By Sunday Amandi

Arua city

With on and off rainfall pattern in west Nile, agricultural experts are calling upon farmers to venture into irrigation farming in order to boost agricultural production.Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil through various systems, to support plant growth.

According to Habib Ndema, an agricultural expert with Omia  agri- business in Arua city, venturing in to irrigation farming can enable farmers to produce throughout the year, as farmers would not just rely on rainfall for production, “During the dry months of January and February, everyone says things are expensive because 20% of the people who rely on irrigation supplies the whole population,”Ndema said.


Habib Ndema explaining to farmers how irrigation equipment works

The agricultural sector is dominated by rain-fed farming systems, which have become increasingly compromised by climate change and inconsistency.
Because of this, Irrigation is increasingly being used to mitigate against unreliable rainfall by bridging dry spells, and as a supplementary source to increase crop productivity.

Charles Econi, a model farmer in Arivu sub-county, Arua district says, irrigation farming supports him to produce throughout the year, and this comes with a lot of benefits. “This irrigation system has helped me a lot, my production is throughout the year. If most of our farmers use irrigation, farmers will move away from that poverty bar line, “said Charles

Similarly, Nicodemus Bandua, a prominent farmer in Drajini sub-county in Yumbe district applies local technology to irrigate his crops, and encourage farmers to impress irrigation as it is beneficial to those who practice it. Irrigation normally apply in areas where rainfall is irregular or dry times to support crop production.

COVER PHOTO: A sprinkler irrigation system (A Courtesy Photo)