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BY DOREEN BAZIO
ADJUMANI: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2024
In West Nile, a sub-region of Uganda that is prone to drought and adverse vagaries of weather, the food security situation is worsened by the hosting of a large number of refugees in the country.
Many households receive only 30% of food rations-mainly cooking oil and grain, refugees in West Nile are now embracing agriculture on hired plots as a resilience and coping mechanism.
Solar irrigation is offering a much needed helping hand as Joseph Nakuni, 38, farmer and a resident of Alivu Village, Ndapi Parish, Omugo Sub County, an area covered by the expansive Rhino Camp Refugee settlement in Terego district says.
Nakuni disclosed that with a co-funding of sh580,000 for irrigation kits that cost sh2.8m in total, their Group started growing fresh potatoes after intervention from Danish Church Aid (DCA), a nongovernmental organization involved in the humanitarian assistance in Africa.
The group earned sh18m in the first year of growing potatoes. This inspired Nakuni to also start his own potato and vegetable farming with solar irrigation on 1.5 acres garden from which he earns at least sh3m every season.
He acquired a solar irrigation equipment under Uganda Intergovernmental fiscal transfers program that also promotes small and micro-solar powered irrigation projects at the grass roots.
The solar system set him back sh2m in co-funding under the government’s cost-sharing scheme in which the government foots between 25% to 75% of the costs depending on the acreage a farmer has. The smaller the acreage, the higher the percentage of cost shared and vice versa.
Nakuni says DCA were initially looking for farmer groups to grow bio-fresh potato which is nutritious for malnourished people, and can be used to make potato flour for porridge, chapati and cakes.
“Seeing the opportunity in solar irrigation, I also started my own farm. Last season, I got sh1m from selling tomatoes, sh700,000 from selling cabbages, sh500,000 from selling water melons and sh800,000 from sweet potatoes,” Nakuni explains.
Background
In 2022, Uganda launched the Sustainable Energy Response Plan for Refugees and Host Communities 2022-2025 (SERP) in a bid to enable all host and refugee communities attain universal access to affordable, reliable, and clean energy for socioeconomic transformation in an environmentally sustainable manner.
In efforts to implement the SERP, a number of NGOs have since embraced Solar Irrigation Interventions since 2022 to create for the refugees hope away from home.
The different partners implementing Productive Use of Sustainable Energy/Productive Use of Energy projects in West Nile include Mercy Corps, JICA, Welthugerhilfe, Palm Corps, Fermi Nature, Food and Agricultural Organization, Lutheran World Federation, GIZ, Self Help Africa, Action against Hunger, and Food for the Hungry.
Besides the SERP, government has drafted and developed the Uganda Solar Water Pumping Report (July 2019); National Irrigation Policy (November 2017); District Development Plans and National Road Map on Scaling Up Productive use of Solar Energy and Revised Energy Policy for Uganda (2023).
Government has also further implemented programs like Development Response to Displacement Impact Project (DRDIP), Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), Irrigation Development and Climate Resilience Project (IDCRP) and the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers Program Project for Uganda (UGiFT).
Though with unique challenges on either side, both government and NGOs haven’t been able to achieve the anticipated level of uptake.
But there are some standout testimonies among participating farmers from whom valuable lessons can be learnt and shared.
In Obongi District, Edward Lubang, 52, farmer and a resident of Morobi Refugee Settlement, Itula Sub County, says embracing solar irrigation and establishing his own garden, has enabled him to not only effortlessly fulfill his family’s basic needs but they are now healthier.
Unlike 3 years ago, Lubang invested a capital of sh300,000 but now earns at least sh15m from growing vegetables which by affordability have a ready market thanks to a solar water pump received under the government’s Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers Program (UGiFT) which has a 25% co funding requirement depending on the nature of farm and equipment required.
“I started when the plot of land I had was less than quarter acre but right now I can hire more than two acres to grow vegetables. Feeding at home is no longer a problem, my children eat better, I bought a tricycle (Raxer) and cattle. My target now is to raise sh20m in the next dry season,” Lubang says.
In Ma’di Okollo District, YK Duku, a resident of Odubu Zone, Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement, says he got an opportunity to learn about solar irrigation in 2022 when Palm Corps, an NGO was giving out solar water pumps to refugees in the camp.
He narrates that, in 2023, he ventured into vegetable farming and was fortunate enough to supply tomatoes to Arua Main Market. He says he used the proceeds from the sale to acquire a motorcycle which has not only solved the challenge of transporting his produce but is a source of additional income.
“When Palm Corps intervened, we were 50 who showed interest but later, others lost it. However, the few of us continued to get knowledge which has transformed our lives now. World Food Program only provides us with Posho, beans and cooking oil which is insufficient amidst other basic needs,” Duku observed.
In Yumbe District, Zumura Viko, a resident of Rakatura Village, Kululu Sub County, Yumbe District had her fortune struck by luck. Being among the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA)’s 30 members, she benefitted from a motorized borehole established for Umaruku Farmer Field School by Welthugerhilfe, an organization working in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement.
While they started farming in 2021, their efforts were being frustrated by lack of ready access to water due to the unreliable rainfall patterns.
To get clean water, one would have to walk about 10km away from the village, so, they looked at watering crops as a wastage time and resources.
“Apart from growing cassava and simsim as a group, I tried to plant some tomatoes and onions around my home twice but because of the unreliable rainfall patterns, they all dried up and I got nothing because I couldn’t water them due to the challenges of getting water,” Zumura revealed.
