Farmers in eastern Uganda urged to embrace irrigation
The call was made by Eng. Godfrey Wangi of Makerere University College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology during farmers' training on the Low-cost Irrigation Project being implemented by the college.
SOROTI, August 8, 2024 – Farmers in eastern Uganda have been urged to embrace irrigation as a way of coping with the everchanging climatic conditions and also boost crop production at the household level.
The call was made by Eng. Godfrey Wangi of Makerere University College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology during farmers’ training on the Low-cost Irrigation Project being implemented by the college.
The project is being supported by government under the Presidential Support to Science and Technology Project known as “Boosting Technological Education and Innovation for Uganda’s Industrialisation”.
The training held in Soroti district on Wednesday attracted district agricultural officers and 45 selected model farmers from the districts of Jinja, Namutumba, Mbale, Pallisa, Ngora Bukedea Kumi, and Soroti among others.
Eng. Wangi urged the farmers to embrace irrigation if they are to ensure sustainable food production. “With the rainfall becoming increasingly scarce due to climate change, farmers should adopt irrigation for sustainable agriculture,” added Eng. Awanyi.
According to him, the potential to sustain crop production through irrigation has long been recognised by communities, government, non-government, and public sector players.
He explained that Makerere University through the College of Engineering, Design, Arts and Technology is implementing Low-cost Irrigation Project where a farmer can get a pump that uses 2 horse-powers to deliver 100 litres of water per minute up to a height of 20 metres at a cost of Shs 500, 000.
However, Wangi said discussions to lower the cost down to Shs 300, 000 so as to make it more affordable to the farmers are ongoing.
“The potential obstacle to the development of irrigation is the cost and our draft plan acknowledges that development of infrastructure for irrigation is generally beyond the means of the average household or even the private sector,” he said.
He further revealed that through this project, farmers in rural areas especially in western Uganda [Kasese] and Soroti have been helped to have irrigation equipment on their farms.
On his part, Eng. Dr. Awanyi, one of the implementers of the irrigation project, added that workshops have been organised where the communities have been able to learn about the different technologies needed in irrigation such as pumps, pipes, sprinklers, channels and drip lines.
Moses Okiro, a rice farmer in Kobuin Sub-county, Ngora district said when farmers adopted irrigation, and the production of rice has improved throughout the year.
Okiro, also a model rice farmer, explained that with irrigation, rice, maize and beans can now be in plentiful supplied to the market all year round.
Stephen Oonyu, a model farmer from Gweri Sub-county, Soroti district believes that one of the reasons Ugandans have not adopted full-scale irrigation is that the rains have been relatively good throughout the years but now that they have reduced, every farmer has to rethink especially those near water sources.
He explained that the adoption of irrigation by farmers has been low, urging government to help the farmers acquire water pumps, just like they are supporting the farmers in the acquisition of walking tractors.
https://thecooperator.news/teso-college-aloet-to-set-up-irrigation-scheme-to-support-learners/
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