Agropastoralists embrace micro-scale irrigation
Ms Florence Krabo has taken on fish farming to diversify her income. Photos | Fred Muzaale
What you need to know:
- Farmers in the cattle corridor of Kayunga and Buyende districts rely on both livestock and crop production for their livelihoods. However, they are increasingly facing the challenges of climate change and drought, which impact their crops and cattle. Some have adopted new farming technologies, such as irrigation. But, as Fred Muzaale reports, they need more government support to fully adapt to climate change.
On a cold Wednesday morning in the sleepy Bbaale Trading Centre, in the cattle corridor of Bbaale County in Kayunga District, five men ride into the milk collecting centre.
Several workers are busy in the enclosure, sieving milk and pouring it into a large cooling plant. The five men offload jerrycans of milk from their mud-stained motorcycles. The milk is recorded, sieved, and poured into the cooling plant.
Last year, the government, through the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), donated the cooling plant to the farmers’ association. Over 200 cattle farmers, under the Bugerere Dairy Cooperative Society Limited, sell their milk to the plant.
Sam Baliddawa, a cattle farmer, says because of the heightened milk production in the area, the plant is a beehive of activity.
“The prolonged dry spell that occurred between December last year and February this year led to significant water scarcity and livestock losses in this area. However, since the rainy season began in March, our production has drastically increased because the cattle have enough water and pasture,” he says.
Although the recent prolonged drought occurred in almost the entire country, the cattle corridor was the most affected as the heat wave exacerbated the already dry environment.
In Bbaale County and the neighbouring Buyende district, an unspecified number of cattle was lost during the three-month dry spell. Additionally, several crops dried up, leading to food insecurity and loss of livelihoods.
In Kayunga district, the most affected sub-counties were Bbaale, Kayonza, and Galilaaya, where 70 percent of the residents are cattle keepers. In Buyende district, the long dry spell affected areas such as Kagulu, Irundu, Buyende, and Nkondo.
A farmer in Misanga village in Kayunga walks in her garden where she has installed micro-scale irrigation
Dr Charles Iga, the production officer for Kayunga district, estimates that 550,000 residents in the cattle corridor in Kayunga and Buyende districts lost their source of livelihood, increasing household poverty levels.
“Although there are private and public valley dams in the cattle corridor, all dried up due to the prolonged dry spell. There was no water for the animals. The grazing grass also dried up,” he explains.
Kyambadde Ssenyonga, the animal production officer for Bbaale County, voices the same concerns as his superior.
“Although we do not have a formal report of the number of livestock lost, I estimate that we lost 400 cattle in Baale County. Because of the extreme heat, animals grazed in the early morning and at night. The animals could not walk easily because they were weak from inadequate feeding,” he says.
Farmers resorted to feeding their cattle on soil and dry pastures. As a result, clostridia (soil-borne) diseases became prevalent, increasing the money spent on treatment costs.
More worrying, is the disclosure by the agricultural officer for Kayunga district, Ann Bulya, that the district local government has no funds to construct valley dams to ensure that cattle farmers endure long dry spells.
The onus is now on individual farmers to invest in private valley dams on their farms to avert the challenges they had grappled with early this year. However, Ssenyonga says many cattle farmers do not have the funds to go down that road.
“Since most of the wetlands in the cattle corridor, where animals used to get water for drinking, have been cleared and planted with sugarcane, accessing water is a huge challenge,” Michael Kanaku, the LCV chairperson of Buyende district, says.
Mr Sam Malangwe a vegetable farmer in Bbaale, Kayunga district stands near solar panels that power his solar irrigation system
The district boss notes that, unlike other areas in the cattle corridor, Buyende was grappling with a drought and flooding from Lake Kyoga.
“As farmers suffered from the effects of a longer dry spell, they were being displaced by destructive floods, which destroyed their gardens. Lake Kyoga floods because of the destruction of the vegetation and wetlands around it,” Kanaku adds.
The district does not have the technology to utilise the flooding water for irrigation, meaning the district is facing a steady decline in crop yields.
“The limited grazing fields should force us to think out of the box. Cattle farmers should switch to zero grazing so the milk they would have gotten from 20 cows can be produced by two cows,” Kanaku advises.
