Rainwater harvesting technologies: Adoption, maintenance, and limitations among smallholder farmers in drought prone areas of Uganda

Abstract

Despite the devastating effects of drought on agriculture-dependent lives and livelihoods, there is a very low level of understanding and use of available water stress management technologies such as rainwater harvesting (RWH). This study characterized RWH technologies used by smallholder farmers in drought-prone areas of Uganda to establish the limitations to their optimal use. A cross-sectional household survey involving a mixture of stratified random and purposive sampling was carried out. A total of 480 smallholder farmers utilizing RWH technologies were selected and interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, signed-rank sum test, and a logistic regression model. Results show that plastic containers, metallic drums, metallic tanks, concrete ferrocement tanks, ponds, clay pots, valley tanks, and valley dams are the most used technologies. Most RWH technologies used roof surfaces at the catchment stage with gutters and pipes conveying water into the collection facilities. The RWH technologies are largely used for domestic and production purposes. The use is mainly influenced by livelihood dependence on livestock, farmer’s age, and household size. Decisions for use of RWH systems largely (60%) depend on indigenous knowledge and experiences. Farmers perceived the low capacity of RWH systems, contamination of water sources, leaks, high cleaning intensity, seepage, and siltation as the major limitations to the utilization of RWH technologies. Therefore, innovations in knowledge, practice, and policy to enhance RWH technologies’ capacity are needed. Such efforts should integrate scientific information with locally existing RWH management systems amongst the farmers.