Ms Doviko Rwomushana tending to her maize garden in Kabende in Kabarole district, Uganda. Maize growing in some areas in Uganda has faced stunting due to delayed rainfall. PHOTO BY ALEX ASHABA
How the cyclones on
Indian Ocean have affected farming in most parts of Uganda
BY FELIX BASIIME
UGANDA: There are two major dry and wet seasons
in Uganda but rains have unusually poured in the months of June and July in 2019 that
would be part of the long dry season and experts have warned farmers not get
confused and plant.
Most parts of the country are experiencing
light rains, others drizzles, others cloudy weather while others are soaked in
heavy rains and are experiencing flooding paralyzing work especially to maize
and coffee farmers who are counting losses after rains have affected the drying
seeds in parts of Western region.
Farmers in Uganda have been warned not to be confused by
the current rains to plant now that they will experience more loses instead
they should start preparing gardens and also conserve the rain water.
Mr Jeconious Musingwire, the South
Western Regional officer for NEMA has explained that the current rains in most
parts of the country is as a result of the March to April cyclones on Indian
Ocean that set wind turbulences disrupting the normal rain formation pattern
over the coast to other countries including Uganda.
“It is the effect of cyclones in
Indian Ocean that caused change in temperatures so the rains may continue up to
the end of July and we are expecting a dry spell in August” Musingwire
explained, adding, “The rains will confuse the farmers more but they shouldn’t
plant instead they should prepare their gardens, those with banana plantations
and cattle keepers can start water conservation structures”
The Uganda National Meteorological Authority
(UNMA) (formerly Department of Meteorology) under Ministry of Water and
Environment has warned of above normal rainfall in its recent release, “The
Seasonal Rainfall Outlook for June to August 2019 over Uganda”
“Overall, there is an increased likelihood of
above normal rainfall over most parts of Uganda and near normal rainfall in
most parts of Karamoja and southern cattle corridor” Mr Paul Isabirye for UNMA
Executive Director warned.
The release says that Northern and Southern
parts of Central (Kalangala, Kampala, Wakiso, Masaka, Mpigi, Butambala,
Kalungu, Bukomansimbi, Gomba, and Mityana) districts among others rains are
expected to persist until late-July.
“Thereafter, isolated light showers will
prevail until end of season. Overall there are high chances of near normal
(average) with slight tendency to below normal (suppressed) rainfall over most
parts of the region” the release adds.
The same is to Eastern parts of Central:
(Mukono, Buikwe, Kayunga, Buvuma) districts, “Intermittent rains punctuated by
dry spells will set in till early August. Thereafter, steady rains are likely
to get established up to the end of the forecast period”
Central and Western Lake Victoria Basin:
(Kalangala, Kampala, Wakiso, Masaka, Mpigi, Butambala, Kalungu, Bukomansimbi,
Gomba, and Mityana) districts are experiencing the same weather.
Central Western: (Bundibugyo, Ntoroko,
Kabarole, Kyenjojo, Kyegegwa, Kamwenge, Masindi, Buliisa, Hoima, Kikuube,
Kakumiro, Kagadi and Kibaale) districts are also experiencing the same scenario
as well as South Western: (Kasese, Kabale, Rukiga, Rubanda, Kisoro, Rukungiri,
Kanungu, Ntugamo, Mbarara, Kiruhura, Isingiro, Ibanda, Bushenyi, Buhweju,
Mitooma, Sheema and Rubirizi) districts
“The rains that are currently being
experienced in this region are expected to persist up to around mid-June when
the dry conditions are expected to set in and continue up to late July. This
will be followed by isolated light showers until the end of the season” it
adds.
Harvest time
It is harvest time and some farmers are
already counting loses due to the unpredictable weather with both rains in the dry season. There is delayed harvest of
ground nuts, maize and coffee. Those farmers who had harvested and had started
drying their seeds in the sun have experienced some losses as rains set in early July
in most parts of the Western region.
Mr James Bamureeba, a farmer in Masha,
Isingiro district said, “We have experienced losses, we the maize and coffee
farmers are counting loses due to the rains that have affected the quality of
our products due to delayed harvesting while the cattle keepers are happy”
Mr Joseph Kabagambe, a large scale maize
farmer in Kibijo sub county, Kakumiro district said, “The rains that have set
in since Sunday have affected the maize gardens because they are already dry,
the rain now is no longer useful at this stage to maize apart from making
loses”
Mr Amos Wentaro, an Agronomist
with National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) observed that
“We usually have rains in March-June (Short season) and September to December
(Normal rains/long season for the Western region but the winds from Indian
Ocean in March to April affected the weather pattern this side; most farmers
had planted and were affected especially in the cattle corridor due to the
delayed rains, for those who delayed planting benefited due to rains in April”
He added, “For example in Kamwenge district,
most maize farmers delayed to plant due to late rains in April and will get low
yield because their maize started drying as early as May at the flowering
stage”
He said the delayed planting and delayed
harvesting will affect food supply chain in quality and quantity in the region
this season.
“In the cattle corridor, rains took long to
come like in Ntoroko, Kiruhura, Masindi Nakasongora and have been affected
more, so the current June to July rains in some areas will definitely affect
the quality of maize, beans and coffee but for cattle farmers it is a blessing”
According to reliefweb, changes in rainfall
patterns and total annual rainfall amounts are also expected but these are less
certain than changes in temperature. The climate of Uganda may become wetter on
average and the increase in rainfall may be unevenly distributed and occur as
more extreme or more frequent periods of intense rainfall.
Regardless of changes in rainfall, changes in
temperature are likely to have significant implications for water resources,
food security, natural resource management, human health, settlements and
infrastructure. In Uganda, as for the rest of the world, there are likely to be
changes in the frequency or severity of extreme climate events, such as heat
waves, droughts, floods and storms.
This changing weather patterns is making it
difficult for farmers in the country to plan using the traditional knowledge of
the two planting seasons which seemed much easier to predict.
Expected impacts
The Uganda National Meteorological Authority
has warned the farmers in the regions that are currently experiencing near
normal rains to above normal areas for agriculture and food security sector
that “Post-harvest losses (crops, fish and animals) are expected to be high”
Water logging will affect root tuber crops
like sweet potatoes and yams, low production of honey but high production of
milk.
In fact in some parts of South Western, milk
prices that had gone high in June at Shs 1300 at some selling points has now
gone down in July at Shs 1000 which is not the case usually in this period.
Mr Steven Taremwa, a trader in Mbarara town
who deals in plastics said, “I had stocked more watering cans to sell in the
dry season but the sales are poor because few people are buying due to the
current unusual rains”
END
