LIRA – The Woman Member of Parliament representing Lira district, Linda Agnes Auma has called upon farmers in the district to embrace intercropping, saying it key in ensuring food security.
Intercropping is the practice of growing two or more crops in proximity. The most common goal of intercropping is to produce a greater yield on a given piece of land by making use of resources that would otherwise not be utilised by a single crop.
Auma made the call recently during the Field Farmers’ Day organised in Ogur Sub-county by Lira district production department to train farmers on intercropping, and use of fertilisers.
She said intercropping would not only help farmers mitigate climate change but it would also enable them to fight food insecurity in their various households.
She said if the farmers embrace intercropping they will be protecting their pieces of land but also boost farmers’ incomes, thus enabling them to cater for their family needs such as school fees clothes, and medical care among others.
“If you are planting maize, intercrop it with beans. You will never regret because beans are legumes that add value to the soil,” Auma said.
She further appealed to the farmers to plant quality seeds so that they can get better yields for both home consumption and sale.
“Plant good varieties that can withstand the climatic weather changes because it will give you good yields so that you can use it for both home consumption and sale,” she said.
Esther Amule, a farmer in Ogur Sub-county, said that she has been struggling to pay for her children’s school fees since she grows soybeans. She said she would embrace intercropping to earn more income.
“I am getting a lot of challenges because I always grow soybeans. This is making things too hard for me because I don’t have enough money. I will start intercropping so that I earn more income to care for my family,” she said.
Hellen Alwoc, a resident of Odagawea in Ogur Sub-county said she sometimes plants beans alongside soybeans.
“I support MP Auma’s call for intercropping because last season I planted soybeans and beans and was able to get two basins of beans to feed my family,” Alwoc said.
Paul Okello, who lives in Aloborom village in Akangi parish, Lira district said unreliable rainfall is a big challenge to farmers.
“Seasons have changed. We used to have regular rains but now it can be off for even three to four months,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dorcus Alum, the principal agricultural officer Lira district said they always prefer farmers to plant different crops in different seasons.
Alum added that intercropping is not economical because it doesn’t produce good yields.
“Intercropping compromises the yields so much but if you plant perianal crops like coffee, coconut, citrus on a piece of land, then you can add food crops,” Alum added.
Some of the advantages of Intercropping
- Weed control is easier.
- Soil is protected against erosion as soil moisture is conserved.
- Organic matter is added to the soil.
Some of the disadvantages of Intercropping
If the crops aren’t wisely chosen when intercropping, it may lead to;
- Soil exhaustion.
- Plant health problems.
- Competition for nutrients and sunlight.
https://thecooperator.news/farmers-excited-as-lira-coop-acquires-maize-mill/
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