The government plans to concentrate on developing irrigation infrastructure and assisting farmers through a range of initiatives in the upcoming fiscal year, which begins in just one week.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries intends to improve farmer support for micro-scale irrigation programs by offering a matching grant program.
This entails creating irrigation plans on both a large and small scale, promoting the use of solar-powered systems, and helping farmers purchase irrigation equipment.
“We want to build on the progress made with the Parish Development Model (PDM).” The government wants environmental challenges, such as appropriate water harvesting to support production, to be adequately controlled. Gulu District Deputy CAO Auric Oryem
Oryem was speaking at the closing of a training program for technicians with expertise in managing solar irrigation systems and water pumping at the Daniel Comboni Vocational Institute in Gulu City.
As a government, we cannot accomplish much without the Sendea group. Therefore, it is crucial that this cooperation be focused on equipping our young people who live and work in farming communities with information about irrigation and water pumping,” the Gulu District Deputy CAO said.
He mentioned the new climate-smart agriculture initiatives being promoted by the World Bank and the government as important interventions that Sendea and other players might use to increase skilling.
The Sendea Institute for Energy and Management, Stiftung, and the Daniel Comboni Vocational Institute, located in the northern city of Gulu, are some of the organizations that are promoting the training of technicians in the installation of irrigation and water pumping systems.
The goal of this training program, which will be held nationwide, according to Eng. Loy Kyozaire, Chief Executive Officer of the Sendea Institute for Energy and Management, is to develop a sustainable pool of skills to assist new and seasoned farmers with knowledge of irrigation and water pumping.
“We hope that our communities will use mid-range and micro irrigation systems to make profitable purchases. The ability of farmers to effectively produce without irrigation systems is being undermined by the continually changing weather patterns, Eng. Kyozaire emphasizes.
29 trainees with expertise in the technical design, installation, and operation of solar-powered irrigation systems were selected from various districts in northern and far eastern Uganda and sent out for field work.
In order to expand the pool of qualified specialists and better serve the nation’s millions of farmers, Kyozaire also emphasized the necessity of more robust partnerships and cooperation between government programs and projects and Sendea.
Since Sendea values collaboration and partnerships, we implore the government and other development partners to help us in our efforts to train more of these youth. If the goals being set are to be met, the agricultural sector needs this kind of organized assistance,” Kyozaire pleaded.
The goal of the Sendea Institute for Energy and Management is to equip people and organizations with the necessary abilities and information to use energy resources effectively, efficiently, and sustainably.
The national Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) program benefits from the drive, according to Daniel Comboni Vocational Institute, a partner in the skilling of these technicians.
This interaction with Sendea is crucial for our technical institute. It immediately relates to the TVET program, which equips our youth with applicable skills in order to reduce unemployment and prepare them for service, noted Richard Ochendo, the Director, Daniel Comboni Vocational Institute in Gulu District.
Alfred Okello, the owner of the Pida Ayago farm, is one of the farmers in the nearby Nwoya district of northern Uganda, which is becoming a more agricultural area.
The production of fruits and vegetables all year round is made possible by Okello’s irrigation and water pumping infrastructure, which has given his firm a strong foundation thanks to his fortuitous location next to the Ayago River.
“I can now plan better, even in dry seasons. I can predict when there will be a high demand for watermelons and tomatoes because growers run out of fruit during rain-fed seasons. “I understand the pricing and production much better,” Okello explains.
He said that by continuing to train more professionals in irrigation and water pumping systems, the Sendea initiative would guarantee farmers access to effective production systems.
“ There is no better timing than this. Imagine if my water pumping and irrigation system broke down. I would have to get people from Kampala to fix it for me. But now with more trained technicians and living within our communities, installation and maintenance will be much easier,” says Okello.
Among the trainees under the Sendea program is Israel Oluka, from Soroti District, who says his skills have now been sharpened in the areas of “solar water pumping design, field exposure including knowledge on re channelling water to the gardens. I encourage even other technicians trained in electrical and the like to pick up this additional skill.”
According to Teopista Akello, another trainee from Palabek in Lamwo district, shares her newly acquired skills “on laying pipes across sloppy terrain, identifying the right materials and accurate sizing of the pipes as well as the setup of water reservoirs.”
For Mercy Anying, “ I have seen several farmers suffering in shifting of season being wet or dry. I have learnt various types of irrigations systems and where to lay them. This background is very important in advising farmers better than it is now in most places.”
Komaketch Abwoch, a retired assistant agricultural officer, who has been involved in extension services in Atiak, says this new line of knowledge will “eliminate the absence of solar irrigation services to hard to reach communities as well as encourage farmers to adapt new methods of water harvesting and productive use.”
Source: NilePost