MACHAKOS, Kenya (AP) — With dismay, Martha Waema and her husband surveyed their farm that was submerged by weeks of relentless rainfall across Kenya. Water levels would rise to shoulder height after only a night of heavy downpour.
The couple had expected a return of 200,000 shillings ($1,500) from their three acres after investing 80,000 shillings ($613) in maize, peas, cabbages, tomatoes and kale. But their hopes have been uprooted and destroyed.
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James Tobiko, a farmer, on his vegetable farm that wasn't affected by flooding due to terracing in Narok, Kenya, Wednesday, May. 8, 2024. According to Kenya's interior ministry, the heavy rains affected 400,000 people across the country and killed 289. Crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed, posing a threat to food security. This represents 0.24 percent of Kenya's based on World Bank Data that shows 48% of Kenya's land is agricultural. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
MACHAKOS, Kenya (AP) — With dismay, Martha Waema and her husband surveyed their farm that was submerged by weeks of relentless rainfall across Kenya. Water levels would rise to shoulder height after only a night of heavy downpour.
Farmer James Tobiko on his vegetable farm that wasn't affected by flooding due to terracing in Narok, Kenya, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. According to Kenya's interior ministry, the heavy rains affected 400,000 people across the country and killed 289. Crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed, posing a threat to food security. This represents 0.24 percent of Kenya's based on World Bank Data that shows 48% of Kenya's land is agricultural. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
62-year old farmer Martha Waema poses for a photo holding a tomato and orange in her three-acre farm that was left submerged by weeks of relentless rainfall in Machakos, Kenya, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. According to Kenya's interior ministry, the heavy rains have affected 400,000 people across the country and killed 289. Crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed, posing a threat to food security. This represents 0.24 percent of Kenya's based on World Bank Data that shows 48% of Kenya's land is agricultural. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Farmer James Tobiko on his vegetable farm that wasn't affected by flooding due to terracing in Narok, Kenya, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. According to Kenya's interior ministry, the heavy rains affected 400,000 people across the country and killed 289. Crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed, posing a threat to food security. This represents 0.24 percent of Kenya's based on World Bank Data that shows 48% of Kenya's land is agricultural. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
62-year old farmer Martha Waema stands in her three-acre farm that was left submerged by weeks of relentless rainfall in Machakos, Kenya, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. According to Kenya's interior ministry, the heavy rains affected 400,000 people across the country and killed 289. Crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed, posing a threat to food security. This represents 0.24 percent of Kenya's based on World Bank Data that shows 48% of Kenya's land is agricultural. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
James Tobiko, a farmer, on his vegetable farm that wasn't affected by flooding due to terracing in Narok, Kenya, Wednesday, May. 8, 2024. According to Kenya's interior ministry, the heavy rains affected 400,000 people across the country and killed 289. Crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed, posing a threat to food security. This represents 0.24 percent of Kenya's based on World Bank Data that shows 48% of Kenya's land is agricultural. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
62-year old farmer Martha Waema, in her three-acre farm that was submerged by weeks of rainfall in Machakos, Kenya, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. According to Kenya's interior ministry, the heavy rains affected 400,000 people across the country and killed 289. Crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed, posing a threat to food security. This represents 0.24 percent of Kenya's based on World Bank Data that shows 48% of Kenya's land is agricultural. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
“I have been farming for 38 years, but I have never encountered losses of this magnitude,” said the 62-year-old mother of 10.
Their financial security and optimism have been shaken by what Kenya's government has called “a clear manifestation of the erratic weather patterns caused by climate change.”
The rains that started in mid-March have posed immediate dangers and left others to come. They have killed nearly 300 people, left dams at historically high levels and led the government to order residents to evacuate flood-prone areas — and bulldoze the homes of those who don't.
Now a food security crisis lies ahead, along with even higher prices in a country whose president had sought to make agriculture an even greater engine of the economy.
Kenya's government says the flooding has destroyed crops on more than 168,000 acres (67,987 hectares) of land, or less than 1% of Kenya’s agricultural land.
As farmers count their losses — a total yet unknown — the deluge has exposed what opposition politicians call Kenya’s ill preparedness for climate change and related disasters and the need for sustainable land management and better weather forecasting.
Waema now digs trenches in an effort to protect what's left of the farm on a plain in the farthest outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, in Machakos County.
Not everyone is grieving, including farmers who prepared for climate shocks.
About 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Waema’s farm, 65-year-old farmer James Tobiko Tipis and his 16-acre farm have escaped the flooding in Olokirikirai. He said he had been proactive in the area that's prone to landslides by terracing crops.
“We used to lose topsoil and whatever we were planting," he said.
Experts said more Kenyan farmers must protect their farms against soil erosion that likely will be worsened by further climate shocks.
