By Davis Buyondo
Masaka Region-Uganda. Severe drought episodes have relentlessly derailed the agricultural sector in Uganda and largely obstructed the domestic food supply across the country.
With Uganda’s population expected to go from 49,029,364 in 2022 to 49,700,760 in 2023, it will require more food production to sustain the growing population. https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/12288173/
But, suffice to say, the country’s farming is substantially dependent on unpredictable rainfall. And to ensure consistent and sustainable food security amid the drastic water shortages and scorched soils, more investment in water for irrigation will be a significantly smart move.
The Insight Post-Uganda is focusing its lenses on farmers in two water-stressed districts in Southwestern Uganda who are gradually embracing saline agriculture by repurposing the use of salty water to do farming and mitigate the unpleasant climate effects.
The region is made up of nine districts; Bukomansimbi, Kalungu, Kyotera, Kalangala, Lwengo, Lyantonde, Masaka, Rakai, Sembabule, and Masaka City.
However, Rakai, and Lyantonde are different. They are semi-arid and rock-strewn areas mainly dominated by vast saline groundwater sources among other peculiarities.
The districts usually experience prolonged droughts in which crops wither, shallow wells completely dry up, livestock dies, and pastoralists migrate.
Amid all these challenges, the farmers are slowly adapting and creatively utilizing the saline water for food and livestock production and surviving the dry spell.
Saline farming may appear impossible in the eyes of many farmers but in the two districts, it’s viewed as a possible scheme for as long as you know what to do.
According to the farmers, this nature of farming further calls for a critical understanding of the crops tolerant to saline water and the salinity content before irrigating crops.
Rakai
Time check, 11 am, and just arrived at Kibaati trading centre in Kacheera sub-county one of the water-stressed areas in the district. Considering the nature of its topography characterised by flat plains, hills and stony terrain, and poor water quality (saline), one does not expect to find much farming.
But as you approach Katovu B village in Kajju parish and Kigando village in Kakiri parish, you cannot help but marvel how it’s possible to have small and large-scale gardens of maize, onions, Irish and sweet potatoes, tomatoes, green pepper and cabbages, plus bananas and sugarcane. These areas receive little rainfall throughout the year and are dominated by saline water sources.
At least every hour, between five and seven trucks, loaded with different agricultural products, leave the sub-country to various destinations. Farmers intimated to us that some trucks transport the produces to Masaka, Kampala, and Mbarara districts while others head straight to Juba, South Sudan.
According to Siraje Wasswa, a tomato farmer in Katovu B village, there’s little chance the crops will grow well in the dry spell without water to irrigate them. He told us that they (farmers) first experimented by identifying crop varieties that can withstand water salinity.
“During a severe dry spell and acute water crisis in 2020, we set up a small demonstration garden where we put a variety of crops and irrigated them with saline water. Irish potatoes did better than other crops. The tomatoes, red onions, cabbages, and carrots also made it while others died,” he says.
Sometimes, he adds, they collect water from the seasonal wells and mix it with saline water to dilute it before watering their crops which is equally expensive in terms of labour and money.
William Kabeni, another resident farmer, has over five acres of cabbages and tomatoes, which he irrigates with saline water during the drought.
For him, the trick is the selection of quality seeds, knowing salinity levels and planting in large quantities so that when some fail to grow, there is still a possibility to yield something.
“That is the nature of our water sources. Even the shallow water in Lake Kacheera is salty. Regularly, we apply the water and the plant leaves wither, but some, especially tomatoes and cabbages can prayerfully withstand it and grow,” he explains.
According to Francis Byabikyengire, one of the celebrated large-scale farmers in the sub-county, they used to shun salty water but they can now use it to grow something all year round.
However, he noted, it’s not a venture for the fainthearted, especially for large-scale farming since it comes at a cost in terms of money, labour and determination with high risk.
Unlike other farmers, Byabikyengire has a solar-powered irrigation facility which pumps water from the reservoir tank and then supplies it to the banana and coffee plantations through drip pipes and sprinklers.
He says farming in the sub-county relies on irrigation and to survive the drought one has to wisely use every available water resource and plan for it well.
“In Kacheera, no matter the quality of water, every drop counts so much in farming and if saline water is used recklessly, the crops will be affected,” he says.
