Uganda’s Smaller Budget Faces a Push for Solar-Powered Farming

Farmers in Uganda’s drought-prone regions need more reliable water, but the government is preparing a smaller budget to meet competing demands. The Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment, or ACODE, is urging officials to prioritise solar-powered irrigation and agricultural investment in the 2027/28 spending plan, according to Nile Post Uganda (direct). Its central concern is how to keep farmers producing when drought or excessive rainfall puts their livelihoods at risk.

The proposed national budget stands at 79.22 trillion Ugandan shillings, down from 84.39 trillion shillings in the current financial year. That leaves ministries and other public agencies facing tighter spending limits. ACODE wants investment in agro-industrialisation—building processing and other businesses around farm production—to remain a priority alongside measures that help agriculture withstand changing weather. It also wants the government to show whether climate-related spending delivers results, rather than simply record allocations.

Water first, then value beyond the harvest

At a Kampala press conference, ACODE Deputy Executive Director Onesmus Mugyenyi highlighted the needs of farmers in Karamoja and parts of Masaka, where drought is a particular concern. He said the organisation had sent its recommendations to the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. The submission seeks clearer instructions for public agencies on financing agricultural transformation and protection against climate shocks.

Mugyenyi called for irrigation and other support to help farmers withstand the effects of climate change.

ACODE’s solar proposal goes beyond pumping water onto fields. The organisation wants solar power used across the steps that take crops from farms to markets, including drying, processing and refrigerated storage. It has previously argued that Uganda’s solar resources could power this equipment, reduce losses after harvest and support rural incomes and food security. ACODE researcher Anthony Buyinza also stressed equipment quality, saying solar panels and related machinery must offer value for money and serve farmers over the long term.

The recommendations build on priorities the government has already set. Its 2027/28 budget strategy names agro-industrialisation alongside tourism, mineral-based industrial development, and science, technology and innovation. President Museveni has also directed the expansion of micro and small-scale irrigation, particularly systems powered by solar energy, to make farming less dependent on unreliable rain. ACODE is seeking to strengthen the climate-protection side of that existing agricultural agenda.

Making limited spending count

There is already a substantial financing commitment to irrigation in the Bunyoro subregion. In June, the African Development Bank approved a $140 million loan for a broader programme with an estimated total cost of $207 million. The programme aims to expand irrigation that can withstand climate pressures, strengthen food systems, create jobs and support agricultural industrial development. It provides a financing backdrop to ACODE’s call for greater investment in farmers’ resilience.

Mugyenyi also wants the government to track how much public money goes towards adapting to climate change and whether it achieves its goals. ACODE is calling for stronger local-government capacity to plan and carry out projects, because climate risks vary by region. The next test is how agencies turn those priorities into budget proposals within the Treasury’s spending ceilings. The first Budget Call Circular already tells them to favour production, processing, market access, jobs and household incomes; ACODE wants climate resilience firmly embedded in those choices.