Farmers say they started noticing the drop in crop yields and loss of soil fertility in 2013, but since land in the sub county is still vast, farmers have been countering the problem by abandoning the fields ruined by the irrigation water for virgin ones.
Farmers
using Agoro Irrigation Scheme in Lamwo district to water their crops claim that
water from the scheme could be having substances that negatively affect
crop yield and soil fertility.
Agoro
Irrigation Scheme which serves more than 900 farmers, was rehabilitated between
2012- 2013 at a cost of Shs 27 million by the ministry of water and environment,
to boost agricultural productivity in the area.
However,
some of the farmers told URN that they have been noticing some negative changes
in their crops and crops fields, after using water from the irrigation scheme.
Denis
Ocan, a user of the irrigation scheme, says the problem has been existing since
the scheme was rehabilitated. According
to Ocan, whenever he watered his garden using irrigation, even healthy crops
started wilting and the ground became excessively hard, with white patches as
if the water was mixed with liquified salt.
The result, he said would be very low yields
and loss of soil fertility. He
believes that the irrigation water is causing them the problems, because it
is first stored in a reservoir, and brought for use after week, when it has
developed a foul smell and turned greenish.
Luo
byte
//Cue
in: “Kit ma an…”
Cue
out: …nongo okwoko.”//
Translation:
“According
to my own observation, this water for irrigation has a problem. First, if you spray
it in the garden, the crops start changing and withering, even when they were
healthy. Secondly, after irrigation the garden becomes very hard and the
surface becomes white like liquid salt was poured in it. Also, the garden loses
fertility after sometime. This water comes from Agoro hills and when it is
collected, it is kept in the water reservoir for about a week before farmers
start using it. And by that time, it would have become smelly and turned greenish.”
He
said he started noticing the drop in his crop yield and loss of soil fertility
since 2013, but since land in the sub county is still vast, farmers have been
countering the problem by abandoning the crop fields that have lost fertility,
for virgin ones.
Luo
byte
//Cue
in: “Kitiyo kwede wacon…”
//
Cue
out: Jami ne cek maber.”//
Translation:
“This
water for irrigation has been used for long. But, since we still have vast farm
land here, farmers have abandoned several plots that have lost fertility. But
if we start using water from the stream direct to the field like before, our crops
will have good yields.”
Francis
Todwong, another user of the irrigation scheme reveals that majority of the farmers have abandoned the plots near the
irrigation scheme and started farming around wetlands.
//Cue
in: “Pol dano okobo…”
Cue
out: …I dog kulu.”//
Ocaya
Allan, another farmer using the irrigation water says he started noticing a drop
in his crop yields after the irrigation scheme was rehabilitated.
He says
before rehabilitation, the water was clean but now, the water is milky.
//Cue
in: “Before rehabilitation…”
Cue
out: …from the wier.”//
Corina
Aloyo, another farmer who uses the irrigation scheme, explains that the water
causes yellowing and stunting of their vegetables. She says last season she planted
3 acres of egg plants, cabbages and beans but they all died.
//Cue
in: “Pii ni ka…”
Cue
out: …weng otoo.”//
But Brenda
Acao, the communications officer for northern region in the ministry of water
and environment, says as far as she knows, there is no problem with the water
from the irrigation scheme, and they have not been alerted of any problem.
She
however says the ministry will send a team of experts to do an assessment to understand
the concerns of the users.
Caroline Ayugi
Freelancer