Posted on September, 13, 2021 at 12:17 am
Farmers from across West Nile attending the Daily Monitor Farm Clinic at National Agricultural Research Organisation Abi-Zardi Agriculture Institute in Arua have been told to use their fragmented land to earn money to improve their livelihood.
This comes amidst increasing land fragmentation that has limited farmers from carrying out mechanised agriculture and increasing acreage for commercial purpose.
Speaking during the farm Clinic on September 11, NARO Deputy Director, Dr Saddik Kassim said: "Use the available technology to earn more money even from your small units of land. Our business is to create resilience to climate change and crops that can grow in all seasons."
He said there was need for farmers across the West Nile region to harness money from such a training to move away from rudimentary farming methods.
Due to the Covid-19 effects, few farmers have been invited for the virtual event sponsored by NSSF, Bank of Uganda, Stanbic Bank, NARO and Nation Media Group
The Monitor Publications Limited Head of Marketing, Ms Elizabeth Namaganda, said the farm clinic has offered opportunities for farmers to learn and implement the skills from other farmers to improve household income.
"We cannot have many farmers here but we expect you to translate this and share information on the new technologies, agricultural financing to other farmers in order to improve livelihood," she said.
The Head of Marketing Bank of Uganda (BOU), Ms Rossette Bamwine, said: "Most farmers lack funds and machinery to improve agriculture because some financial institutions fear funding agriculture because of the risks. And so we are interested to seeing that farmers in West Nile go for mechanised agriculture."
Ms Bamwine said they would ensure affordable financing through the government of Uganda.
"Plant for food security and for sale through mechanisation. We give out tractors on affordable lease so that we process our own process and not always export the raw materials," she said.
One of the farmers who is attending the Farm Clinic, Sr Harriet Odokibo, said: "This is the best learning opportunity for me because right now am able to learn and get Irish potatoe seedlings which I will be able to share with my fellow Nuns at the convent. We will grow this both for subsistence and commercial."
"We can give you loans up to Shs 10 billion with loan period of up to eight years on a 12 per cent basis per annum," she added.
The West Nile region is endowed with quality honey, abundance of fish from River Nile and Albert Nile, cassava, coffee production in areas of, Ndhew Erussi in Nebbi district and Zombo district but have been limited by finance to carrying out mechanised farming.
Agriculture employs over 65 per cent of the population and is a backbone of the country's economy.
Source: Daily Monitor