Joyce Namugambe
Eastern and Southern Africa Small-scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF) has joined the globe to commemorate the world Food day under the theme “Water is life water is food.” This comes just a day after the international day of the rural women.
According to Esaff, this is the time when numerous water challenges concerning availability, quality and purity of water are encountered in Uganda, when climate change exacerbates water scarcity issues with irregular rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts and flooding events threatening crop yields and food security.
Addressing the press at Esaff offices in Ntinda, the Chairperson Esaff Uganda Hakim Baliraine expressed concern over the shortage of water to farmers which has greatly affected their farming and the climatic change which keeps on confusing farmers not knowing when to plant since the seasons keep changing, as this leads to food scarcity and hunger among people.
Baliraine therefore appealed to government under the ministry of agriculture to reduce on the cost of irrigation to enable farmers get access to rain water irrigation so that they save their crops from drying up due to lack of water for irrigation, which is not currently affordable to every farmer especially the small scale farmers.
However, he urged government to increase access to financial access, enhance infrastructure, improve information sharing and create climate resilient farming techniques by promoting sustainable agro ecology.
The Vice Chairperson Esaff Uganda Margret Eberu expressed concern over the increasing misuse of water bodies through sand mines, encroachment of wetlands among others which greatly affects water supply for farmers. She as well expressed need for government’s promoting of farmers easy access to water for agriculture through digging bore holes, availing tap water, and underground water to be provided to the communities.
The General Secretary Esaff Uganda Amuru district Nyeko Ronald Reagan, noted that there is a serious need to educate the public about the dangers to using chemical on the land as it affects the land fertility and produce food which is not healthy for human consumption.
In the same way, board member Esaff Uganda Irene Nakijoba called upon government to put agroecology into practice and mainstream it so that farmers can protect the environment through teaching them about agroecology and fund the project so that farmers can be able to control pests on their own and apply local fertilizers.
Meanwhile, the chairperson Esaff Uganda Kasese Beatrice Pangani expressed dissatisfaction over NEEMA just looking on as people continue to occupy the wetlands and make use of them for their own consumption yet it is its responsibility to fight against the act. She therefore appealed to government to do the needful so that the environment can be conserved.
