RDC urges youth not to abandon agriculture to old persons
Kayunga RDC Ms Mariam Seguya, under umbrella, and other officials tour a vegetable garden under micro-scale irrigation at Seguya Technical Institute on October 30, 2024. PHOTO/ FRED MUZAALE
What you need to know:
- The demonstration centre would equip agriculture students of Seguya Technical Institute with macro-scale irrigation knowledge.
Youths have been cautioned against abandoning agriculture and leaving it to old persons whose energy is waning.
Speaking during the commissioning of micro-scale irrigation demonstration centre at Seguya Technical Institute in Kangulumira Sub-County, Kayunga district on Wednesday, Kayunga Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Ms Mariam Seguya noted that instead of engaging in agriculture, many energetic youth had abandoned it to their elderly family members, leading to low agricultural productivity.
"We are going to have a very bad scenario whereby the current generation of old persons who are now engaged in agriculture would be no more. We are going to face acute food shortages in this country," Ms Seguya said.
The irrigation demonstration centre is under the micro-scale irrigation program under the ministry of agriculture and fisheries with funding from the World Bank.
The program aims at increasing agricultural productivity by enabling small holder farmers to grow crops throughout the year.
The demonstration centre would equip agriculture students of Seguya Technical Institute with macro-scale irrigation knowledge.
The RDC, who urged residents to embrace commercial farming, asked students to be agents of change in their communities as far as crop irrigation is concerned, adding that unlike in the past where agriculture was regarded as dirty work it is now highly regarded in society.
Eng. Zubeda Namwanje the Kayunga District senior agricultural engineer, said that the country's future food production lies in precision farming whereby farmers don’t have to wait for rain in order to grow crops.
Mr Ann Bulya the Kayunga district senior agricultural officer noted that because of climate change, it is a necessity for all farmers to embrace irrigation so that they can grow crops throughout the year.
Mr Francis Nabaasa the deputy principal of the institute said the irrigation project would go a long way in helping them to make to money through increased agricultural productivity.
