Mulching is a suitable agricultural practice in Uganda as a way to mitigate soil erosion and enhance fertility of the soil and acts as water absorption that plants require.
The Serere District Lands Officer, Joseph Odongo, said in a phone interview on Monday, November 12, 2024, that there is a need for farmers to apply mulching in their farms as a way to effectively protect soil particles from erosion that is normally caused by wind and rain.
Odongo added that the practice of mulching is so helpful, especially during dry spells, because covering the soil helps retain moisture, reducing evaporation rates, soil fertility, and nutrient retention, and layers of mulch cover weed growth, which normally competes with crops for nutrients and water-stressing plant yields.
“In my gardens I cover soil with leaves and organic material such as animal wastes in order to preserve moisture, improving the fertility of the soil, and for sure I do a lot of soil nutrients preservation,” he said.
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The Malera Kabarwa Seed Secondary School headteacher, Peter Opolot, said that there are lots of dried leaves and good preservation of moisture in the soil, which adds soil fertility, controls weeds, minimizes soil erosion, and improves yields in his banana plantation.
“My banana garden nowadays is evergreen in all seasons because of the retained moisture, coupled with soil nutrients and fertile soil giving me better yields,” he said.
However, inorganic mulching materials, such as the use of plastic sheeting mainly applied in commercial farming, are used to control weeds, retaining moisture, but normally do not add soil nutrients.
Since some of Uganda’s regions are mountainous, mulching effectively works with a combination of other soil conservation techniques, such as terracing, a method of carving around mountainous areas.
Agroforestry is an approach that enhances overall soil health by intentionally integrating trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits.
When farmers in Uganda adopt the practice, mulching, becomes a vital solution to farmers who are faced with challenges related to soil erosion that do disrupt farming activities, causing them to have poor yields.
