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Drivers for Adoption of Water Harvesting Technologies in Uganda With Reference to Lira District in Northern Region
- Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa
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Drivers for Adoption of Water Harvesting Technologies in Uganda With Reference to Lira District in Northern Region Tobias Onweng Abstract:Despite the availability of abundant water resources, most farming households in Lira District still depend on rain for agricultural production. While policies for water (1999) and agriculture (2011) support water use for production, they have not been effectively implemented. Most farming households have therefore to depend on innovative water harvesting technologies to produce food and obtain income throughout the year. The overall objective of the research was to analyze the factors that drive farmers’ adoption decisions related to innovative water harvesting technologies in the district. Data was collected from random samples of households using household interviews, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The research found that the main innovative water harvesting technologies used were furrow and ridge irrigation, drip irrigation, surface water tanks, underground water tanks, and fish ponds, to a limited extent. Farmers’ experience of the technology and perception of the characteristics of the technology were main drivers of adoption decisions. Farmers’ experiences, low cost of the technology, potential for income and simplicity of technologies had more influence on adoption of furrow and ridge irrigation than drip irrigation, surface water tanks, underground water tanks, and fish ponds. Availability of technical service and financial resources influenced the decisions to use drip irrigation, underground water tanks and fish ponds more than the use of furrow and ridge irrigation. The research recommended dissemination of furrow and ridge irrigation, drip irrigation and surface water tanks using low cost materials, and the provision of technical service and training of farmers to promote acceptability as well as adoption and use of these technologies. Key words: Drivers, technology adoption, water harvesting technology, furrow and ridge irrigation, drip irrigation, surface water tanks, underground water tanks, and fish ponds. 1. Introduction 1.1 Background Although agriculture is the mainstay of the economy of Uganda, contributing 49 per cent of GDP and employing over 80 per cent of the population, food security and financial benefits to farmers are still major issues (Ministry of Water Lands and Environment, (MWLE) 1999). A key 176 Anthology of Research on Innovative Water Resource… reason is the dependence on rainfed agriculture. Although the country has abundant water resources, it is unevenly distributed in time and space. The situation is exacerbated by lack of effective implementation of water supply policies for agricultural production. In dry areas, surface water resources are generally seasonal and groundwater potential is often limited. In many cases, dams and valley tanks have insufficient flow or lack the storage capacity to prevent them from drying out (MWLE 1999). In view of the limited spread of open water bodies (lakes), there is need to develop aquaculture, to provide fisheries resources for vital protein intake for the increasing population, and for export (MWLE 1999). Development of water resources to supplement rainfed agriculture could increase the overall crop, livestock and fish production, through increasing cropping intensity, forage production and reliable livestock water, especially in the semi-arid and drought prone areas. Due to limited development of water for production, farming households have to depend on innovative technologies for harvesting water but the use of these innovative water harvesting technologies is limited, and the factors that influence their adoption were not clear. This research investigated the major drivers for adoption of water harvesting technologies. Section one consists of the problem statement, which presents research objectives and methodologies used. Section two presents the relevant literature and conceptual framework. Results and discussions are presented in section three. The last section discusses the conclusions and recommendations of the research. 1.2 Problem Statement Persistent seasonal household food shortages and low income affect a majority of farming households in Uganda. The situation is worse in Lira District, in Northern Uganda. Despite the availability of abundant water resources, most farmers still depend on rainfed agriculture, limiting production to only wet months of the year. The available water resources are not adequately tapped for production of crops and livestock. The existence of policies that support water use for production is implemented to a limited extent. Farming households have, therefore, to depend on innovative technologies for harvesting water for production. The use of these innovative water harvesting technologies is limited. It is not clear what factors influence the adoption of these water harvesting technologies. Available literature on water use in Uganda did not adequately analyze factors that influence adoption of water harvesting technologies (FAO 2005; Tayebwa 2008; UNWP and IUCN 1998; Dai...