Serere, Uganda: Farmers of Opopa village in Kateta sub county have asked the ministry of water and environment to extend the irrigation pipes to more farmers so that they can also earn money through growing vegetables like what other farmers are doing.
The demand by more farmers to be connected into the irrigation system follows the changing life of a primary teacher of Alos primary school who’s earning closed to shs 30million from growing vegetables using irrigation system construction by the ministry of water and environment.
Madam Jacinta Agoe ever since she started utilizing the irrigation system which is passing through Alos primary school land has earned money that has made her buy her bulls and managing her domestic demands ontop of shs 480,000 that a grade three teacher earns monthly.
When this publication visited her vegetable farm in the school garden, she said her life was hard when she was recruited as a teacher and she worked for nine month without pay.
“What helped me at that time is growing vegetables using this irrigation system made my life easy,” She said.
According to Ms Agoe last month she harvest onions and tomatoes and she gost she 17million.
“My harvest varies some times I get to about 20 to 30million depending on how the vegetables gives fruits,” She said
Now with that earning other members who are not connected into the irrigation system are also asking ministry of water to consider as an urgent program to connect water to the gardens of many farmers so that they can earn a living.
Pascal Odeke one of the farmers said they also want to count money from growing vegetables the way Ms Agoe does.
“Its good we all be connected to the system so that our households also stabilises,”he said.
Mr. Patrick Okotel the engineer in the ministry of water and environment in charge of Eastern region promised that any time the funds are available more farmers will be connected.
“We are just waiting for money ones we get some funding we shall connect water to more farmers,” he said.
He urged the farmers benefiting from the system to guard the system jealously so that it will help to improve on their income.