Mr Sam Malagwe operating his solar power irrigation system in his vegetable garden in Bbaale, Kayunga District
Fred Karangwa, a cattle keeper in Katebe village in Bbaale sub-county, lost six cows and 90 percent of his crops during the long dry spell.
“I had 232 head of cattle and at some point, I was feeding them on dry grass. I used to fetch many jerrycans of water from the River Nile, which is ten kilometres away from my farm. I carried the jerrycans on a motorcycle. But even this water was not enough. I still lost some animals,” he laments.
Due to the limited supply of milk, the prices went up. In the dry spell, Karangwa sold a litre of milk at Shs1,400. Today, because of availabile pasture, he sells a litre at Shs900. During the dry spell, the milk plant collected only 1,200 litres of milk daily. Today, the plant collects 5,000 litres daily.
In March, this year, Karangwa constructed a valley dam on his land at a cost of Shs15 million. He says the dam is capable of supplying water to his animals for three months even in a dry spell.
“I have also installed a micro-scale irrigation using water from the dam. This will irrigate my crops. In case of another long drought, I will not be hard hit because I have also started growing pasture. I plan to make hay and silage,” he explains.
Mr Fred Kalangwa operating his micro-irrigation system in his garden
Hay is grass that has been cut, dried, and stored for use as fodder for grazing animals. On the other hand, silage is feed that has been preserved. It is created by fermenting green forage crops in a silo or other enclosed space.
Besides preparing for the future, Karangwa and other farmers who have taken it upon themselves to find solutions to the dry spell, are sensitising other livestock keepers to invest in valley dams and growing pastures.
Edward Mukimbiri, the general secretary of Bugerere Dairy Cooperative Society Limited, notes that because of the declining grazing land in the cattle corridor of Kayunga district, some farmers have relocated to Nakaseke, Luweero, and Kiboga districts. Others are diversifying their enterprises to include fish farming.
“We request the government to provide us with pasture seeds and facilitate farmers to construct valley dams at a subsidised cost. Most of what used to be grazing land has been given to sugarcane growing. The central forest reserves like Bajjo and Kiwuula have also been taken over by land grabbers,” he says.
Sugarcane farmers cut down several trees in the district to make way for their plantations. Many of them do not engage in replanting exercises around their plantations to save the environment. As a result, farmers are gradually transforming to zero grazing.
Saul Malagwe, a vegetable farmer says with assistance from Nexus Green, Kayunga district has installed a solar-powered micro-scale irrigation system on his 150-acre farm.
Nexus Green is a British company that specialises in designing, supplying, manufacturing, and delivering affordable solar-powered solutions that reduce carbon emissions, and provide cheaper, cleaner energy, and power.
“The irrigation system can pump 40,000 litres of water every hour. Before it was installed, I lost 70 percent of my vegetable crop during the dry seasons. Today, though I am assured of a good market for my tomatoes and mangoes because I will sell them earlier than other farmers,” he says.
Dr Iga says the district is promoting micro-scale irrigation in the cattle corridor and other areas to mitigate the effects of climate change. Currently, 167 farmers have benefited from the programme.
“We are trying to mobilise all farmers to adopt irrigation so that they can grow crops throughout the year to promote food security and a steady household income,” he says.
Iga, however, notes that sugarcane growing has taken up most of the arable land in the cattle corridor which has affected food production.
“The district is handing out planting materials in the cattle corridor such as cassava cuttings to revamp food production. We are also sensitising residents not to grow sugarcane if they do not own over ten acres of land,” he explains.
Because the rains have become more erratic, district authorities advise farmers to grow fast-maturing crops to ensure food security in their homes. The challenge, though, is that it is difficult to persuade someone not to cut down a tree on their land.
The Kyoga Water Management Zone, under the Ministry of Water and Environment, is implementing the Ssezibwa Water Catchment Plan which will inform investment in key water areas and increase agricultural production through crop irrigation.
The effects of climate change in the cattle corridor do not only affect livestock. They also affect the wildlife. Several insects, wild birds, and wild animals have died due to the high-temperature conditions, affecting the overall ecosystem.
Produced by Nation Media Group in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
General Manager Editorial Daniel Kalinaki, Acting Managing Editor Allan Chekwech
Editor, Sustainability Hub Gillian Nantume, Features Editor Caesar Karuhanga Abangirah, Contributor Fred Muzaale