In Kigando village, the farmers cultivate hillslopes and lowlands. The capable individual farmers and groups pump water directly from Lake Kacheera to their gardens and plantations while the small-holder farmers often fetch it and water their crops using watering cans.
Large-scale farmers having between 10 and 20 acres and above sometimes resort to water trucking as the best alternative to respond to the severe need for water to protect their plantations.
Water trucking also called water tankering is simply an alternative water source when the existing or other sources cannot be found or are inadequate. It involves transporting bulk water from one source to a storage facility for easy access and distribution, in this case, for plantations or gardens and animal consumption.
Yusuf Lule is a large-scale farmer and a member of the Kacheera-Kakiri Tomato Farmers Group having more than 20 acres of tomatoes. He reveals that they usually pull resources together and hire water delivery trucks from Lyantonde district to fill their storage facilities (reservoirs).
Lule adds that water trucking is hard to maintain given the cost and size of the plantation or livestock. To him, there are those complex situations during a severe drought when the reservoirs dry out and they don’t have funds to hire water trucks.
“Therefore, you are in survival mode and have to make tough decisions in such dire or crisis situations. As a result, we are forced to risk and use the available saline water on the crops and the delicate ones such as greens and vegetables are usually affected,” he recounts.
He elucidates that the costs involved in maintaining the plantation from the start (planting) to the end (harvesting), in terms of inputs and labour, keep on rising yet in many cases the market prices keep fluctuating causing a loss to the farmer.
“I can spend around Ugx10 million during the rainy season but during the dry spell then I have to secure another loan and use Ugx18 million. But after toiling, the market price disappoints you,” says Lule.
He further appealed to the government of Uganda to invest in desalination technologies and improve the quality of water which can boost crop and livestock production not only in Kacheera but the entire district and other parts of the country having a similar salty water challenge.
William Kankwasa and Benard Ndeki are general farmers in Kigando village. They grow almost everything they think of and in particular, tomatoes, cabbages, and Irish potatoes on a small and large scale.
They say the water with high salinity levels burns, and withers the leaves of a crop hence affecting its yielding potential unlike the water with very low salinity levels which has been adapted for crop production and it’s paying off.
According to Emmanuel Muhwereza and Tanansi Tumwesigye, both experienced tomato farmers, very few crops in the sub-county have the capacity to withstand hot conditions during the dry spell.
“That’s why they need to be irrigated to support their resilience but the quality of water matters. Without the rain and fresh water, we opt for using saline water but, of course, with low salt concentration,” Tumwesigye noted.
Area Councilor
Sharifa Kukumba, the District Female Councilor for Kacheera Sub- County, says repurposing the use of salty/saline water should be one of the government’s priorities in Rakai district to enable the farmers to fight climate change.
Kacheera and Rakai district at large has the potential to become a food basket in the region if the abundant saline water is improved for crop and animal production.
“The farmers make huge losses after investing huge sums of money acquired through loans, and toiling to grow something with the poor water quality amid the severe climate change conditions,” Kukumba highlights.
To be very successful in terms of value addition, Kukumba suggests, the government through the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) and collaboration with the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) should set put modern facilities and a factory to produce more products out of the surplus and increase farmers’ incomes.
“About irrigation, the government should invest in desalinating water or construct reservoirs in the most affected communities in addition to digging valley tanks to trap rainwater and availing solar-powered irrigation schemes. This can enable farmers to grow crops even during the dry spell and reduce encroachment on wetlands,” she says.
Other sub-counties
Lwentulege, Mweruka, Dyango, Kibaale, Lwamaggwa, and Rakai Town Councils, plus Kansankala, Dwaniro, Kagamba, Kyarurangira, and Kiziba, sub-counties share the same plight with Kacheera.
The sub-counties have Lake Kijanebarola as the main source of water and reservoir that has kept the communities going even with its (poor) saline water quality.
In Lwentulege TC, three villages namely Kakenke, Mweruka, and Kiyumbakimu, are grappling with freshwater scarcity on one hand and saline water problem on the other.
James Tumwesigye, one of the affected maize and Irish potato farmer in Kakenke village, says without rain to favour their crops, the only choice is to use the available saline water from L. Kijanebarola or buy it from water vendors, which is costly.
