SOLAR IRRIGATION TRANSFORMS REFUGEES’ FARMING FORTUNES IN UGANDA’S WEST NILE.

By Bazio Doreen.

According to estimates by USAID's Uganda Off-Grid Energy Market Accelerator Report, farmers could increase their income by 30% through value addition and efficiency if they employed the productive use of energy (PUE). However, the adoption of PUE technologies by the agriculture sector has so far been limited, with even less uptake among refugee households. Beyond mere sustenance of livelihoods, agriculture offers refugees additional opportunities to cultivate hope and generate extra income thus contributing to the economic development of their host communities.

In 2022, Uganda launched the Sustainable Energy Response Plan for Refugees and Host Communities 2022-2025 (SERP) to enable all host and refugee communities to attain universal access to affordable, reliable, and clean energy for socio-economic transformation in an environmentally sustainable manner. Indeed, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), and various development and implementing partners have been able to create hope away from home for the refugees in fulfillment of the SERP.

Beneficiaries’ testimonies.

Since 2023, Ayuda en Accion (AeA), has been able to give out 163 solar water pumps through its partners, Tulima Solar and Sun Culture in Adjumani, Obongi, and Lamwo districts. Under Tulima Solar, the solar pumps are given out at shs 900,000/= for host communities and shs 720,000/= for refugees but with shs 70,000/= if paid in installments while Sun Culture gives them out at shs 2 million for host communities (AeA pays 50% for the farmer) and shs 1.6 million for refugees (AeA pays 60% for the farmer). The Pilot of the project was done in 2023 and now phase II which started in July 2024 is expected to end in December 2025.

According to Mr. Alumai Michael, 38, a beneficiary under Sun Culture and Chairperson of Atetapkwe Itego Youth Group in Maaji I Refugee Settlement, Ukusijioni Sub County - Adjumani District, with improved access to water, they have been able to prioritize growing tomatoes and cabbages which earns them between shs 3 and 4 million each season. The group started in 2021, and currently has 10 members, with 4 of them refugees.

“Initially, the women in the group used to fetch water from the nearby stream for us to water which made us get losses in cassava growing because it wasn’t sustainable. With the solar pump now available, we have since transitioned to vegetable growing which is more profitable and promising,” Alumai revealed.

Similarly, in Yumbe District, with support from Welthugerhilfe, an organization working in the Bidibidi Refugee settlement; Umaruku Farmer Field School has seen their fortune change. Started in 2021, the group consists of 30 members and besides farming, the group members also participate in the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA).

Mr. Yassin Ayimani, 43, the Chairperson of the group and a resident of Rakatura Village in Kululu Sub County, in Yumbe district, says, they first selected cassava production as their main enterprise but they always got losses because they mainly depended on rainwater. The choice of cassava was because it can survive in the hot sun as long as it sprouts. They have since transitioned to tomatoes and cabbages and haven’t looked back.  

"When Welthugerhilfe brought the idea of motorizing our borehole, we were very excited because they also shared the plan of supporting us with irrigation equipment if we secured an acre piece of land near the water point. The irrigation system is helping us to benefit a lot because the vegetables can be planted at any time and there is a ready market for them, unlike cassava. In the first harvest, we realized Shs 6.5 million from the sales of tomatoes and cabbages and the money has been put in our VSLA so, we have about Shs 14 million including our money for the savings,” Ayimani excitedly narrated.  

In Ma’di Okollo and Adjumani, Palm Corps, between 2019 and 2022, gave out solar pumps to 25 groups (15 – 21 members) in each district. In Ma’di Okollo, it was implemented in Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement while in Adjumani it was done in Maaji and Pagirinya Refugee Settlements.   

YK Duku, a South Sudanese Refugee at Odubu Zone, Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement, narrates that, in 2023, he supplied tomatoes to Arua Main Market. He says he used the proceeds from the sale to acquire a motorcycle.  

“When Palm Corps intervened, we were 50 who showed interest but later, others lost it. However, a few of us continued to get knowledge which has transformed our lives now. World Food Program only provides us with Posho, beans, and cooking oil which is insufficient amidst other basic needs,” Duku observed. 

Challenges.

Refugee households lack available land for farming amidst the ever dwindling food rations and support from World Food Program and other partners respectively. Moreover, Northern Uganda and West Nile are prone to drought. Many refugee households also have low, irregular, or seasonal incomes, which affects their ability to pay for off-grid solutions. On average, 60% of their monthly income is spent on food expenditures, followed by other necessities. This makes most of refugee households unable or unwilling to pay for energy products in one lump sum with service providers wary of extending credit due to the risk of consumer default.

Andama Alexander, Project Manager, Palm Corps – Adjumani District, reveals that during the time they made interventions, they realized that many refugees prefer fully funded solar water pumping kits.  At the end of the 4 year project, only 21 refugees benefitted out of 375 beneficiaries. This is not unique to them alone.

