How climate-smart agriculture practices promote food production in West Nile
Under the project, farmers are trained on how to dig water channels to trap running water during the rainy season, keep it in the soil so as to support vegetable growth during the dry spell.
Line Planting for easy weeding and digging of water channels to ensure better production of vegetables is in progress by a team from EWS-KT in Terego district. (Courtesy Photo)
WEST NILE - West Nile stands at the volatile intersection of environmental degradation and humanitarian support needs because of climate change, which manifests through prolonged dry spells and has severely affected local food production.
Compounding this climate change pressure, the region hosts thousands of refugees, mainly in the Bidibidi, Rhino Camps and Imvepi refugee settlements.
The prolonged dry spells limit food production in the region and escalate food scarcity, exposing the growing population to food insecurity and increasing malnutrition case rates.
In response to the mounting regional crisis, the Arab Gulf Program for Development (AGFUND), in partnership with EWS-KT, is supporting the farming community in this region through the "Improving Food Security, Incomes, and Reducing Chronic Malnutrition in Refugee Settlements and Host Communities in West Nile" project to help the West Nile farmers increase production.
Under the project, farmers are trained on how to dig water channels to trap running water during the rainy season, keep it in the soil so as to support vegetable growth during the dry spell.
Information from EWS-KT indicates that the project builds the production capacity and business skills among smallholder farmers, with an aim of enhancing their livelihoods at the same time having enough to eat. The trainings are combined with demonstrations of profitable and sustainable farming practices to enable farmers to remain in production amidst the changing weather.
Commenting on the project, Dr Chakua Wilfred, the Terego District Production Officer, commended the project, saying that it will help his community to transition from subsistence struggles to commercial vegetable farming.
“The project plays a vital role in bolstering local administrative structures. As government, we have limited human resources to support the farmers, knowing that our structure allocates one agricultural officer per sub-county, such projects boost our capacity to offer quality agricultural extension services to the last mile farmers,” Chakua said.
He added that as EWS-KT celebrates its tenth anniversary while scaling its operations, they should expand the integration of climate-resilient practices and commercial training beyond Terego district to other districts in West Nile region for sustainable production, which will turn vulnerable areas into vibrant hubs of agricultural productivity.
"I am capacitated with knowledge and skills to sustain my household food needs by producing vegetables which I eat and sell a portion of to cater for other requirements. I can also earn from training my neighbours,” he said.
He explained that in the last season, through vegetable production alone, he harvested and sold vegetables that earned him over a million shillings.
“Last season alone, I managed to earn one million, five hundred seventy-one thousand shillings (1,571,000 shillings) which helped me to timely pay school fees for my children."
For Joan Margaret, a farmer from Luluja, the practical training provided a direct solution to persistent farming hurdles.
"This project has helped me personally in acquiring knowledge on how to manage my vegetable field," Joan narrates.
"There were some pests that were disturbing me, but now I am able to manage them. I learnt that the most effective pest control measure is keeping the gardens free from weeds, but also mulching to maintain soil moisture. During the holidays, I also engage my children in the garden to learn these key production aspects,” she explained.