When Solome Abalo resigned from her formal work in 2022 to concentrate on farming and selling agricultural seedlings, many people despised her decision.
Three years on, Abalo is having the last laugh as she testifies that farming has enabled her to pursue further studies while expanding her business.
“I don’t regret my decision to leave formal employment. I am sponsoring myself at the University, running my agribusiness input and my life is not bad, all these were made possible because of farming,” she says.
Earn money in a short time
Abalo 33, an agricultural engineer, who is also pursuing a master’s degree in biosystems engineering at Gulu University, started growing vegetables from a 400sqmetre plot of land in Bungatira, Gulu district where she was an extension worker, training women.
In 2020, she expanded her farming to three acres in Hima parish, Koch Goma town council in Nwoya district, where she started growing onions, eggplants, and sunflowers.
Currently, she has two acres of watermelon, an acre of tomatoes and another acre under tilling where she will grow eggplants.
Asked why she grows only vegetables, Abalo said: “With vegetables, you earn money in a very short time.”
She encourages people to do more of vegetables and also perennial crops like coffee and bananas, since they are lifetime investments.
“My life is about changing a life and inspiring people, especially women, to do something productive,” Abalo says.
With the changing patterns in climate that the country has been experiencing for a while, she advises farmers to consider planting early maturing crops, such as vegetables and drought tolerant varieties.
“Farmers should consider water sources as the first priority… It is painful if water is the only thing letting you down after investing so much in farming. If you don’t have water from the swampy areas, then drill them for production. These are the only ways we can adapt to the changing climate. Invest to have high output/outcome.”
Apiyo’s farming story
Betty Apiyo, a primary school teacher, has taken the advise not to depend on only a salary, but to find alternative means of increasing household income. Apiyo and her husband, own a farm called “Zakaayo Harvest Hub” located in Keyo village, Palema parish, Lamogi sub-county in Amuru district.
“We made a decision to leave Gulu city and relocate to the village to focus on our farm. I spend all my weekends and holidays at the farm and weekdays at school. That was the best decision we made. In 2023, the couple started farming, by planting tomatoes and cabbages. Currently, they have an acre of onions and tomatoes.
“In a day, we use a full tank of water (5,000 litres) to irrigate tomatoes and onions. These volumes of water are still not enough and it’s the reason we don’t grow cabbages during dry season, because they consumes a lot of water,” she says.
Apiyo said through farming, they are able to pay their children’s fees on time, since they harvest vegetables thrice a year.
She says it is high time people adapted to climate smart agricultural practices to benefit from crop growing, despite the changing climatic conditions.
Apiyo says her success demonstrates that much as climate change is impacting farming negatively, overcoming some of the taboos and stereotypes impeding attitudes towards farming can radically alter the poor state of farming in the region.
Govt irrigation
Dr Tamim Ebong, the Nwoya district production officer, reveals that the Government has introduced two irrigation schemes, solar run and diesel run engines for pumping water.
This provides options for farmers to tackle drought through irrigation. He adds that a farmer, who is interested in a solar run engine, pays 20% of the total cost (sh1.5-sh2m, depending on the size of the land), noting that farmers can irrigate up to 2.5 acres.
For the diesel run engine, a farmer pays 70% of the total cost (sh18m-sh23m).
“This is really helping our women farmers to continuously produce crops, vegetables and fruits even in dry season,” Ebong says.
He calls on farmers to utilise the opportunity of the project before it ends in December, while advising them to plant fast maturing and drought resistant crops to cope with changing patterns in climate.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Apiyo in her onion garden. She says through farming, she is able to pay children’s fees.
