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Nyabushozi Farmers Adopt Indigenous Coffee Irrigation Technologies

6 March 2025, 10:22

By Uziah Tusaasire

Farmers at Kabarisa’s water source

Sixty coffee farmers from twelve lower local governments in Nyabushozi County, Kiruhura District, have gathered at the farm of Enock Kabiriisa to study indigenous irrigation technologies that enable coffee cultivation throughout the year without relying on rainfall.

Kabiriisa has challenged the belief that Nyabushozi County lacks water by developing an innovative gravity-fed irrigation system. He has tapped water from a large well on a hillside, allowing him to irrigate his coffee farm year-round.

Enock Kabirisa a model farmer explaining how he got water for his plantation

Speaking at the gathering, Hon. Wilson Kazwenje, the Nyabushozi County MP, emphasized that while the area is known for milk and matooke production, it is now set to become a leading producer of coffee, which is a high-value cash crop. He noted that coffee farming will drive socio-economic transformation, given the ample land and organic manure available from livestock farming.

Kazwenje urged farmers to form cooperative groups to enhance coffee marketing, pointing out that a kilogram of coffee currently sells for UGX 16,000. However, he criticized the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives, calling it dormant and ineffective in sensitizing farmers on coffee marketing strategies.

Hon. Wilson Kajwengye sentising farmers on modern farming

Kabiriisa, a mixed farmer from Kyakategyere Cell, Rwamuhuku Parish, Sanga Sub-county, has constructed a gravity-fed irrigation system using a well at the foothills. He appealed to the government for support in improving rainwater harvesting technology, securing his farm with CCTV cameras, and acquiring coffee wilt-resistant varieties to boost productivity.

Hon. Wilson Kajwengye with farmers at Kabarisa’s farm

Farmers in Nyabushozi are now looking to adopt Kabiriisa’s model, with hopes that irrigation will enhance coffee production and improve livelihoods in the region.