Effects of Rainwater Harvesting Technologies on Sustainable agricultural Production in Ntutsi and Mijwala Sub-counties, Sembabule District

Abstract

Despite the benefits of rainwater harvesting technologies on enhancing sustainable agricultural production, farmer still face the number of huddles in implementing such technologies like lack of knowledge, limited space, and limited capital and among others. Rain water harvesting technologies were thought of to sustain agricultural production but its relevance among farmers remains un-documented. The study was about the effects of rainwater harvesting technologies on sustainable agricultural production in Ntutsi and Mijwala Sub-counties, Sembabule District. The specific objectives were to; ascertain the methods of rain water harvesting use for sustainable agricultural production, identify the benefits of rain water harvesting technologies on agricultural production, identify the factors influencing the adoption of rain water harvesting technologies and investigate the challenges faced in implementing water harvesting technologies. The study adopted a cross sectional survey design. Data was collected from 248 farmers. Data management and analysis was done using SPSS version 20 to generate both descriptive and regression statistics. The study identified different rain water harvesting methods use for sustainable agricultural production such as; ridges/tied ridges/furrows, water pans/ponds, sand dams and sub-surface dams as well as rooftop catchments. The study also discovered that technologies like ridges/tied ridges/furrows (x² = 8.305, p=0.005), road runoff water harvesting (x² = 6.048, p=0.001), and a combination of practices (x² = 4.120, p=0.042) had a significant influence on agricultural production. The study also confirmed that gender [AOR = 2.569; (95% CI: 1.239 - 5.327); p = 0.011], level of education [AOR = 1.441; (95% CI: 0.656 - 3.164); p = 0.003], and farm size [AOR = 2.060; (95% CI: 1.021 - 4.154, p = 0.044] were the significant factors influencing the adoption of rain water harvesting technology for sustainable agriculture production in the area.

The study further confirmed that unavailability of labour [AOR = 0.978; (95% CI: 0.169 - 54.570, p = 0.001), lack of knowledge on water harvesting [AOR = 0.333; (95% CI: 0.104 - 34.088, p = 0.005], were some of the challenges faced in the implementation of rain water harvesting technologies. It therefore recommends that farmers be linked to financial institutions since they do not have the capital to invest in RWHTs. This will enable farmers to adopt not only one but many RWHTs.