Ntungamo authorities rally farmers to embrace irrigation.

By Anthony Kushaba

Authorities in Ntungamo have embarked on a campaign to encourage farmers in the area to embrace irrigation.

Speaking during the benchmarking tour to Bushenyi district on Thursday , Ntungamo district Production officer Albert Mugabe revealed that the farmers in the district must adopt modern farming methods in a bid to improve production.

Mugabe revealed that challenges such as climate change result in crop failure, thus making it hard for farmers who solely rely on nature to survive.

Ntungamo district principal assistant secretary Kiiza Fedelis revealed that food security is very important and families cannot realize peace unless there is enough food in their homes, calling on farmers to embrace improved approaches to realize better output.

Asuman Kigongo, the Ntungamo district vice chairperson who led the team, revealed that the district leaders and technocrats traveled to Bushenyi to learn from the better practices of the farmers in the area as well as share the challenges in the area.

Freddie Tibesigwa, the senior Agricultural Engineer in Bushenyi district, revealed that the project had challenges at the beginning, but the locals are now understanding the benefits of irrigation and are working towards that.

The team visited the farm of Obadia Ntebekine, who is practicing irrigation on a 10-acre piece of land in Mazinga-Nyakabirizi division of Bushenyi Municipality, and Amos Basimwaki, a resident of Kibaare B parish in Bumbaire Sub County.

The Micro-scale Irrigation Program supports farmers in purchasing and using individual irrigation equipment. The Program supports farmers in purchasing irrigation equipment through a matching grant scheme, in which the cost of the equipment is co-financed by the farmer and the government.

The Program caps the support at 2.5 acres (1 hectare), so it is expected to benefit mainly smallholder farmers interested in transitioning from mainly subsistence to more commercial agriculture.

In addition, the farmer receives complementary services such as extension support in irrigated agriculture. The introduction of irrigation will help smallholder farmers grow crops all year.

Farmers will be able to cope with dry spells, produce during the dry season, transition to higher-value crops, such as horticultural crops and coffee, and hit the market when prices are more advantageous.

Micro-scale irrigation is when a farmer irrigates a small plot. For example, a farmer can use a pump to take water from a nearby stream and a hose to distribute the water throughout the plot.