Uganda through the Ministry of Water and the Environment has launched a new climate-resilient irrigation project l that will see over 108,000 farmers from Kabuyanda, Isingiro District supplied with water over the next six years.
According to Aisha Sekindi, Minister of State for Water at the Ministry of Water and the Environment, the aim of the project is to improve the climate resilience of the farmers by installing modern, water-efficient irrigation systems.
“The systems will benefit farmers in Kabuyanda sub-county, Kabuyanda town council in Isingiro West and Kikagate sub-county in Isingiro South,” said Sekindi when presiding over the project start-up ceremony.
Alsopresent during the launch is Bright Rwamirama, the Minister of State for Animal Industry at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.
New dam
According to the Ugandan Ministry of Water and the Environment, the irrigation systems will be supplied by a new dam built on the Mishumba River, in the Isingiro District.
The structure, which is expected to be 33 metres high and have a maximum crest length of 314 metres, will be capable of storing 8.8 million m3 of water.
The dam will be located in the Rwoho Central Forest Reserve, a protected area south of the Bugamba Central Forest Reserve, in the Rwampara and Isingiro districts of south-western Uganda.
Ugandan authorities say the project also involves restoring and reforesting an area of 500 hectares, five times larger than the 100 hectares that will be flooded, using indigenous species in a bid to mitigate the impact.
The Ugandan government will set up piped irrigation systems to cover 3,300 hectares of arable land over the next six years, thanks to the new project.
This will help to improve people’s livelihoods, thereby reducing food insecurity.
In the areas targeted by the irrigation project, people are dependent on rain-fed agriculture, which limits their ability to ensure food security and sustainable livelihoods.
World Bank support
The Ugandan government will finance the project, worth $190.1 million, with the support of the World Bank, which will contribute $169.2 million, and local beneficiaries, who will contribute $18.5 million.
Micro-scale Irrigation Program
In 2020 Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers Program for Results (UgIFT) received $300 million additional financing from the World Bank in supporting the Ministry of Agriculture and 40 local governments across Uganda through the Micro-scale Irrigation Program as part of UgIFT.
This was meant to boost local governments (LGs) service delivery in education, health, water and environment, and micro irrigation, including in areas hosting large populations of refugees.
The Micro-scale Irrigation Program aimed at helping farmers to buy irrigation equipment at a lower cost, teach them how to use the irrigation equipment and when and how to water their crops.
