Farmers sustainably grow vegetables and fruits while protecting wetlands

Wetlands are areas of land where water covers the soil, either seasonally or permanently. They include swamps, and have unique systems of groundwater movement, waterlogged soils, and vegetation that is well-adapted to water. Wetlands provide important ecological services such as controlling floods, purifying water, and providing habitat and support for many plant and animal species. Thus, they play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and contributing to the overall health of the surrounding ecosystems.

However, due to the high population pressure on wetlands, it’s critical to protect them.

This script tells the stories of some Ugandan small-scale farmers who used to grow their vegetables and fruits along wetland systems until they realized that their actions were degrading these areas. We learn about their experiences and their efforts to conserve wetland ecosystems, and how conserving wetland systems can help them successfully grow fruits and vegetables. In addition, an environment expert gives us the facts about the functions of wetland systems, how it is important to preserve natural ecosystems, and how that can lead to sustainable use of our wetland systems.

Our first interviewee is a dedicated farmer who not only grows fresh vegetables and fruits along the wetland system flowing through his land but also takes extraordinary measures to sustainably use and protect the wetlands on his farm. He will introduce himself, and then give us a summary of what he does.

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Hello, welcome.

Thank you. My name is Christopher Nsamba, I live in Buso village, Busukuma sub-county, Kabumba parish, Wakiso District. I have been a farmer from a young age. I grow different types of vegetables and fruits.

Mr. Nsamba, you are known for an approach to farming that prioritizes both farming and environmental conservation. Can you tell our listeners a bit about what led you to embrace this approach?

At first, I grew vegetables and fruits like guavas, Cape gooseberries, strawberries, mulberries, and sweet bananas along the wetland and sometimes across the wetland system, a practice I carried on for many years. Part of my land is covered with a wetland. Of course, the wetland contains water and my vegetables required the water. But I changed after some years from this routine and shifted to farming in the higher areas of my land.

We’ll be back to ask you what made you shift from the wetland to the dryland. We have another vegetable farmer here with us. We are glad to have you too speak in this program.

Can you also introduce yourself to the listeners?

Okay, my name is George Mpaata, I am a farmer. I grow vegetables like cabbages, tomatoes, and onions. I also have fruits like passion fruits, watermelon, oranges, and others. But mainly, I grow food crops like maize, beans, and soy bean. I am from Izanhiiro, in Kamuli district.

George, you used to grow your crops in the wetland but you stopped. Why did you choose to stop this practice?

Wetlands contain water but also soil nutrients that are typically eroded from upper areas of land. So, we use climate-smart agriculture practices to prevent the nutrients from being eroded to the wetlands since we cannot farm within the buffer zones of the wetland system. This is because, when you continuously farm in a wetland, you negatively affect the natural ecological functions of these areas. But the wetland can still support our farming activities by providing water for irrigation, preventing flooding, and maintaining the health of the ecosystem.

Could you share some of the specific techniques and practices you have implemented to achieve this harmony between farming and the sustainable use of land?

I use climate-smart agriculture techniques which I always encourage other farmers to apply. These include permanent planting basins, contour bunds, and strip lines. For the planting basins, you dig planting holes which you can use to plant your maize, beans, and/or soybean.

How long can one use the planting basins?

We use these planting basins for three years and in the fourth year we dig again. We do crop rotation each season in the basins; when we plant beans in the basins in one season, next season we plant in groundnuts or peas. This is aimed at keeping the soil healthy for sustainable use. There is no need of digging holes for each planting season so this helps us to ensure that the soil is minimally disturbed. We dig terraces along the contour lines in sloping fields to slow down the speed of running water and prevent topsoil from eroding during rainy seasons. We normally dig a terrace on the upper part of the slope, which we refer to as Fanya Juu. This captures the runoff water when it rains. Then we dig another terrace across the lower slope which we call Fanya Chini. This captures runoff water down the slope.

Rip lines are another method of digging a planting line in which you put your seeds. Rip lines are made using rippers, which are actually a type of hoe which we attach to either a tractor or oxen. Rip lines make deep planting holes, but don’t disturb the soil around the lines like regular ploughing does. All these farming techniques are important for conserving the land for sustainable use, and preventing soil and water from eroding or flowing to wetlands and degrading them.

As you have heard, listeners, farmers are choosing to stop growing crops along the wetland systems and instead focus on growing on higher land. I would like to return to you, Christopher Nsamba. Could you share what you have done to cause the change in the wetlands and the specific techniques and practices you use to ensure the sustainable use of the wetland flowing through your farm?

