FAO and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Uganda launched a small-scale irrigation system in Mubende District, as part of efforts to strengthen resilience of rural populations and agricultural production systems through provision of water for irrigation in the district.

FAO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and Ministry of Water and Environment, has been implementing a Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) Project on agriculture adaptation to climate change in Uganda since 2012, with funding from the European Union and the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium.
 
One of the focus areas of the project is to establish small scale irrigation demonstration systems in the Central Cattle Corridor districts of Mubende, Nakasongola, Luwero, Kiboga, Nakaseke and Sembabule to help farmers cope with harsh climatic conditions by sustaining all season crop production, especially during the dry season.

Residents of Lugala village, Kitenga Sub-county in Mubende District became the first beneficiaries of the small scale micro irrigation system launched by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Uganda, Hugo Verbist, FAO Country Representative in Uganda, Alhaji Jallow and Sunday Mutabazi, Commissioner for Farm Development in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.

The system is, according to the FAO Country Representative, part of FAO efforts to build capacities of communities and farmers to cope with climate change and strengthen resilience of rural populations and agricultural production systems through provision of water for irrigation, particularly in districts vulnerable to drought and climate variability.

The six million litre valley dam, which provides water for the four acre community demonstration garden, will also have a water outlet for livestock and community use respectively. "Agriculture in Uganda is rain fed and highly dependent on local weather conditions. This means that farming activities have to be put on hold during dry season. With the new drip irrigation system, we are certain that farmers will have access to water for dry season agricultural activities," said Mr. Jallow.

He further noted that the system will not only increase agricultural production and returns to small scale farmers, but will also improve living conditions of the rural population. "The impact of climate change on agriculture and cattle breeding is particularly devastating because many Ugandans depend on farming for their livelihood and income. Climate change is real and the increasing risk of droughts threatens to undermine the food and livelihood security of farming and pastoral communities. We hope that the irrigation system will support farmers to cope with drought challenges," said Hugo Verbist, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Uganda.

The Commissioner for Farm Development in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Sunday Mutabazi, said that the irrigation system in the six districts will serve as a demonstration of modern agricultural practices to small scale farmers.
The system has a valley tank reservoir capacity of 6,000 cubic meters (6,000,000 litres) with an average depth of 3.5 metres. It has a solar powered water pump fitted inside the pump house to deliver water to a 20,000 litre overhead tank for irrigation. The pump delivers 6,000 litres hourly into the irrigation tank and the pump is automated to pump water whenever there is a drop in the water level in the overhead tank.

A Drip Irrigation System has been installed on four acres of land with an overall efficiency of 90%. It is one of six other such systems being constructed in six project districts funded by the Kingdom of Belgium within the GCCA project. Other twenty bigger capacity irrigation systems are also being constructed in the six districts with EU funding within the same project. When completed, the valley dams and drip irrigation systems will ease the burden of water access for agriculture and livestock production, especially during the dry spells that have become longer as a result of climate change.