Agriculture

 

Vegetable growing

Fresh Vegetables

Banana plantation

Piggery

Beekeeping

Fish farming

Poultry Farming

Eggs from poultry

Chicken meat

Rabbits

 

 Animal rearing

Cattle rearing 

A MAP SHOWING AGRICULTURE IN UGANDA

Subsistence farming

This is the growing of crops and rearing of animals for home use and the surplus is sold to get income. This is the commonest type of farming practised by most people in Uganda. People in Uganda grow crops such as maize, bananas, sweet potatoes, cassava and ground nuts, beans and millet.

Mixed farming.

Mixed farming is the growing of crops and rearing of animals on the same piece of land at the same time.
It is practiced by people who live in places which receive reliable rainfall. Rainfall supports proper growth of crops and pasture for animals.

Advantages of mixed farming

It provides a double income. People get money from both crops and animals at the same time once sold. Some crops are used as fodder for the animals. Feeds for animals are easily got from crop residues. Animal droppings are used as manure. They are usually used to make composite manure which improves on the fertility of the soil. In case of poor crop yields, a farmer depends on the income from animals. Therefore, there are more chances of having a stable income for the family.

Disadvantages of mixed farming

It is expensive to maintain. Some people do not have the enough capital to meet all the farm requirements. Secondly, this kind of farming requires a large piece of land which may not easily be got today. It requires a lot of skilled labour. There is a lot of demand for veterinary services in order to maintain the animals health and productive.

Dairy Farming

Dairy farming is the large scale keeping of cows mainly for milk and milk products. It is carried out mainly by people who live in places with reliable rainfall and low temperatures. Products got from a dairy farm include; milk,yoghurt, cheese, butter, and ghee. In Uganda dairy farming is commonly practised in Mbarara district.

Problems faced by dairy farmers

It is expensive to set up. Dairy farms require large capital to purchase the cattle and other requirements.
Poor storage facilities make the milk to go bad quickly. Many farmers can not afford modern facilities.

Dairy animal such as Friesian cows
Tropical diseases such as anthrax and East coast fever easily attack the exotic breeds. Diseases make it difficult to manage the farms. It requires large pieces of land. Today, land is scarce due to the increase in population. Therefore large land to establish a dairy farm is difficult to get.

A MAP OF UGANDA SHOWING THE MAJOR CROPS AND CATTLE AREAS

Nomadic pastoralism

Nomadic pastoralism is the movement of cattle keepers with their animals from one place to another.Nomads are people who move with their cattle from one place to another to search of water and pasture. Nomadic pastoralism is carried out in places that experience semi - arid climatic conditions. These places do not receive reliable rainfall to support sufficient growth of pasture and availability of water for animals. People are forced to move with their animals looking for water and pasture. This practice is carried out in the North Eastern Uganda in places such as Moroto, Kotido,Nakapiripirit and Napak districts. The practice is mainly carried out by the Karimojong, Pokot and Jie.

Ways in which the government can assist nomadic pastoralists to live a settled life

Constructing valley dams and water points which can provide water through out the year. Ensure that veterinary services are provided on time to the people who practice nomadic pastoralism. Constructing cattle dips to control ticks. These can be used for dipping animals in order to control animal diseases. Sensitising people about modern ways of pasture management and other farming practices.

Plantation Farming.

Plantation farming is the growing of one Perennial crop on a large scale for commercial purposes. Crops grown on plantations in Uganda include; coffee, tea, sugarcane, cocoa and oil palm. These crops are usually grown in areas which experience wet climatic conditions.

Tea

This is a beverage crop. It requires heavy rainfall, warm temperatures and fertile soils. It is mainly grown in places such as Kasaku in Mukono, Igara in Bushenyi and Nakigala Estate in Wakiso. It is also grown in Mubende, Mityana, Kabalore and Rukungiri .Districts. It is harvested by plucking buds.

Coffee

Coffee is also a beverage crop. It grows best in areas with high amount of rainfall. There are two types of coffee grown in Uganda, these are; Arabica coffee grown in highlands, and Robusta coffee grown in lowlands. However, clonal coffee is an improved variety got from Arabica and Robusta coffee. Coffee is harvested by hand picking the ripe berries. Arabica Coffee is grown in districts of Sironko, Mbale, Manafa, Kapchorwa and Bududa while Robusta is grown in some parts of the East and Central Uganda, in the districts of Masaka, Kayunga, Mukono, Jinja and Iganga.

