Summary of Lake Naivasha: Withering Under the Assault of International Flower Vendors

A Food and Water Watch publication:

Kenya's Lake Naivasha used to be pristine, but due to overuse of water and environmental destruction caused by an overload of international flower farms, the lake's condition is deteriorating.

There are over 30 flower farms that cause many problems, the most worrying of which are the loss of water and the unsustainable increase in population due to an influx of labor.

Due to "virtual water trade," the process of using your water to produce or grow what you export, Kenya (and Lake Naivasha) has lost a lot of water. Scientists have concluded that Naivasha's water levels are 10 ft. lower than what is healthy.

In addition, over the past 2 years, the number of hippos has dropped by more than 25% because of decreased water levels.

Besides adverse environmental effects, the flower farms have attracted an unsustainable labor pool. The population rose from 7000 in 1969 to 300,000 in 2007. The population around the lake has no access to sewage facilities, and the people are washing in the lake. Furthermore, the flower farm workers are suffering from chemical exposure (one can imagine what is being poured into the lake).

Kenya is a "begging country," on the top 10 list of the World Food Program for food donations, but Lake Naivasha has the potential to grow enough food to feed the surrounding area.

The Maasai people used to graze their cattle along Lake Naivasha's banks, but in 1904 the Maasai agreed to clear out so that ranchers could move in. Now, the land around the lake is privately owned by the flower farms. Without lake access, poor residents have to get their water from communal taps and the Maasai can only let their cows graze at a small section of bank where women wash clothes and animals bathe.

The government is between a rock and a hard place: the agricultural expansion in Naivasha (and elsewhere in Kenya) is helping the GDP and economy grow, but there are adverse effects to the population and surrounding area that need to be curbed.

In 1995, Lake Naivasha was protected under the Ramsar Convention (preserving wetlands as habitats for wildfowl), but the Ramsar designation doesn't have enough legal power to carry out tasks.

There is no legal framework for the use of water from Lake Naivasha, and unless the government curbs use, the lake could dry out. The government may be blinded by the earnings of the flower industry ($350 million/year).

Food and Water Watch proposes sustainable alternatives to the flower farms including: small-scale organic farming and ecotourism. This would protect both the lake and the livlihoods of the surrounding communities. Small-scale organic farming would promote food security, and ecotourism would bring more local and foreign vistors (and their cash). Both would cause little to no damage to the environment.

Citations used by FWW and mentioned in this summary:

1. Ouma Oloo, Isaac. Personal Interview. Activist and ecological safari guide. Aug. 30, 2007.
2. "Lake Naivash: Local Management of a Kenyan Ramsar Site." The World Conservation Union and Lake Naivasha Riparian Association. 2005.
   
3. Hartley, Jean. "Naivasha." 1985. Evans Brothers (Kenya) Ltd. Pp. 4,9.
4. Smith, Lewis. "Why fruit shopping poisons the hippo." The Times, March 28, 2006. Available at: www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2106467,00.html
5. Vasagar, Jeevan. "How Kenya is caught on the thorns of Britain's love affair with the rose." The Guardian. Feb. 13, 2006. Available at: www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,1708492,00.html
6. "Valentine's Day roses bloom amid Kenyan poverty." Reuters news service, Feb. 13, 2006. Available at: www.planetark.com/dailynewstory.cfm/newsid/35048/newDate/13-Feb-2006/story.htm
7. "Five major flower firms to abandon Naivasha for Ethiopia." NationMesdia.com, Feb. 22, 2006.