By Tinka George
Farmers in Kagadi and Kikuube districts are to benefit from the Micro-Scale Irrigation Program aimed at eliminating food scarcity due to drought.
The Micro-scale Irrigation Program supports farmers to purchase and use individual irrigation equipment. The Program supports farmers in purchasing the irrigation equipment through a matching grant scheme, in which the cost of the equipment is co-financed by the farmer and the government.
Kagadi and Kikuube are among the 11 districts that are to benefit from the program under cluster six. The others are Ntoroko, Bundibugyo,Kasese,Bunyangabu,Rubirizi, Kanungu,Buhweju ,Rukunjiri and Mitoma.
Addressing Kagadi district stakeholders on Monday, the Kagadi Resident District Commissioner Nicholas Kamukama Kaine cautioned the implementers of the program against politicizing the project.
Grace Nyansansa, an official from the Ministry of Agriculture who doubles as the project coordinator for Cluster Six in the program, the irrigation equipment for an acre of land is estimated at Sh9.6 million and the government will support the farmers with 75% such that they can acquire the solar equipment, whereas for diesel and petrol equipment, government will contribute 25% because it intends to reduce on air pollution.
Desire Mparana, the Kagadi senior agricultural officer says irrigation helps to supply water for crop production and this means crops can grow all year round so farmers can grow more and different kinds of food to eat and to sell.
