By Prossy Nandudu
As the rainy season nears its end, the farming community has been advised to invest in water harvesting facilities, to save water that will be used when the dry spell sets in.
The advice was made by the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries, Maj Gen Rtd David Kasura Kyomukama on Tuesday.
“We are strongly advising farmers to not only practice water harvesting as a precautionary measure for drier times but to also enroll in programs and projects introduced by the Government to increase availability and access to water for Agricultural production,” Kyomukama said.
According to Kyomukama, although the rains are here, dependency on rain fed agriculture may not be sustainable for production, but dependence on rain-fed Agriculture may not be the best choice for the farmer.
Kyomukama added that under the Ministry, there is the Micro-scale Irrigation Program, which is part of the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer Program (UgIFT), implemented by the Government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries that should be embraced by farmers.
The Programme is part of the larger Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers Program Project for Uganda (UgIFT) supported by the World Bank through the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development.
For one to get the facility, they have to part with between 25% to 75% of the total cost of the irrigation equipment, but with a maximum contribution of sh7.2m per acre.
That means for one to have irrigation equipment for one acre, they will have to part with between sh2 million and 8 million depending on the condition of the site or farm, added a document authored by the World Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture.
To get more information about the facility, Kyomukama said that the programme is open to all districts adding that farmers should consult respective Senior Agricultural Engineers attached to the district offices for guidance.
