Crops bloom in the desert Posted Thursday, January 26 2012 at
00:00 Being an arid area, Wajir is synonymous with recurring
droughts. There is hardly any rain in the region throughout the
year and this always results in massive livestock deaths and
starvation for the residents. The food supply in Wajir is in a
state of emergency, according to a recent report by the United
Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. It
states for example that the Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate
is of 27.9 per cent, 15 per cent above the level at which an
emergency can be declared. However, there are groups of farmers
who are trying to change all this by proving that farming is
possible in Wajir. On the outskirts of Wajir Town, they are
producing maize, beans watermelons, pawpaws, bananas, tomatoes
and other vegetables. “Providing food for my family has been a
daily struggle, especially during periods of drought. In 2009 I
had 300 goats, but I was left with only 35 when the rest died in
the drought so I dec