How the cyclones on Indian Ocean have affected farming in most parts of Uganda

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