ammonium Phosphate popularly known as DAP.”

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