Farmers seek tighter regulation of agricultural equipment

What the report says

Farmers and agricultural advocacy groups in Uganda are urging the government to tighten oversight of irrigation equipment suppliers and to offer subsidies for farming technologies, saying poor-quality products and high costs are slowing the shift to regenerative agriculture. The report, published by The Independent Uganda and sourced to URN, says the appeal was made in Kampala as farmers increasingly face droughts, erratic rainfall and other climate pressures that threaten rain-fed production.

Florence Nassuna, a policy officer with the Advocacy Coalition for Sustainable Agriculture, said substandard irrigation components can discourage farmers from investing in solar-powered systems and other climate-smart tools. She argued for a stronger regulatory framework to protect smallholders from poor-value equipment and to improve trust in these technologies. The coalition is also promoting renewable-energy options, natural pest control, biogas and solar drying to help farmers adapt and cut post-harvest losses.

Farmers piloting regenerative methods in Buwunga Sub-county, Masaka District, also said the upfront cost of tools remains too high for many rural households. They called for subsidies to make irrigation and related equipment more affordable, especially after recent droughts caused crop failures and income losses. Their view is that better access to reliable technology would help reduce dependence on rainfall and protect livelihoods.

The article notes that Uganda already has policies supporting irrigation, climate resilience and organic agriculture, including the National Irrigation Policy and the climate-smart agriculture transformation project. However, regenerative agriculture is not yet a separate national policy area.