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As the rainy season nears its end, the farming community has been advised to invest in water harvesting facilities, to save water that will be used when the dry spell sets in.

The advice was made by the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries, Maj Gen Rtd David Kasura Kyomukama on Tuesday, November 21.

“We are strongly advising farmers to not only practice water harvesting as a precautionary measure for drier times but to also enrol in programs and projects introduced by the government to increase availability and access to water for agricultural production,” Kyomukama told New Vision.

According to Kyomukama, although the rains are here, dependency on rain-fed agriculture is not sustainable for production nor the best choice for the farmer.

Kyomukama added that under the agriculture ministry, there is the Micro-scale Irrigation Program, which is part of the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer (UgIFT) program, implemented by the government through the ministry that should be embraced by farmers.

The UgIFT program is supported by the World Bank through the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

For one to get the facility, they have to part with between 25% to 75% of the total cost of the irrigation equipment, but with a maximum contribution of sh7.2m per acre.

That means for one to have irrigation equipment for one acre, they will have to part with between sh2m and sh8m depending on the condition of the site or farm added a document authored by the World Bank and the agriculture ministry.

To get more information about the facility, Kyomukama said that the programme is open to all districts adding that farmers should consult respective senior agricultural engineers attached to the district offices for guidance.