Coffee Plant

Coffee plantation

Coffee beans on the plant

Harvested coffee beans

Other main crops grown in Uganda:

Cotton.

Cotton is a fibre crop used in textile industries. It is grown in places with high amounts of rainfall. It is grown from seeds and takes six months to be harvested. It is taken to the ginnery for ginning. Ginning is the removing of cotton seeds from lint. Lint is turned into thread. This is called spinning. The threads are woven into Cloths. This is called weaving. Cotton in Uganda is grown in districts such as Kumi, Tororo, Kamuli, Gulu, Pallisa, Iganga, Jinja, Lira, Apac and Kasese.

              Cotton

 

         Plantation

Irrigation Farming

You have learnt that some places in Uganda experience dry climate. Crops are grown in such places using the method of irrigation. Irrigation is the watering of crops in the garden. This is mainly carried out in dry seasons and in areas that receive little rainfall.

Types of Irrigation.

In Uganda, the overhead sprinkler, drip and surface irrigation systems are commonly used. Overhead sprinkler involves using pipes to supply water to crops in gardens as shown in the diagram below.

Overhead sprinkler

Surface irrigation involves digging channels from a water source to lead water to the gardens. The water sources may include dams, rivers, lakes, swamps and streams. Examples of crops grown in Uganda using irrigation method include, sugar canes at Kakira in Jinja district, rice at Tilda Irrigation scheme in Bugiri and rice, maize and beans at Mobuku scheme and Kyamuhunga tea estate in Bushenyi.

Problems faced by crop farmers in Uganda

(i) Presence of crop pests and diseases. For example coffee wilt, cassava mosaic and cotton stainer reduce the quality and quantity of produce.
(ii) Poor transport facilities. Due to poor road net work, it is difficult for farmers to transport their produce to the market on time.
(iii) Inadequate capital to buy farm implements and improved seeds.
(iv) Some farmers can not afford to buy the required tools, pesticides and seed varieties.
(v) Poor farming methods. Some farmers still use traditional methods of farming. This affects the production of high yields and products which are of high quality and quantity.
(vi) Poor storage facilities. Some farmers can not afford to use modern storage facilities for their produce due to limited capital.

Solutions to problems faced by crop farmers in Uganda.

(i) They should form co-operative societies. Societies once formed, they can help farmer to access short term loans and farm supplies.

(ii) Reduction of taxes on imported pesticides and farm implements. Once taxes are relatively low, people can easily afford the required pesticides to use on their farms.

(iii) Farmers should be sensitised on new farming methods.

(iv) There is need to teach farmers ways in which their farm produce can be improved. .
(v) Government should give soft loans to farmers. Loans can help them to meet the requirements on their farms.

(vi) Government should monitor National Agricultural Advisory services programmes (NAADS), so that farmers can easily manage farm inputs provided.

(vii) They should also help them to learn how to keep records on their farms.

Problems associated with wet and warm areas to living things. .

These areas encourage easy growth of weeds which reduce Farmer’s yields. These areas are breeding places for disease vectors; such as tsetse flies and ticks. Vectors are organisms that carry disease causing germs which attack both human being and animals. Mosquitoes breed in places with stagnant water. They transmit malaria to people. Tsetse flies breed in the forests that grow in these places. Tsetse flies transmit sleep sickness to people and Nagana to animals. Animal diseases caused by viruses are usually very hard to treat. They lead to death of animals and human beings if not treated properly. When crops are destroyed by viral diseases such as the leaf mosaic and fungal such as potato blight, the amount of food produced reduces which results into famine.

Solutions to problems associated with warm and wet areas to living things.

(i) Use of herbicides to destroy weeds. Weeds usually reduce the amount of yields, so there is need to get rid of them.

(ii) Destroy breeding places for mosquitoes by draining stagnant water and clearing bushes near homes.

(iii) Spraying breeding places for mosquitoes and tsetse flies. This helps to reduce the rate at which they multiply.

(iv) Vaccinating people and animals against some diseases. Prevention is better than cure, vaccination increases the immunity of people against some killer diseases.

(v) Sleeping under treated nets. Nets reduce the access of mosquitoes to human beings especially at night when they are sleeping.

(vi) Laying net traps for tsetse flies. Traps are used to net the tsetse flies. This method reduces the number of these flies which are very harmful to human life and animals.

(vii) Promoting food security by encouraging people to grow more crops.

(viii) Government should enforce a policy on food storage which can help people to avoid famine during the dry periods.