It's only 10am in Kinango, Kwale county but the heat from the scorching sun is already unbearable, a reminder of the dry weather and the ongoing drought.
Along the Kinango-Samburu highway, grass and maize crops have dried up and the ground is dry.
Although there seems to be little vegetation, their chances of survival are very minimal due to failed rains.
However, in Vigurungani just past Mwangoni village, the dry weather not withstanding, some women have steady food supply, thanks to irrigation farming.
Farms in the area spot health vegetables and grown maize crop.
The fresh sukukumawiki, tomatoes, mchicha, bringles, onions and managu bring life to the area that in the past years was only filled with dust and felt humid.
Luvuno Dzonewa Bechizi is among the 20 women who are using irrigation to produce food.
Bechizi who was previously affected by drought and incurred huge losses, has now mastered the art of irrigation farming to improve food security and change lives.
Residents in this area normally depend on seasonal rains for farming and livestock keeping but the rains became unreliable, resulting in the suffering of thousands with food shortage after crops failed.
As others complain of relief food not reaching them, Bechizi has less to worry about because she is sure of her harvest.
"I use the government food as a supplement because most of the time I have something in my farm," she said.
She said in most cases, she only has to buy maize flour because the vegetables are in plenty.
Bechizi is able to get at least two to three meals per day unlike the other the residents who hardly get food because of drought and high cost of living as the price of commodities skyrockets.
The farm also plays part in feeding nearby residents who buy the produce from them.
The 39-year-old mother said she has been using the farm's proceeds to pay school fees for her children and fend for the family.
Bechizi said since the commencement of the project, her life has tremendously improved.
The project started five years ago after the county government sunk an earth dam to provide water for residents.
According to Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani, the dam was part of the government's efforts to curb water scarcity and empower residents socio-economically through agribusiness activities.
However, Bechizi said then they didn't have the idea of irrigation farming and used the water only for drinking and livestock.
She said it was only after seeing the Nyalani Food Programme within Vigurungani that they decided to replicate the project.
The Nyalani food security programme is jointly done by the National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth and the Kwale government.
The county partnered with Safaricom to rehabilitate the Nyalani dam which now provides water to Kinango residents.
Bechizi said she is grateful that the project made her become self-dependent and doesn't have to wait for her husband to provide for everything.
"When I sell my vegetables, I get money which I use to buy maize flour and anything that's missing at home," she said.
Another beneficiary of irrigation farming is Kwekwe Kuto from Vigurungani B village. She farms vegetables, thanks to the Vigurungani earth dam which has also changed her life.
According to her, they harvest three times per year where they get profits enough to sustain them through the drought period.
The vegetables are sold from Sh30 and above depending on a customer's order.
She said the women have partitioned the land and everyone takes advantage of the available water to irrigate crops.
Some own the land while others have rented it, Kuto said.
The 35-year-old said their livestock have remained healthy because they have access to clean drinking water and food.
Kuto said they receive support from the county government where they are provided with certified seeds and technology to do modern farming.
The women, however, said there are confronted by a myriad of challenges that hinder their progress.
Kuto said pest and diseases often destroy their crops and don't have money to fight them.
"We lack sufficient pesticides to handle the pests and in the process, the vegetables are attacked by insects and infections," she said.
Kuto said the drought is a major obstacle because the life span of their projects depend on the availability of the water.
She said last year, they were forced to stop because the severe drought affected crop growth since the earth dam went dry.
According to the last year's county Red Cross statistics, 90 per cent of water sources in Kinango dried.
Over 200,000 people were subjected to acute hunger and had to be fed through government and Red Cross food relief programmes.
Last week, the National Drought Management Authority county coordinator Roman Shera said effects of drought have begun to be felt again in Kwale. Kinango subcounty is part of the affected areas.
He said Samburu-Chengoni, Mackinnon, Mwavumbo, Kasemeni, Puma, Ndavaya in Kinango and Mwereni and Vanga wards in Lunga-Lunga are the hardest hit.
They said at the moment, drought has affected about 180,000 residents but the number is projected to rise if rains continue to fail.
Bechizi said they don't have the technology to pump water from the dam to their farms and have to carry water on their heads.
She said the process is tiring and time-consuming because one can't irrigate a huge parcel of land, this she said, forces them to do farming in small areas because of limited resources.
The women said profits are very little since majority of the customers are residents who are also struggling to survive.
"We rarely receive visitors and to avoid losses, we sell the vegetables amongst ourselves," she said.
Bechizi said the risk of waterborne diseases surround them because the water is contaminated. Both livestock and humans compete for the commodity.
-Edited by SKanyara