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The Sun That Feeds Toroma: Inside Agule’s Solar-Powered Farming Revolution
In the vast landscapes of Katakwi district, a quiet transformation is taking place in Toroma County.
Constructed by Nexus Green on behalf of the Ministry of Water and Environment, the solar-powered irrigation scheme continues to redefine the life choices in the far village of Agule.
Backed by funds from the United Kingdom Export Finance and the Government of Uganda, the €218,661 project has already started paying dividends despite being in its second year.
Amoriot Florence, a model farmer and businesswoman recalled the time when news of the project first came into the area and how she “jumped at the opportunity” to offer up her land on which the scheme site was installed.
“I am now a serious commercial farmer and all this is through the able hands of our dear leader, His Excellency the President Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. We no longer depend on seasons and we can now plant crops without worrying about pests and diseases,” she said before adding, “It is Museveni that brought peace here and it is through peace that all this is possible.”
Now in their forth planting season, the farmers in Toroma plant fast yielding crops like tomatoes, green papers, onions, Sukuma wiki that offer consistent cash inflow, moving from the previously cultivated perennial crops.
“The farmers have quickly learnt and are now putting into practice what agronomists from the Ministry have taught us. In the past, we could get like 1 bag of sorghum but now, we can get 3-5 bags. I remember in season one of 2025 when we collectively earned Ugshs25 million,” Stephen Walinga, the farmers’ management committee chairperson recalled.
Arched by the curling Lake Bisina, the irrigation scheme employs sprinklers-a modern form of irrigation, which offers a steady and well-dispersed supply of water throughout the year.
A Shift in practice
Covering over 10 acres, the life-saving farmlands of Agule now sit on where it was once a drinking joint for revellers.
“Initially, we were involved in traditional farming methods while following the rainy and dry seasons. We used to suffer from serious drought before peacefully demonstrating to our local leaders at the district who took the issue to Parliament,” Walinga said.
He further expressed appreciation to the Ministry for establishing such installations saying, “we are thankful for our dear president Museveni who listened to us and gave us this project. It has helped us to think bigger because we are now taking our children to school and becoming better people.”
A total of 48 farmers have since been trained in modern agronomic practices by sociologists from the Ministry and Nexus Green, a move that has fueled the remarkable revival in the short period of time.
Eng. Yusuf Mutebi, the project engineer at the scheme insisted that the available 36 solar panels are sufficient to serve the communities’ agricultural and sanitation needs.
“We have an irrigation schedule that ensures that farmers efficiently utilize the water which is stored in the four available 10,000 litre tanks,” Mutebi said.
Push for better lives
Since the construction of the solar powered irrigation scheme, the once dry lands of Agule are now feeding the community.
With the official commissioning of the project in March 2024 by the Vice president, Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo, the scheme has so far facilitated four fruitful planting seasons.
Abutu David Martin, the irrigation support staff, highlighted the economic progress in the time, saying, “We have always encouraged farmers to come together and work in groups. They have surely benefitted from this scheme as seen from the increasing numbers every season.”
This tale is further echoed by Eilor Albert a farmer and LCI chairperson in the area who said, “this project has helped us to get out of persistent hunger that hard long existed in Agule. As a community, we can now manage to take our children to school and reduce the drop out rate.”