Jane Kirui, an agricultural officer in Narok County, emphasized the importance of terracing and other measures such as cover crops that will allow water to be absorbed.
In Kenya’s rural areas, experts say efforts to conserve water resources remain inadequate despite the current plentiful rainfall.
At Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, professor John Gathenya recommended practices such as diversifying crops and emphasizing the soil's natural water retention capacity.
“The soil remains the biggest reservoir for water," he said, asserting that using it wisely requires much less of an investment than large infrastructure projects such as dams. But soil needs to be protected with practices that include limiting the deforestation that has exposed parts of Kenyan land to severe runoff.
“We are opening land in new fragile environments where we need to be even more careful the way we farm," Gathenya said. “In our pursuit for more and more food, we are pressing into the more fragile areas but not with the same intensity of soil conservation that we had 50 years back.”
The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
62-year old farmer Martha Waema stands in her three-acre farm that was left submerged by weeks of relentless rainfall in Machakos, Kenya, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. According to Kenya's interior ministry, the heavy rains affected 400,000 people across the country and killed 289. Crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed, posing a threat to food security. This represents 0.24 percent of Kenya's based on World Bank Data that shows 48% of Kenya's land is agricultural. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Farmer James Tobiko on his vegetable farm that wasn't affected by flooding due to terracing in Narok, Kenya, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. According to Kenya's interior ministry, the heavy rains affected 400,000 people across the country and killed 289. Crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed, posing a threat to food security. This represents 0.24 percent of Kenya's based on World Bank Data that shows 48% of Kenya's land is agricultural. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
62-year old farmer Martha Waema poses for a photo holding a tomato and orange in her three-acre farm that was left submerged by weeks of relentless rainfall in Machakos, Kenya, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. According to Kenya's interior ministry, the heavy rains have affected 400,000 people across the country and killed 289. Crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed, posing a threat to food security. This represents 0.24 percent of Kenya's based on World Bank Data that shows 48% of Kenya's land is agricultural. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Farmer James Tobiko on his vegetable farm that wasn't affected by flooding due to terracing in Narok, Kenya, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. According to Kenya's interior ministry, the heavy rains affected 400,000 people across the country and killed 289. Crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed, posing a threat to food security. This represents 0.24 percent of Kenya's based on World Bank Data that shows 48% of Kenya's land is agricultural. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
62-year old farmer Martha Waema stands in her three-acre farm that was left submerged by weeks of relentless rainfall in Machakos, Kenya, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. According to Kenya's interior ministry, the heavy rains affected 400,000 people across the country and killed 289. Crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed, posing a threat to food security. This represents 0.24 percent of Kenya's based on World Bank Data that shows 48% of Kenya's land is agricultural. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
James Tobiko, a farmer, on his vegetable farm that wasn't affected by flooding due to terracing in Narok, Kenya, Wednesday, May. 8, 2024. According to Kenya's interior ministry, the heavy rains affected 400,000 people across the country and killed 289. Crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed, posing a threat to food security. This represents 0.24 percent of Kenya's based on World Bank Data that shows 48% of Kenya's land is agricultural. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
62-year old farmer Martha Waema, in her three-acre farm that was submerged by weeks of rainfall in Machakos, Kenya, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. According to Kenya's interior ministry, the heavy rains affected 400,000 people across the country and killed 289. Crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed, posing a threat to food security. This represents 0.24 percent of Kenya's based on World Bank Data that shows 48% of Kenya's land is agricultural. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
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WEEKEND COVERAGE
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For weekend stories, please click here for the Weekend Lookahead digest.
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TOP STORIES
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HURRICANE HELENE — Nearly 700,000 homes and businesses in the U.S. Southeast are still without power more than a week after Hurricane Helene blew through the region. Most of the outages are in the Carolinas and Georgia. At least 220 people died in the storm, and crews are still trying to reach people who haven’t been accounted for in some hard-to-reach places. By Jeff Amy. SENT: 960 words, photos, video, audio. WITH: HURRICANE HELENE-WATER INFRASTRUCTURE — Helene severely damaged drinking water utilities in the Southeast. Western North Carolina was especially hard hit; FEMA-NATURAL DISASTERS-EXPLAINER — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been criticized by some residents and politicians; HURRICANE-HELENE-GEORGIA-DEATHS — Twin babies who died alongside their mother in Georgia are youngest-known Hurricane Helene victims; HURRICANE-HELENE-VOTER-REGISTRATION — Civil rights groups ask to extend voter registration deadlines in hurricane-ravaged states; HURRICANE-HELENE-TREE-DEATH — Family plans to honor hurricane victim using logs from fallen tree that killed him; HELENE-DRUM-CIRCLE — The Asheville Drum Circle had its first regular Friday night session since the powerful storm blew in. (ALL SENT).
