Dear Editor,
Last year, many districts in the country experienced a severe drought that affected the lives of the citizens, crops and livestock. In districts like Nakasongola, Karamoja and some others, there was no pasture and water for animals, resulting in deaths. The country also witnessed animal and crop price depreciation due to excessive high temperatures that left all the grassland or pastures and water sources for irrigation, animal and home use, dried out.
In some districts in western, Eastern and Central Uganda, the prolonged drought experienced last year resulted into shortage of food for animals and human beings which affected their lives and lowered incomes.
Now that God is abundantly giving us rain, farming is taking place and we expect to have food surplus on the market which is of high quality due to enough water in the soils.
Although farmers are smiling at this time, those who are building, mining in wetlands and forest encroachers are still active and this means that there is a lot needed to be done to prepare for the next drought when the rains stop.
Indeed, this is the time the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry has to seriously think about measures that will help avert a possible water crisis in future.
This can only be done when the agriculture ministry works together with the media houses to educate and inform all our citizens about how to harvest water in this rainy season, for the benefit of all in need.
It is important to know that if our people venture into water harvesting, individual or home irrigation projects will emerge, enabling farmers to grow crops for food and the surplus to be sold. It will boost the quantity and quality of crops harvested which will increase the demand and competiveness of our agricultural products on the international market.
Research conducted by the Buganda Youth Wing members shows that crops or livestock with enough water can even resist, survive, fight diseases or any kind of pests which attack animals and crops compared to those which are facing excessive heat.
This is the right time for the Ministry of Agriculture with the help of the media or any other farming company to inform and educate the farmers how to harvest water, keep it and use it during drought.
Indeed, we shouldn’t leave this gift of water from God to waste: teach the public on cheaper means of collecting it because even when water is too much in the soil, it becomes useless.
By David Serumaga
President, Buganda Youth Wing
