Farmers in Kabarole District, located along the scenic Rwenzori highlands, are embracing modern farming practices to fight the growing impacts of climate change.
This comes as part of a three-year project called Strengthening Smallholder Farmer Resilience to Climate Change,S funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands through the Water and Development Program.
This initiative is part of the three-year project Strengthening Smallholder Farmer Resilience to Climate Change (SFR2CC), funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands through the Water and Development Program.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
The project is being implemented by Mountains of the Moon University (MMU) in partnership with Joint Efforts to Save the Environment (JESE) in the Rwenzori region, and Kabale University in the Kigezi region with the aim is to enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers through joint learning, capacity building, and the development of context-specific water management solutions.
One of the beneficiaries, Betty Biira, a farmer in Karangura Sub County, said the training has changed the way she practices farming.
"Before the intervention of JESE and MMU, I used to encounter serious soil erosion which greatly affected my production," Biira explained.
"But after being trained in modern farming methods like digging trenches in my plantation, I have been able to curb soil erosion and maintain nutrients in my banana plantation."
The Chairperson of Karangura Sub County, Elkanah Kahuzo, hailed the intervention, noting that it comes at the right time.
"This soil and water conservation training is very pertinent," Kahuzo said. "If farmers adopt these technologies, they will harvest more because much of their soil fertility is being lost, which has been lowering yields and incomes."
At the academic front, Assoc. Prof. Violet Kisakye, from the Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at MMU, said the universities and partners have formed a consortium to create practical solutions for farmers.
"We came up with innovations to tackle dwindling soil moisture on farms, specifically targeting smallholder farmers in the highland regions," Prof. Kisakye said. "Part of the output is the development of an interdisciplinary master's program in Integrated Water Resources Management, along with a research agenda to guide students, staff, and international collaborators in solving existing challenges."Prof.Kisakye added
Adding to this, Christopher Businge of JESE highlighted the importance of knowledge-sharing in the project.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"We have worked closely with MMU and Kabale University to prepare a curriculum in Integrated Water Resources Management," Businge said. "This curriculum is critical, and a good number of topics have been developed through a thoroughly consultative process."
Samuel Tusiime Tinkasimire, an official at the Ministry of Water and Environment under the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Department, said the project addresses a dire need.
"Environmental degradation in the Rwenzori region is a reality," Tusiime stressed. "It is largely due to population pressure and poor land-use practices. As a result, water quality is being compromised because of soil erosion caused by the degradation of vegetation cover along rivers flowing from the mountains."
The project implementers believe that by equipping smallholder farmers with these modern farming methods, the Rwenzori and Kigezi regions will not only conserve their soil and water resources but also improve agricultural productivity and household incomes.
