The micro-scale irrigation project, one of the renewable energy intervention strategies targeting smallholder farmers, has run into headwinds, with farmers saying it is not performing to their expectations.
While the micro-scale irrigation project under the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (Maaif), supported by the World Bank was introduced to boost farmer access to affordable and sustainable irrigation technologies, a section of stakeholders blame its under-performance on policy gaps, substandard equipment and limited levels of awareness. In the districts of Nakaseke, Wakiso, Luweero and Nakasongola where a section of farmers fall within the cattle corridor areas and need the water to maximise production, several of the solar-powered equipment acquired have broken down due to alleged poor quality.
The farmers also allege that some of the solar-powered irrigation equipment are far above the normal market price and not affordable despite the grant from the government. Ms Esther Nakandi, a farmer in Semuto Sub-county, Nakaseke District, has given up on her initial deposit for co-funding after failing to top up the amount required to access a solar irrigation pump.
‘I paid a commitment fee in 2023, but failed to access top up funds from one of the commercial banks. But also , when I inquired about the market price of the same equipment, the price was almost double the normal market price for the same equipment on the market,’ she said.
But just about 6 kilometres from Ms Nakandi’s farm, another farmer, Mr Gavas Kanakulya has abandoned the solar -powered equipment at his courtyard. Mr Kanakulya claimed that the solar pump that he purchased from a recommended supplier only worked for three weeks at his farm and broke down. His effort to convince the supplier to go to the farm and fix the pump failed. ‘I invested Shs6.5m for the solar-powered pump under a co-funding programme initiated by the government, but the system has not helped me. When I contacted the supplier, I was told that the pump had probably been mishandled at the farm against the guidelines. I believe that the equipment was substandard,’ he explained.
Low uptake
Mr Ronald Kitayimbwa, an agriculture officer-in-charge of Nakaseke Sub-county explained that a lack of farmer training and a budget component at the lower local government specified for renewable energy are partly to blame for the low uptake for the solar-powered irrigation equipment by farmers in the area. ‘We cannot conduct awareness campaigns for equipment that we have no knowledge about. Several of the equipment purchased is of substandard quality,’ he said at a recent stakeholder training on productive use of solar energy at Nakaseke District headquarters. In Wakiso, Mr Henry Lubulwa, the district agriculture officer, shared experiences and challenges of farmers since 2021 when the government rolled out the micro-scale irrigation project.
While several farmers have expressed interest in purchasing the solar irrigation equipment, the actual number of beneficiaries falls below 25 percent, Mr Lubulwa noted. ‘During the Financial Year 2022/2023, 800 farmers in Wakiso District expressed interest in purchasing the solar-powered irrigation pumps, but the actual beneficiaries were only 30. Some of the major challenges include lack of water sources, substandard equipment supplied by the pre-qualified firms, delays in installation of the systems by suppliers approved by Maaif, among many other challenges,’ he said. Mr Lubulwa added: ‘The farmers lack the technicians to fix the broken pumps and do the maintenance of the systems installed.
The failure of the lending institutions to provide affordable loan facilities to farmers who have expressed interest complicates the effort for a speedy roll out of the productive use of solar energy use. But Wakiso District is proud of the solar water project on Bussi Island benefiting at least 3,000 households in three parishes.” While the government through its departments acknowledges several of the challenges to the smooth roll out of the productive use of renewable energies, including the limited level of farmer awareness, renewable energy remains a priority area under the National Development Plan IV (NDPIV).
Dr Brian Isabirye, the commissioner for renewable energy and energy efficiency coordinator, sustainable energy programme at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, said a lack of affordability, limited levels of awareness for many customers on the off-grid products remains a big barrier. Several farmers lack the information about renewable energy sources that include as solar power and biogas. He added: ‘It’s true that lack of affordability, limited levels of awareness, among several other barriers keep several potential customers of the solar energy resource away. But under the NDPIV, renewable energy has been enhanced as part of the priority areas.
We shall scale up biogas use, solar energy among other renewable energy sources.’ In Nakaseke District where several solar energy systems including the cold chain, solar-powered valley dams and solar dryers have been installed by government under the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer Programme (UgIFT), several of the installed systems are now abandoned due to lack of maintenance technicians and involvement of the local government teams for easy monitoring.
Mr Ignatius Koomu, the Nakaseke District chairperson, asked the government to streamline and correct errors associated with the micro-scale irrigation co-funding project for the smallholder farmers. He said a section of farmers believes the project is for the very rich and not the common farmers.
Dr Anthony Mujeere, a researcher at Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), has meanwhile called for the inclusion of farmers in the advocacy programmes for renewable energy sources. ‘The challenges of lack of awareness, substandard solar energy equipment supplied by some pre-qualified firms, and the lack of specific budgets for renewable energy projects at the lower local governments are real. We should also plan for a scaled-up sensitisation for renewable energy sources,’ he said.