Small-scale irrigation: Amuru moves to promote fish farming

AMURU – The Amuru district agricultural department is considering helping farmers who have embraced small-scale irrigation on their farms to begin fish farming as an additional income-generating activity.

Currently, Amuru district has over 30 farmers who benefited from the Micro-scale Irrigation Programme which supports farmers to purchase and use individual irrigation equipment through a matching grant scheme, in which the cost of the equipment is co-financed by the farmer and the government.

Simon Peter Komakech, the Amuru district agricultural officer said they would want farmers to establish fish ponds since the irrigation equipment can provide water all the year.

He said that currently, only one farmer is in fish farming among the farmers who are implementing small-scale irrigation, and that he is earning extra income from the fish business.

According to Komakech, by enrolling all the other farmers in fish farming, they would have expanded the finance base, since they will be selling fish from their own ponds, as well as preserving water for irrigation purposes.

Currently, the farmers who have irrigation equipment use water from nearby streams and swamps to irrigate their gardens.

Michael Lakony, the Amuru district LCV district said the Micro-scale Irrigation Programme, which fits into the current 4-acre model being promoted by President Yoweri Museveni to boost agricultural production, emphasises the production of more than one agricultural product.

According to Lakony, they are already in talks with partners of the district to see that the farmers are supported with establishing fish ponds.

“We are in talks with partners, including the Agriculture ministry, so that we can introduce our farmers to fish farming. By doing so, we would have greatly empowered them to meet their household needs,” Lakony said.

Currently, the district has over 38 farmers who are lined up to receive the irrigation equipment. Micro-scale Irrigation Programme is part of Uganda’s National Irrigation Policy. This Policy aims to create 1.5 million hectares of irrigated land by the year 2040.

http://Officials taking a look at an irrigation water bank (Photo by Michael Ojok).

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