According to Laze Dennis, Sales Manager - Sun Culture, Adjumani, out of the 28 solar water pumps so far given out since July 2024, 21 were taken on credit adding that refugees only picked interest because of the subsidization based on their previous 2 years’ experience in Uganda. Previously, between January and June 2024, there were no refugees interested until AeA came in with a subsidy. However, there is still also evident competition from fuel pumps.

Similarly, according to Rodrick Okello, Sales Manager - Tulima Solar, which serves Lamwo, Obongi and Adjumani districts, only 2 refugees in Adjumani (out of 7) have taken the solar pumps since May 2024.  However, 18 have been sold in Lamwo district and 110 in Obongi District. He observes that the low uptake among refugees is because they think it should be free of charge.

 However, some of the projects were futile as they have since collapsed. Annet Lekuru, the Executive Director - Fermi Nature Uganda, Ma’di Okollo District, says some projects haven’t been sustained due to:  vandalism, poor attitude of refugees towards farming, conflict between the land lords and refugees, and lack of skills among the farmers to operate the solar pumps. Scalability has also been a challenge as some service providers and NGOs lack capital to expand to other refugee settlements, which require policy makers to intervene.

Government Effort.

Besides the SERP, government has drafted and developed the Uganda Solar Water Pumping Report (July 2019); National Irrigation Policy (November 2017); District Development Plan IIIs;  and National Road Map on Scaling Up Productive use of Solar Energy and Revised Energy Policy for Uganda (2023). Government has also further implemented programs like Development Response to Displacement Impact Project (DRDIP), Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), Irrigation Development and Climate Resilience Project (IDCRP).and The Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers Program Project for Uganda (UGiFT). These however, also have their own challenges as they aren’t any different from those of NGOs.

 Francis Abiriga, the Madi Okollo District Agricultural Officer, and also the Focal Person for the Micro Scale Irrigation project, says the program is aimed at increasing solar irrigation accessibility to the citizens but this has been conditioned by high co-funding rate which some farmers cannot afford. Abiriga says the 25% rate is too high which the government should review in order to have solar irrigation promoted among the communities. Currently, Abiriga says the usage of solar irrigation at community level stands at 1%, which is against the efforts put to conserve environment. Since government programs entirely target the citizens, Abiriga also believes that provision of tractors and subsidies to the community would increase production and peaceful co-existence between the refugees and the host community.

Enhance uptake.

To provide some sort of explanation on the low uptake from refugees, Erasto Kivumbi Muwanga, Livelihood Officer, UNHCR Sub Office, Pakele – Adjumani, observes that refugees are used to handouts from UNHCR, OPM and other partners and thus dialogue is needed for mindset change.

In agreement, David Okello, Project Manager, Ayuda En Accion, also says sensitization on the available projects should be taken to settlements instead of relying on radio talk shows alone. This he says is key because the refugees are vulnerable, and can’t afford the pumps. However, access to subsidies or co funding would be help increase uptake.

Rodrick also says subsidies will enable to increase the number of sector players/service providers from the current 5 – 6 to the ideal 25. He also says, there is a need to map out areas with high vegetable production potential. This is very important for sustainability of the projects when the partners/NGOs/government phases out.

In efforts to implement the SERP, a number of NGOs have since embraced Solar Irrigation Interventions since 2022. The different partners implementing PUSE/PUE projects in West Nile include: Mercy Corps, JICA, Welthugerhilfe, Palm Corps, Fermi Nature, Food and Agricultural Organization, Lutheran World Federation, GIZ, Self Help Africa, Action against Hunger, and Food for the Hungry.

The SERP has pillars of: Standalone solar-powered off-grid solutions; Energy-efficient appliances for grid and off-grid use; Smart financing, subsidies, and supplier incentives; Solar kiosks and solar power hubs/centres; and Solar thermal systems (e.g. for cooling or drying fruits, vegetables, and herbs).

The SERP is linked to the Final Water and Environment Sector Refugee Response Plan by contributing to the achievement of this plan’s objectives to reduce the overexploitation of resources, improve access to sustainable energy, and improve the sustainable management of water supply in refugee settlements. The SERP also overlaps with the Jobs and Livelihoods Integrated Response Plan for Refugees and Host Communities by supporting an increase in affordable on-grid and off-grid energy solutions to increase business competitiveness in refugee settlements and host communities.

In Uganda, 33% of the population is unable to meet their basic needs due to the absence of sufficient access to energy. Until recently, access to energy was not prioritized in interventions with displaced populations, as securing food and shelter was a more pressing need. However, increasing access to energy for productive use is now considered a key part of achieving long-term resilience and self-reliance within the refugee and host populations, which is one of the main pillars of Uganda’s Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF).

This story was developed and published through a story grant funding from Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC).

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