At first, I grew cabbages and tomatoes in along the wetland where I could get harvests almost throughout the year! I thought that wetlands were the best to grow food since they have water that the vegetables need. But, after some time, I realized that sometimes the water would dry up and the vegetables could not perform well. At other times, the gardens were so waterlogged during heavy rain seasons that the tomatoes and cabbages would rot in the garden.

What did you do to prevent that?

After attending much training from agriculture experts and researchers, we started growing our vegetables and fruits at the edge of the wetland system. leaving the buffer zone as required by government policy. By doing this, we allowed the wetland systems to perform their ecological function of holding water. We set up a tank where we store some water after drawing it from the wetlands. This is what we use to irrigate our vegetables and fruits, especially during the dry seasons. Out of my 30 acres of land, I decided to save about six acres of a natural forest which is surrounded by wetlands and streams. This is where water for irrigating the vegetable and fruit gardens is tapped.

Let us hear again from Mr. Mpaata. How do you ensure the sustainable use of land without degrading wetlands?

To ensure the sustainable use of land, I apply locally- made fertilizer referred to as biochar. Biochar is a light black substance made out of plant remains such as plant residues such as plant stalks, and food peels. It is rich in carbon and helps us to increase soil fertility and yields, retain water better in the soil, and have better drainage instead of getting waterlogged soil. It also reduces soil acidity and increases plant resistance to disease.

How do you make biochar?

You dig a hole about three feet wide, and not too deep. Near the surface, it’s about three feet wide, but narrows to two feet wide at the bottom. Put residues like food peels and crop residues in the hole, along with Lantana camara, which we locally call kapanga. Half-fill the hole with these residues and light them on fire, leaving it to burn as you turn the soil over and over within the hole. Make sure you don’t burn them to ashes, or they lose their value. You can remove this burnt material, put it aside, and put more materials in the hole, light it again and do the same until you finish making all the biochar you want. After burning all the residues, we pound it together to make it a bit soft. Then we put it in the planting basins or in the rip lines where we are going to plant the seed. You don’t put the biochar everywhere in the garden—only in the holes where you are going to plant. After adding the biochar, you add a bit of light soil, then plant the seeds.

What else do you do to maintain soil health?

We use natural alternatives like covering the garden with maize stalks between the lines, for example, a maize garden. We avoid tilling the land to avoid disturbing the soil and maintain soil moisture. Also, when you cover your garden with crop residues, you reduce the number of weeds in your garden, and you can just hand-pull them. We also do crop rotation to maintain soil health. For example, you can grow beans on one side of your land, then plant vegetables or maize there next season, or leave it to rest for a whole season.

We also dig contour lines across sloping lands to prevent erosion like I said earlier. We double-dig small gardens on our land for growing high-value vegetables like carrots, amaranths, cabbage, and others. So first, we dig a hole and make a pile of the hard pieces of soil on the surface. After about three days, we break the hard pieces of soil into soft soil. After softening the soil, we make lines, put biochar or fertilizer in the planting holes, then plant seeds or seedlings. These high-value crops are prepared for continuous harvesting. You can plant the vegetable seeds in the lines or transplant seedlings like cabbages, carrots, and tomatoes from nursery beds.

For these small gardens, you could plant in one small area, then after a month harvest your vegetables and plant in another block or two. These blocks of gardens have soft soil and we can transplant seedlings from other seed beds into them. We also add fertilizers like biochar. They get high yields even though they are small. They are not too hard to prepare although that requires some time. We normally prepare small blocks but you can make them bigger. We don’t generally need to weed since very few weeds grow in the gardens, and we can weed them by hand.

Additionally, we have set aside buffer areas around our wetlands and planted some natural trees and grass to prevent runoff from entering the wetlands to protect the water quality and wildlife habitat. Plus, we practice wetland-friendly irrigation techniques like using a simple watering can and not drawing too much water from the wetlands. In the rainy season, there is no need to irrigate. This helps to minimize water usage.

Well, listener, we are exploring a very special topic: how farmers can sustainably grow vegetables and fruits while protecting wetland systems. At this point, we are joined by an expert in sustainable agriculture and wetland conservation. Welcome.

Thank you, my name is Esau Mpoza. Currently, I am the district environment officer for Wakiso. It’s a pleasure to be here.

We are grateful to have you. Let us straight away dive in. Why is it important to consider wetland restoration and conservation when growing fruits and vegetables?

