Water Harvesting

Water harvesting isn’t just about collecting rain; it’s about survival, planning, and thriving in the face of uncertainty. At Ibanda, we use every rain season as a chance to prepare for the next drought. We believe that access to clean, reliable water is key to:

• Ensuring year-round food production, even when rainfall is low

• Providing safe drinking water for poultry, goats, and dairy cows

• Maintaining hygienic animal shelters and milking stations

• Reducing erosion, flooding, and nutrient leaching from our soils

• Contributing to climate-smart agriculture and sustainability goals

Without water harvesting, farms like ours would rely heavily on inconsistent public supply, boreholes, or expensive trucking services — all of which limit productivity and increase risk. Water harvesting gives us control, independence, and reliability.

How We Harvest Water: Methods That Work

We use a blend of simple, cost-effective, and scalable techniques suited to our farm layout and community:

1. Rooftop Rainwater Collection

All our livestock shelters, poultry houses, and store buildings are equipped with strong roof gutters and downpipes that direct rainwater into large collection tanks. This clean water is filtered for use in:

• Animal drinking troughs

• Cleaning dairy utensils and poultry equipment

• Occasional irrigation for high-value crops like vegetables or nursery plants

2. Surface Runoff Management

We shape our landscape to capture every drop of rain that hits the ground:

• On sloped areas, we dig trenches and swales to channel water gently toward underground recharge pits

• We’ve created water pans and mini-dams that store runoff for use during dry periods

• We line some ponds with clay to reduce seepage and retain water longer

3. Storage Systems

We use a mix of above-ground plastic tanks, buried ferrocement tanks, and small reservoirs depending on the area and purpose. Some are gravity-fed, while others use hand pumps or solar-powered water movers.

4. Soil Moisture Conservation

Water harvesting at Ibanda goes beyond storage — we integrate it into how we grow:

• We use deep mulching, compost, and cover crops to retain moisture

• Beds are raised and shaped to minimize runoff and maximize absorption

• Intercropping helps shade the soil and reduce evaporation loss

 Integrating Water Into Our Whole System

Our water harvesting systems are carefully woven into every project at the farm:

• In poultry units, gutter water helps clean cages and refill tanks

• Goat shelters direct water into tanks used for cleaning and feeding

• In our dairy unit, we use harvested rainwater to maintain hygiene

• In matooke and maize gardens, stored water is used for critical-stage irrigation

• Even compost pits benefit from occasional watering to speed up decomposition

Every part of Ibanda Farm is designed with water flow, reuse, and conservation in mind.

Training & Community Sharing

As part of our wider mission, we’ve begun training other farmers in Namulesa and surrounding areas to adopt simple water harvesting techniques. These include:

• Installing gutters on iron-sheet roofs

• Digging household-sized water pans

• Using water jars and drums to store rain for backyard gardens

• Teaching school children the importance of rainwater conservation

We believe that small-scale water harvesting can dramatically boost household food security and income, even with limited land or resources.

Future Plans

We’re working to scale and innovate, with goals that include:

• 🟢 Installing solar-powered irrigation pumps for fruit orchards

• 🟢 Expanding our rainwater tank network across new buildings

• 🟢 Developing a demonstration center for local farmers to learn water harvesting hands-on

• 🟢 Piloting a “Water for Schools” campaign that equips local schools with gutters and tanks

• 🟢 Using IoT sensors to track water levels, flow rates, and usage patterns for better efficiency

 A Model for Sustainable Agriculture

Water harvesting at Ibanda is more than a technique — it’s a philosophy. It’s about respecting the land, preparing for the future, and making sure every resource is used wisely. By showing what’s possible through practical, affordable methods, we hope to inspire others in the Busoga region and beyond to take action — one drop at a time.