By Umar Nsubuga
For most people, the word farming conjures up an image of a big chunk of land under cultivation or animal rearing. But for Joseph Bukenya of Manyangwa village near Gayaza in Wakiso, banana growing just needs enough water and organic fertilisers.
Bukenya practises intensive farming on a tiny pieces of land where he lives with his family.
“I started farming five ago. “Before I started farming, I visited Mbarara to learn farming techniques, but I was shocked to find that our soil is better than theirs. The problem was about the quantity of water in our soils”, Bukenya says.
“I planted the bananas near my home and irrigated them continuously. With irrigation, I realised that the leaves were growing faster than they used to in the dry season”.
His half acre plantation holds over 100 plants. Bukenya incurs little expenses, but gets high-quality output. “The crop is supposed to be planted in a 6×6 feet hole. The hole should be able to hold natural fertilisers like bird droppings and cow dung. Mulching is also necessary”, Bukenya says.
Dr Hamza Kintu an agriculturist agrees with Bukenya on banana growing; “It is indeed true that bananas are water-loving plants”.
Kintu says apart from water, nitrogen and potassium are also needed for good banana yields. Ash is also needed for good banana yields. That is why when you put ash around the plants, the yields shoot up”, Kintu adds.
However, Isaac Malinga another famous farmer in Kapchorwa says it is the type of soil, which determines the amount of water needed.
“There is a big difference between loam, clay and sandy soils”, Malinga says.
Bukenya sells a big bunch of matooke for sh25,000-sh30,000. he urges the government to help farmers with low water capacity in the soils by introducing irrigation schemes.
