Joseph Eyinu tends to his onion crop with care in Apitopat Cell, Kayago Ward, Namasale Town Council, Amolatar District. The 26-year-old gently picks onions from the nursery bed, taking great care not to damage the delicate plants. With the soil prepared and the irrigation system in place, Eyinu plants the onions in the garden, making sure they are spaced evenly and watered. To protect the young sprouting onions from the harsh rays of the sun, he covers them with dry maize leaves that have the dual purpose of providing shade and retaining soil moisture. This simple yet effective technique helps the onions to grow strong and healthy.
Eyinu is one of several farmers in northern Uganda who are embracing vegetable growing as a way to adapt to climate change. With unpredictable weather patterns and increasing temperatures, these farmers are turning to irrigation and innovative techniques to ensure their crops thrive. The demand for vegetables is high in Namasale, and Eyinu is confident that his onions will fetch a good price at the market. By growing vegetables, he not only supports his family but also contributes to the local food system.
Daniel Opito, a 27-year-old farmer, works at the Apitopat Solar Powered Irrigation Scheme in Namasale Town Council. He serves as a scheme operator and watchman, where he ensures a consistent water supply to local farms to boost productivity and food security. ‘For over a decade, I relied on rain-fed agriculture and fishing in the nearby Lake Kyoga to feed my family. However, I faced persistent hardships with the meagre income.
There were changes in the rainfall patterns, declining fish stocks due to overfishing, destruction of breeding grounds, exploitation by middlemen, and harsh enforcement by the Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU), which often resulted in the confiscation of gear and destruction of boats,’ he says. Opito struggled to meet basic needs such as buying clothes, paying medical bills, and school fees for his children and siblings.
Getting together
In July 2020, he was among dozens of residents of Kayago Ward who formed the Kayago United Farmers and Fishers Association. Their initial venture into agriculture involved purchasing a generator pump to grow onions on a small scale. However, the output was insufficient to meet the needs of all the members.
The turning point came when the association submitted a successful funding proposal to the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) through the Water for Production Regional Centre North (WfPRC-N).
In December 2024, the Apitopat Solar Powered Irrigation System was completed, marking a new chapter for the community. Opito joined the Apitopat Farmers Group, which comprises 40 members, including six landlords. ‘I was allocated two plots on a 12-acre farm and received extensive training in agro-entrepreneurship, including enterprise selection, nursery bed management, transplanting techniques, pest and disease control, post-harvest handling, and group dynamics,’ he says.
Diversification of crops and livestock
In January 2025, Opito planted tomatoes on one of his plots. By March, he had harvested the tomatoes and earned Shs3.3 million from their sale, an amount equivalent to what he had previously earned from fishing over 13 years. ‘After deducting expenses, I was left with a balance of Shs2.8 million, which I used to purchase two bulls for ploughing, a 21-inch television, pay school fees, and cover other personal needs,’ he says. Opito notes that before being trained by a team from MWE, he used to harvest five boxes of tomatoes from half an acre of land.
‘I had limited skills in pest and disease management, poor enterprise selection, and poor post-harvest handling. But with the training and exposure, I can now manage my crops, source better inputs, and market them profitably. This has greatly changed my life,’ he says. The farmer now advocates for horticultural production, citing its profitability compared to fishing. He plans to acquire more land, expand his agribusiness, construct a permanent home, relocate his family, and maintain the Apitopat Irrigation Scheme as a productive farm. Opito’s story reflects the transformative potential of sustainable agriculture and targeted development interventions in Uganda’s rural communities.
Irrigation efficiency
As in other districts in northern Uganda, climate change is no longer a distant threat in Amolatar District. The district peninsula has a total population of 188,715 people according to the 2024 National Population and Housing Census. Eighty percent of the population derives its livelihoods from agriculture and fishing. However, extreme weather events and increased pest and diseases have made agriculture in the area more challenging than ever. Benbella Opio, the agricultural officer of Namasale Town Council, says farmers in this administrative unit are mostly engaged in the production of cereal crops, cassava, and sweet potatoes.
