1. A REPORT ON AGRICULTURE IN UGANDA:

2. COUNTRY PROFILE: Uganda is located in the eastern region of Africa. It is bordered by Sudan in the north, Kenya in the east, Tanzania in the south, Rwanda in the southwest and the Democratic republic of Congo in the west. The total area of Uganda is 241,038 km 2 or 93,032 sq miles. The total land area available is 199,710 km 2 and the total area covered by water is 36,330 km 2. Our country is crossed by the equator and is more temperate than the surrounding areas due to its altitude. The country is plateau with some mountains making it suitable for agriculture and less prone to tropical disease. Climate is mainly tropical generally rainy with 2 dry seasons in December to February and June to August. It is semi arid in the northern and north eastern regions.

3. RAINFALL AND TEMPERATURES Uganda enjoys ideal equatorial weather conditions, ranging from the warmth of the lowland areas and lakeshores to the coolness of the highlands. The altitude of Uganda varies from 1,000 meters to 2,400 meters above sea level. The days are pleasant 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit and nights are a moderate 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit with January being the warmest month. At higher altitudes it can be cooler, especially at Bwindi. The long rainy season is between March and May and the short rains are from October to November, but it can rain at any time of the year. Despite the high temperatures and rainfall, due to altitude, the humidity is low, making for one of the most pleasant and comfortable climates in the world.

4. FORESTS AND RANGES: The country is blessed with abundant forests which include Mabira, Budongo, Bwindi, Mpanga forest reserves. In 1990, Uganda had over 5 million hectares of forest cover but by 1995 only 3.5 million hectares (8.6 million acres) remained based on a report by Uganda National Environment Authority (NEMA). This is mainly due to expanding farmlands, rapid growing population and increased urbanization. WATER RESOURCES: The water surface coverage area of Uganda is 36,330 km 2 as stated above and this is mainly due to lakes and rivers. The main lakes include Victoria, Kyoga, Albert, George and Lake George. The main rivers include the Nile, Kagera, Katonga, and Semiliki to mention but a few.

6. The country mainly relies on rainfall as the main source of water for crops although as of now plans are underway to rely on irrigation ad an alternative since the rainfall has become very unreliable with prolonged dry seasons. This has resulted in to reduction in the food production. Rainfall ranges between 500mm to 2500 mm and the relative humidity is 70% -100%The rainfall regime allows two planting and harvesting seasons a year in most parts of the country, without the use of irrigation.

7. IRRIGATION: The saying that Sahara Desert is expanding southwards; deforestation is mainly causing desertification, other factors include : over grazing, bush burning and soil erosion. As a way of ensuring food security in the country, plans are underway to rely on irrigation as an alternative way of producing food in the dry regions. This is to be done in 2 stages: First with areas near the permanent water source (A) and then the areas far from permanent water resources (B). Presently, the total area under formal irrigation in Uganda is 14,418 hectares (35,612 acres) out of an estimated 560,000 hectares with irrigation potential. The plan is to increase the utilisation of category A land from 5% to 10% by 2015, to 25% by 2020 and to 70% by 2035. One of the reasons for the low levels of irrigation in Uganda has been the reliance on rain-fed agriculture, which has become less reliable with the fluctuations in weather.

8. The main problems involved in the process is the high cost of establishment and running the irrigation process. Crops grown in dry areas: Many crops are grown in the dry areas of Uganda which include: sorghum, millet, maize, wheat and barley are commonly grown in the north eastern parts of the country. Crop rotation can also be done in semi arid areas of Uganda as a way of maintaining soil fertility and control soil erosion. Examples of irrigation schemes in Uganda: 1: Kibimba irrigation scheme: it mainly grows rice.