What to do during this rainy season

Rainy season

Farmers always look forward to the rainy season because it is the time to plant crops which are their food and source of income.

Right now in almost all parts of the country we are experiencing the rain season. The planting of annual crops has been completed in most farming communities but planting of perennial crops such as coffee is still ongoing. It is surely a busy period for the farmers.

Crop inspection

Joseph Nkandu, Executive Director of National Union of Coffee Agri-businesses and Farm Enterprises (NUCAFE) has told Seeds of Gold that this is the time for the coffee farmer to do frequent farm inspection to ensure the weeds are well under control.

Control weeds

“The farmers should not, however, always stick to one form of fighting weeds,” he says. “Sometimes he may just shorten the weeds by slashing and other times it may be done using a hoe or even herbicides as long as the usage instructions are well followed.”

He went ahead to disclose that these days NUCAFE has herbicides that can be mixed with the pesticide which kills the destructive Black Coffee Twig Borer and that the items are available at NUCAFE Coffee Factory in Kampala and well distributed among input dealers in all coffee growing regions of the country.

Plan by harvesting water 

Nkandu also says the farmers who have planted coffee this rainy season should remember that after some weeks the rain will stop and we will have to go through several weeks of dry weather. 

“They should therefore devise ways of harvesting and storing rainwater now so that it can be used for irrigation,” says Nkandu. “Those farming close to swamps or rivers may consider buying solar powered water pumps for irrigation during the dry season. They must find ways of safeguarding the young coffee trees.”

Planning harvest

In some Robusta coffee growing regions the coffee is beginning to ripen which is an indication that the harvesting season is about to begin.

Nkandu is of the view that this should be the period to purchase inputs such as tarpaulins on which to dry the coffee beans. He emphasises the importance of picking only red ripe coffee cherries and to dry the coffee well without storing it near domestic animals or poultry.

“Coffee is hygroscopic and it absorbs moisture from nearby livestock droppings which spoils the taste of coffee. It should also never be stored in moist conditions to avoid malting,” says Nkandu. For those who are using the rainy season to plant coffee, Nkandu strongly advises the farmers to get their seedlings from well recognised and certified coffee nurseries. He also suggests to them to adopt the Brazilian model of spacing to increase coffee yields and to generate bigger income. The Brazilian spacing model allows for 1331 coffee trees to be planted on an acre unlike the traditional spacing model which allows for only 450 trees on one acre. 

How to weed maize

Gerald Ssendaula, former Minister of Finance, and large-scale maize farmer says most maize farmers who planted early are now engaged in weeding and pruning.

“This usually takes place when the maize plants are about two feet tall,” he told Seeds of Gold. “At this stage the farmer should be adding soil to the base of the maize plants and uprooting those planted in excess of the recommended number per hole.”

He however said that it may not be necessary for some maize farmers to do weeding. He said when a farmer sprays the ground with a herbicide solution within three days after planting the maize, the weed seeds die and by the time the maize crop emerges out of the ground no weeds will be there to compete with it. Another suggestion he makes is to use selective herbicides to kill weeds, obtainable from farmers’ shops.

Look out for pests

Ssendaula also says that during the rainy season the farmers should regularly inspect their gardens to watch out for any pest infestation. He says in case of pest attack the most preventive measure is for the farmer to use pesticides which are available in farmers’ shops. “However, if farmers always buy recommended seeds from recognised seed companies there is much less risk for pest attacks,” says Ssendaula.

Joseph Asiimwe, Business Manager at Kyazanga Farmers Cooperative Society says the rains delayed in their region, (Lwengo District) and that most farmers are still planting crops such as beans and maize.

“However we are telling our farmers to come for the seeds and emphasizing to them the importance of good seed selection,” he told Seeds of Gold. The society sells seeds and other inputs at subsidized prices to member farmers who are expected to sell the harvest to the cooperative society.

Planting seeds

“Some of the seeds that we give out to the farmers are bred to mature quickly besides being high yielding. We also have some seed varieties bred to be drought tolerant.”

He says as the rains last the farmer must keep monitoring his crop and weed it at least twice, doing the first weeding at 2-3 weeks after planting and at 5-6 weeks. He further says the farmer should check for pests and diseases and after consultation with the cooperative society’s extension officer, spray the appropriate pesticides and fungicides.” Some farmers may also spray fertilizers on the leaves of the crop just before flowering.

Dora Karungi, a school teacher and a farmer at Luyembe Village in Kyazanga Town Council, Lwengo District, says the time between planting and harvesting is a big challenge to smallholder farmers.

They normally have too little to feed their families.

This is the reason every household should ensure that at any given time there is some stored food in the granary. There are cases when farmers eat the seeds provided to them for planting.  She is the headmistress of Kabaseegu Pentecostal Primary School where providing farming skills to the learners is emphasized.  She says the ongoing rains should be an opportunity for trying out different water harvesting methods to get water for irrigation when the rains stop too early.