Given the hardships encountered in the search for freshwater from distant communities, the vendors charge between ugx1,000 and Ugx2,000 per 20-litre jerrican of fresh water.
“It’s better than nothing but with unpleasant effects on the crops. The crops take time to mature compared to those irrigated with fresh/ saline-free water while the livestock- cows, goats, ships and pigs are forced to drink it for lack of a better alternative that’s why they look unhealthy and produce poor quality milk,” he explains.
Lwentulege area councilor- Chris Lujumba says the timid farmers will wait for rainfall to grow crops while the risk-takers always use it even in their households.
Lujumba had hope in the bulk water project at Kiyumbakimu but it stalled and worsened their suffering. “Sometimes we mix saline water with fresh water to reduce the salinity content especially when it rains,” he noted.
Ugx17Bn Multipurpose Water project
To address the water crisis in the district, in 2012, the government of Uganda through the Ministry of Water and Environment rolled out a mega multimillion bulk water project at Kiyumbakimu village to desalinate and supply water for domestic use, crop irrigation and animal consumption.
The project worth UGX17 billion (Approx.USD4611393.78), in form of a water reservoir/dam, was meant to be implemented in two phases (construction and supply). It was to benefit several communities in Lwentulege, Kagamba, Ddwaniro and Lwamaggwa with funding from the Government of Uganda, the Austrian government, and the European Union.
At least UGX8.5 billion (Approx. USD2305697) was released for the initial start of the construction. But it did not serve its intended purpose due to its high salinity content.
However, it has stalled at phase one of construction for a decade and turning into a white elephant and frustrating all hopes of the farmers, residents and pastoralists to survive the effects of climate change. Even the hope to desalinate water and supply it for domestic use is still barren.
Initially, the dam was measuring about one kilometre long and nearly 200 meters wide, but it has eaten into people’s land, destroyed crops and displaced a few households.
District Authorities
Muhammed Kanyike, the District Agricultural Officer, says they are reassessing the project in trying to develop a new concept to utilize the project. To find out the salinity content in the water, Kanyike adds, it will require taking several laboratory tests to be sure before making final decisions.
“We also believe the salinity content must have reduced over time but this can only be confirmed after different tests. It is unfortunate that the district has no lab to test water, milk, crops and other products,” he noted.
Samuel Kaggwa Ssekamwa, the Rakai District chairman, told us that all underground water in the district is salty due to the existence of rocks. He explains that they are looking for the best alternatives to utilise the stalled dam.
While the district proposes desalination as the best alternative, Ssekamwa highlights that the technology to purify the saline water is expensive given the small resource envelope.
According to different websites, the desalination plants and equipment vary in size and price with common ones ranging between UGX9,000,000 (approx. USD2473.17) and above which the residents, farmers and pastoralists cannot afford.
Lyantonde
In Lyantonde district, water scarcity is a longstanding problem while irrigation is becoming a luxury and one of the most worrying resources.
Communities in Lyakajura, Kinuuka, Kashagama, Mpumudde and Kaliiro sub-counties are the most affected by the severe climate change effects. The district has no lakes or rivers and relies mainly on Lake Kacheera in its mother district –Rakai.
According to the district authorities, during every drought, more than 200 cows die due to scarcity of green pasture and water while over 50 per cent of the crops wither out leading to poor harvest.
Both individual and community dams constructed by the district often reduce drastically or dry up completely and causing more suffering.
“It is only the wise farmers and livestock herders who will not give chance for their crops to wither so much or their animals to die. They look for sources with less salinity content for irrigation and animal consumption,” says Fred Muhangi, the Lyantonde Local Council (LC5) Chairman.
He says the government is planning to extend water for crop irrigation under the National Development Plan III (NDP III) to boost food and livestock production.
The project located Lukukulu village in Kiruhura will mainly target the major cash crops like coffee, bananas and fruits and vegetables using the improved quality of water and it is expected to be completed by early January and operational in February 2023.
“It will be treated and availed for households, crops, and animals. We shall continue constructing dams and valley tanks every financial year to address the water challenge in the district,” Muhangi explains.
