Museveni tells farmers to use drip irrigation

LUWEERO.

President Museveni who on Monday spent the whole day at his Kawumu farm in Luweero District, mulching his crops and monitoring wealth creation projects, has advised farmers countrywide to use drip irrigation to boost household incomes and food security.

The President is implementing the use of drip irrigation, which is the cheapest and effective irrigation method for any farmer in the country.
“I decided to come here because the people have failed to listen to the message of the Movement.

I decided to come to the centre where the peasants live. I have been involved in the fight against poverty right from 1967 near my home in Rwakitura and I know that you can overcome poverty through modern agriculture even on a small piece of land,” Mr Museveni said.

The President also showcased various agricultural practices and visited the different model farmers in the district.

However, his return to Luweero was choreographed through the prism of shaming critics who had ridiculed his bicycle campaign and drip irrigation as a joke.
The President also took a group of journalists from Kampala and Luweero to see first-hand ‘the wonders of drip irrigation.’

“We cannot depend on the rain water but God has given us the wisdom to think for our people,” he said, adding that “Our people in these areas have a potential to get out of poverty. We have several examples of lead farmers who put to use the knowledge they get from the Operation Wealth Creation project...”

He then demonstrated to them how to cut grass for mulching the banana plantation and growing mushrooms, pawpaws and pineapples on a small piece of land.

“You know you have fragmented your land on account of poor inheritance rights against our advice but still with modern agriculture, we can get rid of household poverty using small pieces of land,” he emphasised.

According to a State House statement, the Presidential farm, which is President Museveni’s recent intervention to fight poverty in Luweero Triangle, sits on 24 acres of land with multiple agricultural activities, including zero-grazing, a fruit farm with mangos, pineapples, passion fruits and pawpaws.

Other activities
The model farm also comprises fish farms, coffee and matooke plantations, mushrooms and vegetables gardens.
While touring the farmers in Makulubita Sub-county yesterday, Mr Museveni announced that the farmers in the area will soon benefit from a proposed irrigation project.

He promised to pump water from River Danze to help the farmers in the district.

“Studies are underway to see how best this water will reach our farmers and those who get affected by the long dry spell and have no capacity to install private water pumps on their respective farms,”he said.
On land, the President said that no one has the right to evict Bibanja holders.

He said the law is clear and those evicting people are taking advantage of the ignorance of the population. He, however, said that he had put in place a Commission of Inquiry on land that will unearth all land-related matters.

The President is expected to visit more model farmers in the district today and later hold a press conference to talk about his findings.