Dry spell causes massive crop failures

Mr John Muwonge,45, a cereal farmer in Vuna Village, Mpigi District, planted beans and maize on his two–acre piece of land when the area received some rain in the second week of February.  Unfortunately, the rains did not last as dry spells kicked in, scorching the crops.
“We again received rain yesterday morning [March 16] when the garden had completely withered. I am now planning to clear it to plant again,” Mr Muwonge says.
Several farmers across the country are experiencing this frustration because of unpredictable rain patterns.

The first major rainy season is normally between March and June, but the trend has since changed due to the negative effects of climate change, making it difficult for farmers to effectively prepare for planting.
Ms Peace Tindimurekura, a resident of Rweshanku Bubaare Sub-county in Mbarara District, rushed to plant beans when it rained twice at the beginning of this month only to find that the rainfall was unreliable.

“I planted beans, but they have dried up, the money I used to buy seeds and clearing the land is all wasted,” she says.
Mr Moses Musiime, another farmer in the same area, faults the meteorological authority for the losses.
“They announced in the media that rains will begin early March in time for us to plant. The rains are nowhere and we have already made losses,” Mr Musiime says.
Mr Peter Kyomuhendo, a farmer from Fort Portal City, is equally disappointed. He planted beans on two acres of land last November, expecting to reap a harvest this month, but all his labour and investment has since been wasted.
Recently, weather experts predicted that the rain will be destructive in some parts of the country, and urged the public to remain alert. 

Some districts have since experienced disasters, ranging from rainstorms, thunderstorm and floods, leaving a trail of destruction.
For instance, several gardens in Kisoro, Rubanda and Kabale districts have been destroyed during the rainy season that started in January.  Mudslides killed nine people in Nyarusiza Sub-county in Kisoro District and destroyed crops.
On March 10, residents were left homes after a rainstorm destroyed more than 100 homes and several gardens in Butanda, Kahungye, Rubaya and Ryakarimira Town Council in Kabale.
Local leaders have since asked the government to find mechanisms of detecting and controlling such calamities.

The Kisoro District chairperson, Mr Abel Bizimana, advises residents to use terraces on the hills and valleys to control soil erosion. “We appeal to our people to always plant trees on bare hill tops and valleys, dig trenches and reintroduce the use of terraces to control the speed of wind and running water that destroys their crops,” he says.
The dry spells also severely hit livestock farmers. Ms Alice Kenyana from Sanga, Mbarara,  has to dig deep into her pockets to provide water for her animals. 
She spends between Shs200,000 and Shs300,000 on a water tank her animals.

“How do you expect us to transform with such expenditure? Why is the government supplying farm inputs to farmers if it can’t sustain these inputs to grow? Let the government invest heavily in water for production,”  Ms Kenyana says.
Her counterparts in Nakasongola and Ntoroko districts have lost hundreds of animals since mid-October.
Water sources have dried up, causing starvation and death of many cattle, and in some cases, farmers have sold the animals at prices as low as Shs200,000 each.Kabuye, Nabiswera ,Kimaga, Lwampanga and Nakitoma sub-counties in Nakasongola are the most affected.

READ: Nakasongola cattle keepers scramble for water as dry spell intensifies

Mr Yosam Rugundana, a livestock farmer, estimates that more than 20 cows have died in Nabiswera.
On a larger scale, Mr Sam Kigula, the district chairperson, estimates that more than 100 cows have died in the last five months. 
However, Ms Lilian Nkwenge, the Uganda National Meteorological Authority spokesperson, attributes the losses to farmers who stick to old practices that are no longer resilient to the current climate change conditions.

“We issue seasonal and short-term weather forecasts and agricultural advisories, but many farmers have failed to take such information seriously. They still want to do things the same away their forefathers used to do, which cannot work in the current situation. Our farmers need to become more resilient to changing climate if they are to minimise crop loss and damage,” she says.
In Ntoroko, where majority of residents are cattle keepers, the shortage of water and pasture in the district has forced prices of milk to triple.
Currently, a litre of milk costs Shs3,000, up from Shs1,000 five months ago.
Mr Joshua Kabwemi from Ntoroko, who has been using a generator to pump water to his farm and irrigate his crops,  can no longer sustain the initiative  due to high fuel prices.  

“I need more than 20 litres of diesel to use in the generator, I don’t have that money to inject in such business,” he says.
But Dr Patrick Bagonza, the district production officer, says before the dry spells set in, they had advised cattle keepers to stock enough silage and hay for their animals, but some did not take heed.
“Those who failed to take the advice are the ones crossing to DR Congo in search of pasture and water,” he says.

READ: Ugandans brace for hard times as commodity prices soar

Dr Bagonza adds that they also advised cattle keepers to reduce the number of animals grazed on the farm to get enough pasture and water.
“We have received tractors from the government to help us dig valley dams and store water for the next season,” Dr Bagonza says.
 The Isingiro District agricultural officer, Mr Patrick Tumwesigye, advises farmers to use the dry spell to prepare their gardens so that when the rain falls, they start planting.

“Let them do timely weeding, the rains are not stable at the moment, but will stabilise towards the end of this month,” Mr Tumwesigye says.
Teso Sub-region has also remained dry. The land remains parched, with animals struggling to find pasture.
Mr Rajab Ogogolo, the Kumi District production officer, notes that the dry spell has persisted at a time when farmers were expecting to recover from a poor harvest last year.
Several animal water points have dried up, forcing livestock farmers to walk long distances in search for water.

For Mr Quito Obita Okot, a farmer from Omiya-Pachwa Sub-county in Agago District, the delayed rain has caused anxiety and misery.
“Two days ago, we experienced a slight drizzle which cannot enable us to plant crops, farmers are stranded because once a planting period passes by a month, chances of achieving good yields fall by nearly 65 percent,” he says.

READ: Milk prices soar as drought hits Ntoroko 

Situation in Pakwach
Farmers in Panyango Sub-county, Pakwach District, such as Mr Tiberio Oryem Anywar, last received rain three months ago. 
“Due to the prolonged dry spell, we are unable to sow sorghum which by now we should have been weeding. Quick- growing crops such as maize that we planted using the initial rains in February have been scorched because of  the extreme heat,” Mr Anywar adds.
The Obongi production officer, Mr Johnson Opigo, says the district only received rain once around February, and since then, they have advised farmers to prepare their fields for planting.

Unlike in Obongi, farmers in Adjumani District have to wait longer.
“Whenever the rainy season comes, the rain does not start at the same time, our place is almost nearer to the Sahara desert because of the Sudan influence. So, we normally receive rains late,” Ms Justine Alule, the district agricultural officer, says. 

Mr William Nyadruma, a farmer in Nyabila in Itirikwa Sub-county, Adjumani, has already assembled his ox-ploughs to prepare the land when the rain falls.
Although agriculture employs more than 65 percent of Ugandans and feeds more than 80 percent of the country’s industries with raw materials, many farmers are untrained, which hinders them from transitioning from subsistence farming to large scale merchandised commercial agriculture.

Compiled by Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa, Robert Muhereza, Emmanuel Arineitwe, Simon Peter Emwamu, Alex Ashaba,Tobbias Owiny, Marko Taibot,Teddy Dorotho, Wilson Kutamba,Rajab Mukombozi, Sheillar Mutetsi, Elly Karenzi, Felix Ainebyoona & Brian A Kesiime