Francis Kiwanuka, an experienced Water Engineer in Lyantonde district, says rain harvesting remains a viable solution to the water problem in the district.
The farmers, he adds, have always encouraged digging dams to trap rainwater for irrigation and animal consumption in addition to planting hybrid crops such as tomatoes, maize, beans, cabbages and Irish potatoes, salt-resistant forage and others that will tolerate harsh weather conditions.
Kiwanuka noted that underground water in the district is salty and worse for boreholes. He adds that it is so expensive to desalinate water and supply it for every farmer.
“The Ministry Of Water is testing some techniques to improve the quality of borehole water. This is through iron removal. Already some iron removal plants have been set up in Rakai, Mbale, and Soroti to ascertain whether the experiment will be sustainable,” he says.
Kiwanuka explains that water salinity is a result of rocks whose minerals dissolve in the water adding that the salinity level in drilled/borehole water depends on the depth of the pipes.
Researchers
Disan Muwanga Matovu is a prominent Botanist and Banana organic farming field specialist whose focus is mainly on banana research in Masaka Region.
Apart from focusing on revitalizing the ecological practices used in sustainable crop production and promotion, Matovu believes it’s high time the world also realised the need to utilize saline water in various ways to survive the effects of climate change.
Matovu, also the Director Buddu Banana Restoration, says that saline agriculture pays off if handled well adding that using saline water should be incorporated with manure in any crop growing. “Using the saline water without mixing it with some plants and grasses and manure may affect the crops. But mixing the salty water can pay off,” he explains.
Other challenges include the invasion of strange pests and diseases across the region, poor application of herbicides, fake herbicides and lack of knowledge on how to properly grow and look after the plantation and lack of scientific tools for testing salinity in the soil and water, as well as poor road network, has continued causing misery among the farmers.
He recommends taking the soil and water samples to laboratories for testing before thinking about saline farming.
“Farmers in the region should also adopt jack beans as an ideal alternative to protect gardens and plantations during hot conditions. It is an addition to organic mulches such as grass clippings, straw, bark chips, and similar materials,” he recommends.
PDM Opportunity
Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo, the state minister for Microfinance, says the farmers can better address their challenges by forming groups that can be supported through the Parish Development Model (PDM). He explains that all government projects favour people in groups other than individuals since it is easier to monitor the groups.
The PDM is a development approach being implemented at the parish level by the Ministry of Local government under the National Development Plan III (NDP III).
The priority commodities for the parish model include cash crops- coffee, cotton, cocoa, cassava, tea, vegetable oils, maize, rice, sugar cane, fish, dairy, beef, bananas, beans, avocado, shea nut, cashew nuts, macadamia to mention.
According to the approach, the farmers at the Parish level across the country are being coordinated through area-based commodity clusters for the purposes of increasing production and productivity that will eventually create sustainable agricultural production.
The farmers further get access to agricultural extension services, and finance business management training in addition to building infrastructure and systems that support the processing and marketing of Uganda’s agricultural products.
More to say, PDM is meant to strengthen participatory planning by local communities to collectively identify and address systemic bottlenecks that affect local economic development.
However, we have established that several large-scale farmers in Rakai and Lyantonde are not aware of the PDM and how they can join to benefit from the scheme.
Water for Production
The Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) is undertaking numerous programmes in the development and utilization of water resources for the productive use in crop irrigation, livestock, aquaculture, plus rural industries and other commercial uses as an avenue for improving people’s livelihoods mainly in rural areas through increasing the storage volumes for water for production.
The programmes are being implemented through the construction of medium irrigation schemes, small-scale irrigation schemes, earth dams, valley tanks, deep boreholes and bulk water schemes.
Way forward
For the time being, the salty water ‘demons’ will continue haunting the two districts until the government and its development partners realise the need to invest in desalination projects to save the water-stressed communities.
One thing for sure, saline water is not that good for crop production but it has made an exceptional contribution to the history of crop and animal production in the two districts and the economy, especially during the tough and unpleasant climate times.
“Whether or not the government will implement the desalination project, we shall slowly continue surviving through different adaptation skills,” says Mike Lumala Zizinga, one of the local reporters and affected residents.
END
This story was produced by Insight Post-Uganda with funding from the Aga Khan Foundation-Kenya.
English 