By KT Reporter
A multi-billion-shilling irrigation project established to boost vegetable farming in Omoro District has been left idle after most beneficiaries abandoned it just five years after its launch. The Opwoch Small-Scale Irrigation System, located on more than 20 acres of land in Jaka Parish, Lalogi Sub-county, was set up in 2018 under the Ministry of Water and Environment to support farmers in vegetable production.
However, of the over 50 farmers originally registered under the Opwoch Farmers Group, only seven still use the facility — and mainly for crops such as soybeans, maize, and cassava, which were not part of the original plan. The irrigation project was intended to promote the cultivation of vegetables like onions, cabbages, watermelons, tomatoes, and green pepper to improve nutrition and incomes among local farmers. The land for the project was donated by the Opwoch community.
However, the project was abandoned in 2023 following allegations of mismanagement and neglect. David Apire, Chairperson of Opwoch Village and the Opwoch Farmers Irrigation Group, said farmers withdrew from the project due to poor management and equipment failure.
“The irrigation was established under the Ministry of Water and Environment, but the technical staff recruited to maintain the system failed. All the connected systems got disconnected,” Apire told URN. He added that vital equipment, including solar panels and drip lines, were disconnected and never restored.
“Other staff complained of two to three years of unpaid wages and eventually abandoned the site, leaving it without protection,” he said. Agronomist George Obong, who worked at the site, said operations stalled because the ministry stopped providing funding.
“The ministry was supposed to support our work financially. Without funds, we cannot replace broken equipment because we can’t pull money from our pockets to buy such materials,” Obong told URN. Obong added that although a team from the ministry visited the site last month, it did not discuss the project’s revival.
Farmer Samuel Otim said the group was initially assured of a ready market for their produce but ended up making losses due to poor management and lack of buyers. “We welcomed the project with hopes of improving our livelihoods, but poor management and lack of markets frustrated our efforts,” Otim said.
Farmer Susan Awor, who previously cultivated watermelons and tomatoes on two acres, said that in the early years, buyers came from Gulu City, Oyam Town Council, and Kole District. “Some farmers were earning between UGX 100,000 and UGX 180,000 a day from watermelon, tomatoes, and onions. But by 2023, no one was benefiting because of poor management and broken equipment. The irrigation system no longer pumps water, and the site is now overgrown with bushes,” Awor said.
Despite the system’s collapse, a few remaining farmers are cultivating non-irrigation crops such as soybeans, maize, and cassava. Farmer Ivan Opio said he switched to growing soybeans and maize after the irrigation system broke down.
“When the drip system stopped supplying water, I switched from vegetables to soybeans and maize. I’m now among the seven farmers still using the land,” Opio said. Omoro District Secretary for Production, Marketing, and Mineral Resources, Gifty Oroma, said the district has no authority over the project because it was never officially handed over by the ministry.
“We were not authorized to manage the irrigation system. The Ministry of Water and Environment never launched or handed it over to the district. Without a handover, we cannot provide support,” Oroma said. When contacted, Brenda Akao, Information Officer at the Ministry of Water and Environment, said her office was unaware of the situation.
“I need to confirm the situation from the site as soon as possible,” she said. The Ministry of Water and Environment established several small-scale irrigation schemes across northern Uganda — including in Omoro, Oyam, and Pader districts — between 2014 and 2018 to promote post-war agricultural recovery following the end of the Lord’s Resistance Army insurgency.
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