Bushenyi District launches micro-scale irrigation program

Bushenyi District launches micro-scale irrigation program

By Byamukama Libino 
Bushenyi – As part of  government’s effort towards improving agricultural productivity through provision of water for irrigation in the district, Bushenyi district local government on Thursday launched the micro-scale irrigation program in the district.
Speaking at the launch of the program in the five sub-counties of Nyabubare , Kitwe ,Rwentuha and Bumbaire ,the Bushenyi Resident District Commissioner Robert Atuhairwe rallied the public to take the issue of environmental protection and climate seriously.
Bushenyi district RDC Robert Atuhairwe (holding horse pipe with water) launching the project.
Atuhairwe  said he was grateful to the government for the project noting that the farmers in the district will no longer wait for rains to plant crops, when the irrigation equipment are provided they will ease farmers from the burden of water access for agriculture production, especially during the dry spells that have become longer as a result of climate change arguing  the would-be beneficiaries to guard the project.
Twebaaze Robinah, the Bushenyi district vice chief administrative officer, said that the program is aims at supporting individual subsistence farmers to purchase good quality and affordable solar powered micro-irrigation technology which will enable them to practice modern agriculture and improve their farm productivity and standard of living.
She  further added that, irrigation will help farmers to grow crops all year round with or without rain because they will be planting and watering their crops even during the dry season whereby in the long run they will have plenty of food for both eating and selling to generate more income.
According to the Bushenyi district agricultural engineer, Fred Tibesigwa  the micro-scale irrigation program will help farmers to buy irrigation equipment at a low cost.
The Government of Uganda is to share the cost of the equipments with the farmers whereby it will pay between 25% and 75% of the total cost of the irrigation equipment depending on the farm situation and the type of irrigation equipment chosen by the farmer.
He also clarified that, the cost of the equipment will depend on the closeness of the water source to the land for irrigation, terrain of the land, soil suitability, evidence as to whether the farmer has access to the land for at least one year, eligibility for contribution to the cost of the irrigation equipment, and willingness to grow and sell high value crops like horticulture crops and coffee for sell and that the size of the land to be irrigated must not exceed 2.5 acres
The program is being funded by the government of Uganda with support from World Bank with the ministry of agriculture, animal industry and fisheries as the lead ministry, coordinated by its department of agricultural infrastructure mechanization and water for agricultural production (DAIMWAP) and implemented by the production and marketing department at the district level.

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