2017 ASHS Annual Conference

Dry season vegetable production is a high priority in largely rainfed (>97%) agricultural systems of Uganda. Irrigation opens up new markets and helps endure unpredictable rainfall patterns. Using a participatory approach, farmers and our team consider different alternatives, and then design and implement irrigated vegetable production systems and associated marketing schemes. We build on local capacity for irrigation among farmer, university, extension, non-governmental, and private industry stakeholders. We also focus on needs of smallholder women farmers who are often excluded from irrigation and marketing developments. The project is implemented at 6 ‘innovation sites’ in eastern Uganda and brings together multi-disciplinary research teams (farmers, researchers, local NGOs, government, and university students) to co-develop technologies that build on existing, locally relevant farmer knowledge as a foundation and expand this with technologies and practices appropriate for small scale horticulture in the region. Particular examples include on-farm water storage, improved conveyance systems, drip irrigation, moveable sprinklers, managed infiltration/drainage, and irrigation strategies/schedules. An output is a framework for local public and private sector organizations to create, expand, and disseminate different irrigation innovations. We are evaluating agronomic, economic, market, and gender impacts and implications of the different innovations and exploring scale-out options for the most promising technologies. Identification of promising innovations in dry season vegetable production, combined with tools to assess their benefits and sustainability, will strengthen smallholder farmer enterprises targeted to both local markets and family consumption.