Use current rains to prepare gardens for next planting season, farmers told
Abaho cautions the farmers not to plant their seeds yet, believing the rains will continue.
A farmer weeding his garden. Though the rains have been consistent for nearly two weeks, they are short-lived, ‘out of order’. (File photo)
By Stephen Nuwagira
Journalists @New Vision
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Farmers should take advantage of the current rains to prepare their gardens ahead of the next planting season. Most parts of Ibanda district have, over the past 10 days or so, received good rains.
However, the district production officer, Peter Abaho, says a dry spell is expected in the coming weeks and could extend into late August or early September 2025.
Abaho cautions the farmers not to plant their seeds yet, believing the rains will continue.
He says, though the rains have been consistent for nearly two weeks, they are short-lived, ‘out of order’ and a result of climate change.
“There will surely be a dry spell before the onset of season B that normally starts in mid-August/early September for the year’s main crop. So, take advantage of these rains to prepare well for next planting season,” he said.
Some farmers usually plant early to make a killing when there is scarcity of foodstuffs. But Abaho said this could be counterproductive as the dry spell could be longer than expected.
Simon Muhumuza, of the environment lobby group Green Environment Organisation (GEO), notes that the ‘out of season’ rains were one of the negative effects of climate change.
“These rains were expected in June, but did not come...this (July-August) is supposed to be a dry season to facilitate crop harvesting and flowering of coffee,” he said on July 9, 2025.
Ibanda district production officer Peter Abaho. (Photo by Stephen Nuwagira)
So, the challenge is that farmers’ activity plans will be affected and some may lose money as a result of the unexpected weather changes, noted Muhumuza, who is also an agriculture lecturer at Ibanda University.
He advised coffee and banana farmers to mulch their plantations to conserve the water that is being provided by the current rains.
Forecast
According to the June–August 2025 seasonal climatic outlook over Uganda by the water and environment ministry’s department of meteorological services, dry conditions occasionally punctuated by isolated showers experienced over the past months were projected to continue to around late July and early August in the southwestern lowlands region, including Ibanda and neighbouring districts.
“After that, isolated light showers are expected to develop and persist throughout the remainder of the season,” indicates the downgraded regional forecast released on May 30.