The group now earns at least sh6.5 million from vegetable sales each season.
In Adjumani District, Kevin Cezirina, 40, a person with disability and a resident of Maaji III Block A Refugee Settlement, Ukusijoni Sub County in Adjumani District, observes that engaging in small scale irrigation is creating opportunities for persons with disabilities to engage in agriculture.
There actions are also helping them cope with the biting hunger many refugees face. Besides attaining skills and knowledge in Agriculture, from the modest allowance of sh4,000 she receives every after working in the group garden, Cezirina is able to pay school fees and feed her two grand children orphaned by the 2014 South Sudan Civil war.
The group garden was established in 2023 under Development Response for Displacement Impact Project (DRDIP) with a seed capital of sh156m, has 95 members and owns a two-acre piece of land where they have planted vegetables and fruits like: Onions, Tomatoes, Egg plants, Sukuma Wiki, Ntrula and water melon.
“Persons with Disabilities are no longer portrayed as idle or lazy because we make an effort to work and this has boosted our confidence in social circles and amongst peers. This project helps us to fend and feed our families just like those who are able bodied,” Cezira acknowledges.
In the nearby Maaji 1 Refugee Settlement, Alumai Michael, 38, a beneficiary of Ayuda En Accion and Chairperson of Atetapkwe Itego Youth Group says with improved access to water, they have been able to prioritize growing tomatoes and cabbages which earns them between sh3m and sh4m each season. The group that started in 2021, currently has 10 members, with 4 of them refugees. They got a solar water pump of sh4,140,000 from sun culture at a cost of sh1,656,000 as part of a co fund with Ayuda en Acttion.
“Initially, the women in the group used to fetch water from the nearby stream for us to water which made us get losses in cassava growing because it wasn’t sustainable. With the solar pump now available, we have since transitioned to vegetable growing which is more profitable and promising,” Alumai revealed.
Challenges.
Alexander Andama, Project Manager for Palm Corps in Adjumani District, says that during the time they introduced the project in Adjumani, they realized that many refugees preferred fully funded solar water pumping kits.
Many refugee households also have low, irregular, or seasonal incomes, which affects their ability to pay for off-grid solutions.
On average, 60% of their monthly income is spent on food expenditures, followed by other necessities. This makes most of refugee households unable or unwilling to pay for energy products in one lumpsum with service providers wary of extending credit due to the risk of consumer default.
This is not unique to them alone as explained by Dennis Laze, the Sales Manager for Sun Culture in Adjumani district. He testifies that out of the 28 solar water pumps so far given out since July 2024, 21 were taken on credit; adding that refugees only picked interest because of the subsidization based on their previous two years’ experience in Uganda.
The government programs are not spared either, according to Francis Abiriga, the Madi Okollo District Agricultural Officer, and also the Focal Person for the UGiFT Micro Scale Irrigation project.
Abiriga says that the usage of solar irrigation by small scale farmers still stands at 1% due to the high cost of co funding under interventions for both NGOs and government.
Under UGiFT for example, the program is conditioned by a 25% to 75% high co-funding rate which some farmers cannot afford. on. This means that a farmer may pay between sh2m and sh8m. Abiriga also believes that provision of tractors and subsidies to the community would increase production and peaceful co-existence between the refugees and the host community.
However, even with the subsidies in place, some projects were futile. Annet Lekuru, the Executive Director for Fermi Nature Uganda, Ma’di Okollo District, says some projects haven’t been sustained due to vandalism, poor attitude of refugees towards farming, conflict between the land lords and refugees, and lack of skills among the farmers to operate the solar pumps.
Scalability has also been a challenge as some service providers and NGOs lack capital to expand to other refugee settlements, which require policy makers to intervene.
Enhancing uptake
According to Paddy Bakengana, the Program Manager of the Uganda Solar Energy Association (USEA), the institution intends to run a solar energy uptake campaign in all refugee settlements starting in November 2024.
With support from GIZ, which will be paying up to 60% of the cost of technologies for beneficiaries, the institution intends to demonstrate how solar technologies work so as to improve uptake.
This is key for sectors like Agriculture where Paddy estimates that only 5% of small-scale farmers have access to solar technologies/equipment.
Currently, USEA is also advocating for introduction of incentives to solar energy beneficiaries by January 2025 similar to carbon credits that slap caps on the limits of emission of greenhouse gases.
This move, Paddy believes will not only increase uptake but counteract myths that solar technologies are facilitating climate change by polluting the environment.
He also emphasized the need for innovation and creativity to scale up awareness and build credibility in the clean energy sector.
In agreement, Erasto Kivumbi Muwanga, Livelihood Officer, UNHCR Sub Office, Pakele, Adjumani district, observes that refugees are used to handouts from UNHCR, OPM and other partners and thus dialogue is needed for mindset change and to sensitize on the available projects.
North West Nile has 314,624 refugees according to the 2024 Uganda National Population and Housing Census report. 79.1% of households are involved in agriculture. 3.5% of households practice irrigation.
Until recently, access to energy was not prioritized in interventions with displaced populations, as securing food and shelter was a more pressing need.
However, increasing access to energy for productive use is now considered a key part of achieving long-term resilience and self-reliance within the refugee and host populations, which is one of the main pillars of Uganda’s Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF).
