Sustainable Agriculture Production in Yumbe, Uganda

Challenge:

Situated in Northern Uganda the Yumbe district has experienced the longest period of political turmoil in the country, dating back to 1979. As a result, Yumbe communities face many challenges. Public services are under-financed resulting in dilapidated road networks and insufficient water and sanitation facilities. Fifty percent of women and 75% of men are illiterate. While rural farmers make up ninety-four percent of the population, government expenditure focuses on health and education instead of agriculture.

Action:

gorta has worked with Odokibo Agricultural Training Centre (OATC) over the past five years in order to reach out to a number of Women’s Farmers Groups in the surrounding areas. gorta works with OATC to build its capacity to reach out to more beneficiaries. Part of achieving gorta’s goal involves establishing OATC as a centre able to multiply and market locally relevant agro-technologies. Specifically, this project will create demonstration sites for trials on improved crops, establish plots to grow successfully tried varieties and set up a unit for multiplying high yielding livestock breeds. Group members will also receive training in organic pesticide making from locally available materials.

Benefits:

By the end of the project, OATC will be recognized as a centre able to deliver quality services. It will have also created ever stronger and beneficial links to surrounding farmers including members of five local Community Based Organisations supported by gorta. One of these groups, the Yiba group, is involved in producing crops such as maize, ground-nuts and onions. They also utilize ox-ploughs to open up more land for cultivation. The training in organic pesticide making will help members avoid expensive purchases of other pesticides. In general, the project will aim to improve agricultural production.

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