President Museveni Urges Sheema Farmers to Adopt Irrigation and Commercial Agriculture

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has challenged farmers in Sheema District to transition fully from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture by adopting modern practices such as irrigation, pasture growing, and fertilizer use.

Speaking at a thanksgiving ceremony for Minister of Internal Affairs and Sheema County South MP Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu at Bugongi Town Council Playground, the President emphasized that commercial farming is the surest way to lift households out of poverty. He traced his passion for agricultural transformation back to his school days at Mbarara High School and Ntare School, where visits to government stock farms inspired his lifelong campaign for wealth creation.

During the event, President Museveni strongly advocated for the four-acre model, a strategy introduced under the 1996 NRM manifesto. He advised families with limited land to divide their plots strategically: one acre for coffee, one for fruits, one for livestock pasture, and the fourth for food crops. Additional income can be generated through poultry, piggery, and fish farming near water sources.

To counter the challenges posed by prolonged dry seasons, the President urged farmers to utilize underground water sources for irrigation to protect crops like bananas. He also discouraged uncontrolled free-range grazing, recommending pasture growing and zero-grazing methods to maximize livestock productivity without degrading the land.

Addressing generational wealth, President Museveni advised families against fragmenting inherited land into smaller, unproductive portions. Instead, he recommended registering family property under a company and distributing shares among beneficiaries to preserve asset value.

Local leaders were tasked with reaching out to the grassroots to spread the message of wealth creation. Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa thanked the President for supporting regional industrialization and appealed for financial interventions to sustain the Igara Tea Factory.

Read more about this story on State House Uganda.