‘They also engage in lake fishing, but not aquaculture. You expect rain to come in early March, but then it comes in April. Across northern Uganda, the dry spell sets in around May, at a time when we are about to harvest our crops. So, our production in the first season is always affected by drought,’ he observes. Opio explains that cereal crops are devastated by pests such as the fall armyworm. Nonetheless, he applauds the government for installing an irrigation facility in Namasale through the MWE. ‘This irrigation facility has helped farmers with a constant water supply. During the dry spell, production goes on. For instance, they have just finished the harvest,’ he says.
MWE, with funding from United Kingdom Export Finance and the Government of Uganda, is currently implementing the construction of the Solar Powered Water Supply and Irrigation Systems Project Phase I to increase access to safe and clean water and agricultural production and productivity through irrigation. The ministry contracted M/S Nexus Green Limited to design, supply, and install solar-powered irrigation across the country. The main objective is to demonstrate modern irrigation technology and sensitise beneficiary communities on the utilisation of available water sources to improve production and productivity, as well as sustainably combat the effects of climate change.
Eng. Rogers Masaaba, the deputy manager of Water for Production Regional Centre North, says the intervention is aimed at addressing the ever-growing demand for water supply in the face of climate change and its effects. ‘WfPRC-N under this project is implementing 31 solar-powered irrigation systems in the districts of Amolatar, Apac, Kwania, Dokolo, Lira, Otuke, Oyam, Omoro, Gulu, Adjumani, Amuru, Lamwo, Kitgum, Nwoya, Nebbi, Pakwach, Yumbe, Zombo, Madi Okollo, and Terego. Of these, ten are complete, and 21 projects are ongoing, he says.
Apitopat Solar Power Irrigation Facility has proven vital during the dry season. It covers ten acres of land and is installed with laser spray tape irrigation technology. Beneficiary farmers showcase thriving fields of tomatoes, cabbage, green pepper, and other horticultural crops. Several have reported strong sales, with some supplying produce directly to buyers at farm gate prices, while others transport their harvests to nearby markets, securing competitive prices and expanding their customer base.
‘Before this project, we struggled to grow anything when the rains stopped. Now, I harvest vegetables regularly and sell them to buyers who come straight to my farm,’ says Jessica Orech, one of the scheme’s beneficiaries.
Bosco Olum, another farmer, highlights the economic impact.
‘We do not have reliable rainfall. In other parts of the country, the second season starts in July and ends in December. Amolatar received rain in mid October. It is very difficult for farmers to thrive because of the changes in the rainfall patterns that have lasted close to 10 years. But now, with irrigation, I can afford school fees and better inputs for the next season,’ he says. To recover from climatic shocks, several farmers are adapting to horticulture.
Ronald Opio Orech, 36, says he started growing tomatoes in 2024, and in the first season, he sold his produce for Shs900,000, which he used to pay his sibling’s school fees. Bosco Okello, 48, used to grow millet in his two-acre garden, making Shs1 million after selling off the harvest. ‘I have realised that when you plant tomatoes in half an acre of land, you can get about Shs2 million. I regret wasting my time growing low-value crops,’ he says.
Semmy Achola, a 40-year-old tomato grower, says, ‘I used to grow simsim (sesame) in my two-acre garden, but I would get about Shs800,000 annually since simsim is grown once a year.’ Achola says in the first season this year, she planted tomatoes in a small plot measuring less than half an acre and managed to get Shs300,000. While the overall outlook is positive, farmers also voiced concerns about pest infestations and rising input costs.
Challenges
The lack of access to markets due to a poor road network is a huge challenge for farmers. During rainy seasons, several roads in northern Uganda become impassable, yet agriculture is the main economic activity in the north. When our reporter traveled to Namasale Town Council, about 130 kilometres from Lira City, he experienced firsthand how road users are suffering because of the terrible state of the Dokolo-Amolatar-Namasale road.
Two vehicles transporting produce and fruits were stuck in the mud on the road. Another challenge is fluctuating prices of agricultural produce. The prices are determined by middlemen. Despite these hurdles, the solar-powered irrigation scheme has led to notable improvements in crop yields, household incomes, and food security in Lango, Acholi, and West Nile sub-regions.