Agriculture update

 

The importance of agriculture ……
 
Humanity depends on agriculture for it’s very survival; not only does agriculture provide food and the essential energy, vitamins and minerals, but agriculture is also an economic activity, a source of livelihood and a provider of environmental services. With 85 percent of Uganda’s population living in rural areas and 80 percent of the total labour force dependent on agriculture as a major contributor to their livelihoods, the importance of agriculture in Uganda cannot be underestimated. The recent World Development Report ‘Agriculture for Development’ (2007) also re-asserts the view that agriculture is ‘a fundamental instrument for sustainable development and poverty reduction’. As agricultural productivity is one of the most important determinants of economic growth for developing countries, the decline in agricultural productivity in Uganda has been directly linked to rising poverty levels. Poverty levels in Uganda are said to be increasing, in 2000 34% lived on less than $1 a day, in 2003 this figure stood at 38%. The poorest and most vulnerable of this group are the ones dependent on subsistence agriculture as their main source of livelihood.
 
Soft Power Agriculture …….
 
Research conducted for Soft Power in 2007 & 2008 found that households dependent on subsistence farming are experiencing problems of food insecurity as yields are declining and food prices rising. The reasons for declining yields can be attributed to a range of factors. Growing population pressures on natural resources and traditional farming methods mean that soils are becoming overused and exhausted. Deforestation, soil erosion, drought and unpredictable rainfall are further compounding such problems.
 
As a result of these findings Soft Power has decided to work with their partner schools and their wider communities to disseminate information about sustainable organic farming techniques as a way to improve soil fertility, water availability and increase yields in order to guarantee food security and generate income.
 
Update: October 2008 ……
 
I came out to work with Soft Power on 14th Sept, so I have been here 8 weeks now. They have been a very busy 8 weeks of trying to adjust to a different, but very pleasant way of life as well as trying to figure out a plan for the next 12 months. Currently my role in Soft Power is coordinating, implementing and reviewing their community agriculture projects. This also involves working with the agriculture tutors at the Amagezi Education Centre to look at ways we can develop and maintain school gardens at all of Soft Power’s 22 partner schools. At the moment the content and structure are under review, but by end of 2008 we will have reviewed, researched, and designed a program ready to be implemented for the new term in 2009!
 
In addition to working with our partner schools and giving knowledge to empower our students, we are also working with community groups to disseminate information and training that will empower and enable them to provide food and generate income from their land to support their livelihoods.
 In Kyabirwa, Soft Power has been using a piece of land to train local community members in sustainable, organic farming techniques. The aim was to set up a demonstration garden for the Education Centre that could train community members and also feed the students when they come to the centre. Great ideas in principle – but so far monkeys and grazing animals are the only ones who have benefited! But with a few dedicated community members and some volunteers we are trying to get the garden back up and running. We meet in the garden once a week on a Tuesday morning, before it gets too hot and we dig, plant and carry out general garden maintenance. This time we are avoiding planting the monkeys’ favourites as well as planting some chilli’s, onions and peppers to put them off our crops. At the moment progress is slow, we have just planted maize, beans & cassava, but our long term goal is to develop the garden, train more members and feed the students who attend the education centre.
 
In May 2008 I was involved with the ‘Enhanced School Gardens’ pilot project as I was undertaking research for my university thesis and volunteering with Soft Power. Since then I have been home, finished my thesis and am now back working on the project. The project aim was to train a group of 15 farmers on the school gardens and then support them in implementing the sustainable methods at their home gardens. Both the school gardens that were worked on are now growing a range of crops, for example, maize, sweet potatoes, beans and tomatoes to feed their students. We are now working closely with Chris Kulabako of St Isaac’s Training Centre who is a local agriculture expert, to complete follow up monitoring and evaluation to see how we can continue providing support to farmers. Not all of the original members are still active or have implemented the methods, but we have 2 very keen groups that want to improve, learn more and further develop their skills. Providing on going support and training to these community members in crop management, basic water harvesting, animal husbandry and agro-forestry are areas we are currently looking into.
 
The sustainable methods and integrated approach that we are promoting involve a lot more labour and effort that traditional farming methods. Although the benefits are numerous, one of the problems we face is trying to mobilize people to change their behaviour. Not an easy task, but with time it’s something that we can definitely achieve!