MIDEAST-WARS — Israel carried out another series of punishing airstrikes Friday, hitting suburban Beirut and cutting off the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria for tens of thousands of people fleeing the Israeli bombardment of the Hezbollah militant group. The overnight blasts sent huge plumes of smoke and flames into the night sky and shook buildings kilometers away in the Lebanese capital. Thursday’s strike along the Lebanon-Syria border led to the closure of the road near the busy Masnaa Border Crossing. Israel said it had targeted the crossing because it was being used by Hezbollah to transport military equipment across the border. By Bassem Mroue. SENT: 1,130 words, photos, video, audio; WITH: MIDEAST-WARS-THE-LATEST — (SENT).
MIDEAST-WAR-ANNIVERSARY-ISRAEL-MOOD — Across Israel, it can seem on the surface that much of life has returned to normal, but a year of war has cast a pall and is affecting nearly every facet of daily life. At bars and cafes, there’s laughter and life. But even there, pictures of hostages held in Gaza stare down at patrons. And with an escalating front in the north, many Israelis are left feeling depressed, despondent and angry. Uncertainty over the future and worries about war permeate conversations and daily interactions. By Melanie Lidman. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
IRAN-US-HACKS AND HITS — Iran is under suspicion of trying to hack figures associated with the upcoming U.S. presidential election and plotting the assassination of Donald Trump. The claims come after decades of cyberwarfare both attributed to and targeting the Islamic Republic. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 1,250 words, photos.
FRANCE-RAPE-TRIAL — A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her has decided to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes. Friday’s decision by Judge Roger Arata to allow journalists and members of the public attending the trial to see the recordings marks a stunning reversal in the case that has shaken France. Journalists following the case and lawyers of Gisèle Pelicot, who was allegedly raped over the course of a decade, argued the videos were crucial to the full understanding of the extraordinary trial. By Diane Jeantet. SENT: 630 words, photos.
AFRICA-SOLAR-POWER — Companies that bring solar power to some of the poorest homes in Central and West Africa are said to be among the fastest growing on a continent whose governments have long struggled to address some of the world’s worst infrastructure and the complications of climate change. The International Energy Agency says about 600 million Africans lack access to electricity. The often African-owned solar companies operate in areas where the vast majority of people live disconnected from the electricity grid. By Kemo Cham and Jessica Donati. 770 words, photos.
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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES
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UKRAINE-ROSH-HASHANA — Thousands of pilgrims have joined an annual gathering to mark the Jewish new year in the central Ukrainian town of Uman, despite the war against Russia. Uman is transformed for the celebration of Rosh Hashana. The streets are plastered with signs in Hebrew for the pilgrims who come to pray at the tomb of Rabbi Nachman, the great-grandson of the founder of Hasidic movement. Despite Ukrainian and Israeli diplomats warning of the security threat, officials told The Associated Press that 35,000 pilgrims made the journey to Uman this year, the same as in earlier years. By ILLIA NOVIKOV. SENT: 570 words, photos.
EDUCATION-HAIR-DISCRIMINATION — A federal judge denied a request by a Black high school student in Texas for a court order that the student’s lawyers say would have allowed him to return to his high school without fear of having his previous punishment over his hairstyle resume. Darryl George had sought the order to reenroll at his Houston-area high school in the Barbers Hill school district after leaving at the start of his senior year in August because district officials were set to continue punishing him for not cutting his hair. In a ruling issued Friday, a federal judge denied George’s request, saying the student and his lawyers had waited too long to ask for the order. By Juan A. Lozano. SENT: 500 words, photo.
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MORE NEWS
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IDAHO-SENATOR’S-OUTBURST — Tensions rose during a bipartisan forum after an audience question about discrimination reportedly led Idaho Republican Sen. Dan Foreman to angrily tell a Native American candidate to “go back where you came from.” SENT: 830 words, photo.
SOUTH-KOREA-OCTOGENARIAN-RAPPERS-PHOTO-GALLERY — In their 80s, these South Korean women learned reading and rap. SENT: 430 words, photos.
INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA — One of the most photographed events in the world is set to kick off Saturday with a mass ascension of color for the 52nd annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. SENT: 400 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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ELECTION 2024-TRUMP — Donald Trump plans to return to the site where a gunman tried to assassinate him in July, setting aside what are now near-constant worries for his physical safety in order to fulfill a promise, “really an obligation,” he says, to the people of Butler, Pennsylvania. By Julie Carr Smyth. SENT: 580 words, photos. Rally at 5 p.m.
ELECTION 2024-HARRIS — Kamala Harris is heading to North Carolina as the state recovers from Hurricane Helene, arriving there one day after Donald Trump, who has been spreading false claims about the federal response to the disaster. By Colleen Long and Ayanna Alexander. SENT: 410 words, photos. Timing uncertain.
