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At least 84 farmers in Ntungamo District have benefited from the World Bank-funded Micro-Scale Irrigation Programme implemented by Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries.

The initiative, launched in the 2022/2023 financial year, aims to enhance farmers’ resilience to prolonged dry spells that typically result in significant crop losses.

Farmers are co-funding part of the project to ensure sustainability.

The region has experienced increasing crop failures, particularly during the dry spell from April to August, which often leads to the loss of over 40 percent of crops and, in severe cases, the death of livestock.

“Most of the coffee planted during the first rains between February and May usually dries up during the long dry spell. Our bananas are also affected, and we cannot grow seasonal crops without irrigation. Water is expensive without external aid,” Mr James Namara, a farmer in Nyarubaare, Ntungamo Sub-county, said.

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