The Ministry of Agriculture will work with the Ministry of Water and Environment to rehabilitate irrigation schemes, harvest water from rivers and streams, and extend supplies to farms to improve food security and climate resilience.
The government has unveiled a multi-phase irrigation plan aimed at increasing agricultural production, strengthening food security and helping farmers cope with increasingly unpredictable weather conditions.
The initiative, announced by Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze during the national World Food Day celebrations in Mbarara on Friday, will bring together the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) and the Ministry of Water and Environment to expand access to water for agricultural production.
Tumwebaze said the two ministries were aligning their technical and financial resources to implement interventions targeting farmers with existing water sources, communities near rivers and streams, and areas with irrigation infrastructure that requires rehabilitation.
“The government plan to help the exploitation of our water sources for irrigation is something we will be seeing roll out in the coming years. The two ministries are actively aligning their technical and financial resources. We shall intervene directly across five priority areas,” Tumwebaze said.
Under the first intervention, the Ministry of Agriculture will support farmers who already have dams or access to water reservoirs but lack the technical capacity to distribute the water across their farms.
The ministry will provide farm planning and technical guidance to help these farmers install water distribution systems and ensure water reaches their crops.
“Number one, farmers with dams, where water is not a problem, we shall immediately come and help you with farm planning and ensure water is reticulated to irrigate,” Tumwebaze said.
The government also plans to harvest and store water from rivers and streams at strategic locations to supply surrounding agricultural areas. The approach is intended to create water sources that can serve multiple farms, particularly in areas where access to irrigation remains limited.
“Districts near streams and rivers, we shall, in a sustainable manner, harvest water, construct and store it at reasonable points, and then help with irrigation,” Tumwebaze said.
Another intervention will focus on existing irrigation schemes across the country. Following consultations with district leaders in Kampala, technical teams will assess irrigation infrastructure to determine its condition, capacity and potential for expansion.
Schemes that are no longer operational or are experiencing technical problems will be rehabilitated, while viable projects may be expanded and connected to more farms.
“We shall profile every irrigation scheme previously involved. We shall assess its potential, revamp or rehabilitate those that have issues, expand them, and ensure they connect to the gardens,” Tumwebaze said.
The Ministry of Water and Environment will complement these efforts through water resource management, wetland protection and the development of bulk water infrastructure to serve water-stressed and drought-prone areas.
Once water has been made available through the larger infrastructure, agricultural extension workers will support its distribution to individual farms, helping farmers use the supplies effectively.
Tumwebaze said the interventions were intended to reduce farmers’ dependence on rainfall, which has become increasingly unreliable in some parts of the country.
Irrigation can allow farmers to grow crops beyond the rainy seasons, reduce the risk of weather-related losses and improve production planning. More reliable water supplies can also support higher yields and more stable household incomes, provided farmers have access to suitable farming practices, inputs and markets.
The government plans to begin implementation in selected pilot districts before extending the programme to other parts of the country.
However, the success of the initiative will depend on the availability of funding, the condition of existing irrigation infrastructure, sustainable management of water resources and the ability to deliver water affordably to individual farms.