Prime
We have the rain now
Michael Ssali
What you need to know:
- When it rains we see a lot of water flowing from our house tops and all over the homestead to the valleys. Yet we need water all the time, especially during the dry seasons.
Sufficient soil moisture is important for the crops to grow well. Nearly all crops require a good amount of water, right from the time of planting to the time of harvesting. Where people don’t readily have the means to practice irrigation rainfall is their only hope for successful farming.
It is necessary for vegetation growth so that there is sufficient grass for the farmed animals such as goats, cattle, and sheep to eat. It is the wish of every farmer that rainfall should be well distributed throughout the year.
The rivers and other water bodies will dry up if there is no rain. It is life. However, nature does not provide equal distribution of rain everywhere and all the time. In some parts of the country there may be more rain than in others.
Its intensity also varies. Some areas experience heavy rainstorms lasting less than perhaps an hour while in some others the rain falls gently and lasts several hours.
It also rains more during some months of the year than in others. Hence we have rainy seasons and dry seasons.
It is the rainy season nowadays in most parts of the country. Will we “not want”? Often good things come with bad things and farmers must be careful. Heavy rainstorms are often characterized by run-off and soil erosion.
Where the rain falls gently for several hours every plant grows well including weeds. Malaria causing mosquitoes multiply and there are floods nearly everywhere.
Bridges are washed away and many roads become impassable making it hard for farmers to transport their products to far off markets.
Sun drying of harvested crops such as maize, beans, and coffee becomes problematic.
When it rains we see a lot of water flowing from our house tops and all over the homestead to the valleys.
Yet we need water all the time, especially during the dry seasons. What are we doing therefore to trap some of that water and store it for use in times of rain scarcity?
Rainwater storage is one of the ventures that ought to occupy every farmer’s mind especially now when we are experiencing extreme weather conditions.
It is even worth a visit to a financial institution to negotiate a loan if there are not enough savings.
All soil erosion mitigation measures ought to be taken in order to minimize soil loss.
Mr Michael Ssali is a veteran journalist,
[email protected]