Maintaining natural ecosystems, native vegetation, and wetlands is crucial because they provide a range of essential ecological, social, and economic benefits or services. But they are very fragile areas. They act as natural water filters, providing clean water. They help prevent flooding, and they provide habitat for a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. When we are mindful of these ecosystems, we can farm without harming wetlands and can continuously benefit from their presence. They also provide medicinal plants, papyrus for crafts, and grazing land.

Many farmers tend to grow vegetables and other crops in wetland systems where they find healthy soils and water that can support their crops. But they have challenges. One of our guest farmers said his vegetables would rot. Can you explain what this is?

Poor drainage in wetlands often leads to waterlogged soil. Excess water restricts the supply of oxygen to plant roots, which can impair their ability to take up essential nutrients. This lack of oxygen and nutrients can lead to poor plant growth, yellowing of leaves, which we call chlorosis, and overall reduced health.

How can farmers start incorporating sustainable farming practices into growing fruits and vegetables while preserving wetlands?

First of all, they need training on the best practices required to maintain wetlands while growing their crops. They need the skills from the technical people like district environment officers, agricultural extension staff, and from the National Environment Management Authority.

What practices can farmers use to preserve wetlands and give good yields?

Farmers who are carrying out their farming activities do what we call wetland edge farming. A wetland edge or buffer zone is that transitional zone between the dry land and the wetland. It is that area where the vegetation starts to change from wetland or aquatic vegetation to dry land vegetation. This is where we encourage the farmers to grow high-value crops that are mainly horticultural crops, and in this case are vegetables. For fruits, there are types we can not allow farmers to grow at the wetland edge, like oranges. Oranges won’t survive in such moist environments, but green vegetables will do very well. For fruit trees, we encourage farmers to grow them in uplands or dry land while water for irrigating them can be taken from the wetlands. But we cannot allow farming activities within the core zone of the wetlands because we need to minimize disturbances and protect wetland habitats that are home to aquatic plants and animals.

Another practice that works but preserves wetlands is beekeeping in swampy wetlands. Bees don’t harm the ecological balance of the wetland. If there is a forest in the wetlands, community members can mount bee hives on the trees. But if it is a papyrus wetland, you cannot do beekeeping there. So it depends on the nature of the wetland. So, the communities need to consult the technical teams in their district to be guided well.

Also, irrigation is a very good practice, but farmers have to be guided by technical people on where water storage tanks should be situated and how best to take the water from the wetlands without affecting the natural functioning of the wetlands.

For instance, in Wakiso, the majority of farmers engage in horticultural farming. Most of them use pipes to collect water from the wetlands. The water is then stored in reservoirs which are actually tanks. This helps them to have consistent availability of water for irrigation. These storage systems help regulate water distribution and maintain a steady supply for agricultural needs. Once stored, the water is distributed through a network of pipes to the fields that need irrigation. It is directed to the land that needs irrigation either by gravity, by pumps, or by a combination of both.

 

But commercial-scale flower farming is also happening and basically, they are using water from the wetlands. They must apply to the Directory of Water Development for Water Abstraction Permits which stipulate how much water they can use to ensure that they don’t over drain and negatively affect the wetlands.

 

Natural ecosystems like wetlands are home to a wide range of plants and animals, including many endangered species. So, maintaining natural ecosystems helps to preserve the biodiversity and genetic diversity of the planet, which is essential for sustainable livelihoods. Converting wetlands into agricultural land can have negative environmental impacts. Farmers must leave buffer zones near wetlands and swamps untouched; these areas act as natural barriers. Wetlands act as natural water regulators by absorbing excess water during heavy rainfall and releasing it gradually, helping to prevent flooding. They also help recharge groundwater, maintaining a stable and consistent water supply for irrigation.

Healthy wetlands support a wide range of plant and animal species, including insects that can serve as natural predators for agricultural pests. By preserving wetlands, farmers can promote a balanced ecosystem where beneficial insects help control harmful pests, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.

And there you have it! Growing vegetables and fruits while sustaining wetlands is not only possible, but also essential for a healthy planet. We hope you have been inspired to cultivate your own garden with these sustainable practices in mind.

Thank you so much to all our guests for sharing your valuable insights today, and it has been a pleasure having you. In the program, we have had Christopher Nsamba, a vegetable and fruit farmer from Buso Namulonge, George Mpaata, another farmer from Izanhiro-Kamuli, and Esau Mpoza, the environment officer in Wakiso and an expert in sustainable farming and wetland preservation. They have been discussing how farmers can sustainably grow vegetables and fruits while protecting wetlands and swamps.

I hope you have learnt a lot from the program and can also try the same practices. And with that, we have come to the end of the program.

My name is _. Goodbye until next week.

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