Busoga, Teso sub-region farmers reap big from irrigation schemes

Farmers in the regions of Busoga, Teso and Bukedea are getting a bumper harvest following the introduction of small scale irrigation farming by the Government.

When President Yoweri Museveni launched a drip irrigation system using plastic bottles on one farm in Kawumu, Luwero district in 2016, many Ugandans criticised him for the demonstration he had made.

The President explained that the demonstration farm was to show farmers that one could maximise output and earn money throughout the year even with limited space.

To ensure the realisation of his vision, President Museveni directed the water ministry to develop small scale irrigation schemes that would become the pilot for other people to learn and embrace agriculture as a commercial activity.

On the periphery of Lake Victoria in Mayuge district sits the 13-acre farm in Bukatabira village.

The beautiful view and cool breeze from the lake coupled with water sprinkling from the pumps give one morale to work.

The ministry established a well-fitted piped water system made of sprinkle pumps and a fully-fledged solar system that pumps water into Bukatabira small scale irrigation scheme in Malongo sub-county, Mayuge district.

This scheme is the new home for the 70 farmers among other 300 beneficiaries who are reaping big out of it.

Happy farmers

Sixty-year-old Joshua Opanyi is one of the model farmers and beneficiaries. He grows vegetables and fruits on this scheme, and he has planted onions on his half-acre piece of land.

He says: "With the availability of water and the powered irrigation system, I can plant different kinds of fruits and vegetables throughout the year.

"I have had four harvests and I have been able to earn sh10m. This is miraculous. I had never earned such an amount of money in the 35 years I have spent in farming." Opanyi adds: "Even though the situation was tough during the lockdown due to COVID-19, I was harvesting tomatoes and my pockets were smiling throughout the period."

He attributes his bumper harvests to good agronomic practices and constant supply of water from the irrigation system constructed by the water and environment ministry.

The Government looks at constructing more irrigation schemes across the country so that more farmers get involved. This would increase productivity throughout the year.

Patrick Oketel, a senior water engineer in charge of the eastern region, says: "We have constructed 38 small-scale irrigation systems in Busoga, Bukedi, Bugisu, Teso and Sebum sub-regions, with more than 10 under construction."

Oketel says the department of water for production has been given the mandate to construct 500 of these schemes by 2021.

Rose Musabaki, another farmer at Adonia small irrigation scheme in Kameruka sub-county, Budaka district, says the scheme is the best project they have ever received.

"We are benefiting a lot from modern farming practices. There is a steady flow of income into our pockets as well food in our homes," Musabaki says.

She says the scheme is an eye-opener to most of the people who did not believe one could farm on the small scale and reap millions of shillings.

Henry Nawulele, one of the residents in Bugaligwokwo village, says at first, he was hesitant to join the project. However, upon seeing the progress of the farm, he donated part of his land for the expansion of the scheme.

Nawulele has become one of the strongest supporters of the scheme and has earned a lot of money from agriculture.

"COVID-19 has affected many businesses, but I have not felt the pinch because I was able to sell my onions and earned sh2m," Nawulele says.

He adds: "This money may seem little to those who have it, but to an ordinary farmer like me, it means a lot." Nawulele has also borrowed the skills from the farm and is replicating them in his garden at home.

Future prospects

To ensure the sustainability of the schemes, Oketel says they have designed a community-based management system where the farmers are in charge of their own affairs.

"The farmers are compelled to save 30% of their earnings in the farmers' association account, 20% of this is meant for reinvestment into the farm while 10% is for operation and maintenance of the scheme," he says.

Oketel says the compulsory saving is to build the capacity of the farmer to run their affairs after the Government withdraws its support.

"The purpose of this money is to empower farmers economically to take over the farm as we exit gradually in the next two years.

"When farmers are empowered economically, they will be able to buy their own inputs as we supplement with some percentages. We shall scale down depending on how successful they are on running their own activities without our involvement," Oketel says.

Local leaders say

Emmanuel Emotojo, one of the ministry engineers at Apeduru small scale irrigation scheme in Amuria district, says the schemes are designed to last for a minimum of 25 years.

"Most of the materials used for the construction of the irrigation system were locally sourced. Farmers have been skilled on how to manage and repair just in case there are any damages," Emotojo says.

Robert Ntende, the Bunya South MP, says: "If the people of Busoga adapt to this kind of farming, the vicious cycle of poverty in homes will come to an end as well as malnutrition because horticulture is the green gold."

Oketel says out of the established 38 schemes, the average money farmers make per season is sh15m and harvest is three times per year.

He believes that if farmers get to make the right choice of enterprise based on the market projection demand, they will continue to reap handsomely.

Challenges

Hussein Waiswa, the chairperson of the Bukatabira scheme, says the greatest challenge faced by farmers is the poor access to markets.

He says the roads are so poor that it makes it hard for them to get bulk buyers to the farm, thus relying on the local market for consumption. "If the Government built for us a good murram road, we would have easy access to the markets," Waiswa says.

Okotel, however, says the implementation was affected by people's fear that the Government wanted to grab their land.

"We have had to change sites and many communities have missed the scheme just because their perception is poor towards the programme," Oketel says.