Farmers Demand Irrigation Techniques To Fight Dry Spell

http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=54714

Farmers in Kabarole district are demanding for irrigation techniques to help them cope with the dry spell that is affecting their crops.

Rice and Maize farmers in Rwimi Sub County particularly small-scale farmers depend on rain as a source of water for their crops. With the prolonged dry spell, they have continued to lose their crops, increasing fears of famine. The sub county is surrounded by three small rivers, but the farmers are not using them for irrigation. The rivers include Rwimi, Nyamwamba and Ntabgoba.

During the dry season, several farmers have lost their crops and are left with nothing to sell and consume.

 Reste Baguma, a maize farmer in Rwimi town council, says that with the water sources amidst them, it is a shame that farmers can lose crops and yet they can draw water from the rivers, for irrigation.

Baguma says that he acquired a loan of five million shillings to engage in maize production, but she made loses when her two acre rice field dried up.

She says that River Rwimi passes close to several rice and maize fields, but the farmers lack the techniques of irrigating their produce.

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 Margaret Kansiime, a maize farmer in Rwimi town council, says that some of the farmers depend on rain water to grow their crops, which is uncertain, because some times, the weather changes and farmers face difficulties accessing water sources.

Kansiime also harvests rainwater at her house, but the water isn’t enough to irrigate her four acres of rice fields.

Moses Irumba, the chairperson Rwimi farmers Association, says that farmers are now being encouraged to grow drought resistant crops, in the absence of irrigation equipments. He also says that the government and the district agricultural depaertment should senstize farmers on how to irrigate their garderns.

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Amos Mugume, the District Agricultural officer Kabarole, says that since the use of irrigation is complicated and there are no staff to teach the farmers, they are encouraging farmers to engage in rain water harvesting.

According to the 2012 Least Developed Countries report produced by the U.N.’s Conference on Trade and Development, lack of water has increasingly led to a drop in food production in countries like Uganda.

Although Uganda is gifted by lakes, rivers and swamps, where water for irrigation can be tapped, it is still ranked among the countries with the least irrigation coverage in Africa.