By Joshua Kato

Last week, we looked at the advantages of prasticing irrigation farming. In the second part, we look at the various sources of water that can be used for irrigation.

Uganda receives at least two seasons of rainfall every year. It is this water that should be used as the main source of for irrigation. We shall look at the various ways of harvesting rain water in detail in our subsequent issues.

Water bodies :There is absolutely no reason why farmers along River Nile do not carry out irrigation. In addition to the big lakes and rivers, there are also small rivers and water dams that can be used to carry out irrigation. The following are ways of getting water from the nearest waterbodies to your farm.

Drilled water sources: There is water a few feet below the ground surface. This water can be reached by drilling the ground.

In most cases, the commonest method is the borehole. According to geologists, a borehole can be dug almost anywhere in the country.

There are many farms in Uganda that depend on bore holes as the source of water for animals and crops.

Most of the greenhouse farmers in the country are using National Water and Sewerage Corporation water for irrigating their greenhouses.

This, is of course more expensive than any of the other sources, of water, but at the end of the day, the farmers who use it make a profit. Next week, we shall deal with the various ways of harvesting water, starting with the under ground water.