BIDEN-IMMIGRATION — The Biden administration will not extend a two-year program that allows migrants from certain nations into the U.S. if they came by plane with sponsorship. Homeland Security officials said Friday that those at the two-year mark must apply for another type of legal status, depart the country or face deportation. SENT: 280 words, photo.
ELECTION 2024-CALIFORNIA-SAN FRANCISCO-MAYOR — London Breed became the first Black woman elected mayor of San Francisco six years ago. But now she’s in a heated contest for a second term in office with four main challengers who are all fellow Democrats. SENT: 960 words, photos.
ARIZONA-OPEN PRIMARIES — The Arizona Supreme Court cleared the way for voters to decide on establishing open primaries. Proposition 140 already was printed on ballots that were mailed to some voters. The court’s decision Friday makes clear votes on the measure will be counted. SENT: 280 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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EXECUTIONS-GOVERNORS — Texas rarely grants clemency for death row inmates, but that’s not stopping a group of bipartisan lawmakers from showing their support for a man scheduled to be executed in October. SENT: 890 words, photos.
BIBLES-IN-SCHOOL-OKLAHOMA — Oklahoma’s top education official is seeking to purchase 55,000 Bibles that match one endorsed by former President Donald Trump. The request is part of Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ ongoing efforts to require Bibles in every classroom. SENT: 480 words, photo.
OBIT-HURST — Steven R. Hurst, who over a decades-long career in journalism covered major world events as he worked for news outlets including The Associated Press, NBC and CNN, has died. He was 77. SENT: 570 words, photo.
IOWA-WATER-BUFFALO — The owner of a water buffalo that ran loose in a Des Moines, Iowa, suburb for days in August has pleaded guilty for having an animal at large. The owner was fined $105 and court costs. SENT: 200 words, photo.
CALIFORNIA-RV-FINE — A California vineyard owner is suing Santa Clara County after officials fined him for allowing his longtime employee to live in an RV on his property for years. SENT: 350 words.
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INTERNATIONAL
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BRAZIL-AMAZON-DROUGHT — Brazil’s geological service says that one of the Amazon River’s main tributaries has dropped to its lowest level in 122 years, reflecting a severe drought that has devastated the Amazon rainforest and other parts of the country. SENT: 290 words, photos, video.
INDIA-MAOIST-REBELS — At least 31 suspected Maoist rebels were killed in a battle with Indian troops in central India. Police said the fighting erupted on Friday when counterinsurgency troops, acting on intelligence, cornered nearly 50 suspected rebels in the Abhujmaad forest area along the border of Narayanpur and Dantewada districts in Chhattisgarh state. SENT: 300 words.
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BUSINESS
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PAPER MILL FINE — Washington state authorities are fining one of the world’s leading paper and pulp companies nearly $650,000 after one of its employees was crushed by a packing machine earlier this year. The penalty comes after 32-year-old Dakota Cline was killed in March while working on a machine at Georgia-Pacific’s paper mill in Camas. SENT: 230 words.
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SPORTS
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NLDS-PADRES-DODGERS PREVIEW — Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have been friends going back to their days playing in Japan’s top baseball league. Their next goal is to win a World Series championship together. SENT: 760 words, photo.
NFL-CONCUSSIONS — The NFL saw its fewest number of concussions in the preseason since tracking started in 2015. There were 44 concussions in practices and games, a decrease of about 24% from last year. SENT: 540 words, photo.
OBIT-LANDRY — Greg Landry, the former Detroit Lions quarterback and assistant coach, has died. He was 77. SENT: 320 words, photos.
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Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani speaks to reporters in a press conference in preparation for Game 1 of a baseball NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The earth is exposed along the Negro River at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)
FILE - An escaped water buffalo on the lam from police looks on Aug. 24, 2024, in the Des Moines suburb of Pleasant Hill, Iowa. (Madison Pottebaum via AP, File)
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FILE - Idaho Sen. Dan Foreman, R-Moscow, waits for the State of the State address inside the house chambers at the state Capitol building, on Jan. 9, 2017 in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Otto Kitsinger, File)
FILE - Darryl George stands next to his mother, Darresha George, in front of Galveston County Court House, May 23, 2024, in Galveston, Texas. A federal judge on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 denied a request by Darryl George, a Black high school student in Texas for a court order that the student’s lawyers say would have allowed him to return to his high school without fear of having his previous punishment over his hairstyle resume.(Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)
Orthodox Jews dance at the tomb of Rabbi Nachman, the great grandson of the founder of Hasidic movement, to mark the Jewish new year in the town of Uman, 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Ukraine's capital Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
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President Joe Biden stands next to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre when Biden made a surprise appearance during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump leaves the stage after speaking at a town hall event in Fayetteville, N.C., Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
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Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A woman plays music at a drum circle Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 in Asheville, N.C., a week after Hurricane Helene upended lives across the Southeast. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson)
People clean up and burn debris left in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Erwin, Tenn. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
