Villages to start irrigation
Jun 11, 2010
The Government plans to establish micro-irrigation schemes at household level by 2015. This is aimed at reducing poverty through agricultural development.
By Ben Okiror
The Government plans to establish micro-irrigation schemes at household level by 2015. This is aimed at reducing poverty through agricultural development.
The newly-launched National Development Plan, under the agriculture sector, identifies poor management of natural resources and inadequate physical infrastructure, as some of the constraints to the performance of the agricultural sector.
As one of the strategies to address the constraints, the Government intends to increase supply of water for irrigation, livestock and aquaculture.
According to sources, the exact position and nature of the irrigation scheme will be determined by availability of water resources, acreage, the type of crop and soil, among others.
The pilot schemes will be launched in September, especially in eastern Uganda, which is most affected by climatic changes.
There are plans to construct five irrigation schemes, rehabilitate Mobuku, Kibimba, Kiige, Olweny and Agoro irrigation schemes and construct 15 dams and 135 valley dams.
The plan says the Government will also transfer management of the schemes to the lowest appropriate level. A family can have its own irrigation scheme, or communities can come together and set up a communal scheme.
“The Government will also establish demonstrations on small-scale irrigation technologies and rain water harvesting and management to ensure transfer of irrigation knowledge and skills,†the plan document states.
In order to maximise water use, there are plans to establish and train 1,000 water users’ associations, countrywide.
Additionally, three bulk water supply systems and 25 water supply systems in rural areas will be constructed. The 25 new valley dams will contain 2.2 million cubic metres of water.
In aquaculture (fish farming), the Government will support the increase in acreage of small-scale aquaculture from 5,000 to 20,000 hectares.
“It has been demonstrated that if agriculture in Uganda grew at the average rate of 2.8 percent per year, as experienced in the last eight years, the poverty rate would be reduced to 26.5 percent by 2015,†reads the plan.
It added that if greater investments were made in agriculture and the sector grew at 5.9 percent per year to 2015, the national poverty rate would be reduced to 17.9 percent and the number of people with absolute poverty to 6.9 million.
The Government plans to establish micro-irrigation schemes at household level by 2015. This is aimed at reducing poverty through agricultural development.
The newly-launched National Development Plan, under the agriculture sector, identifies poor management of natural resources and inadequate physical infrastructure, as some of the constraints to the performance of the agricultural sector.
As one of the strategies to address the constraints, the Government intends to increase supply of water for irrigation, livestock and aquaculture.
According to sources, the exact position and nature of the irrigation scheme will be determined by availability of water resources, acreage, the type of crop and soil, among others.
The pilot schemes will be launched in September, especially in eastern Uganda, which is most affected by climatic changes.
There are plans to construct five irrigation schemes, rehabilitate Mobuku, Kibimba, Kiige, Olweny and Agoro irrigation schemes and construct 15 dams and 135 valley dams.
The plan says the Government will also transfer management of the schemes to the lowest appropriate level. A family can have its own irrigation scheme, or communities can come together and set up a communal scheme.
“The Government will also establish demonstrations on small-scale irrigation technologies and rain water harvesting and management to ensure transfer of irrigation knowledge and skills,†the plan document states.
In order to maximise water use, there are plans to establish and train 1,000 water users’ associations, countrywide.
Additionally, three bulk water supply systems and 25 water supply systems in rural areas will be constructed. The 25 new valley dams will contain 2.2 million cubic metres of water.
In aquaculture (fish farming), the Government will support the increase in acreage of small-scale aquaculture from 5,000 to 20,000 hectares.
“It has been demonstrated that if agriculture in Uganda grew at the average rate of 2.8 percent per year, as experienced in the last eight years, the poverty rate would be reduced to 26.5 percent by 2015,†reads the plan.
It added that if greater investments were made in agriculture and the sector grew at 5.9 percent per year to 2015, the national poverty rate would be reduced to 17.9 percent and the number of people with absolute poverty to 6.9 million.