Farmers flock to Kabanyolo for Farm Clinic

Farmers listen as agronomists explain best practices of grafting passion fruits during the Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic last year. Photo by Alex Esagla.

What you need to know:

The benefits from the 10th Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic at Bulindi ZARDI in Hoima District to hundreds of farmers that attended are yet to fade away. The 11th edition commences this morning at Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute, Kabanyolo (MUARIK), Gayaza. The stakes are higher this time round and so are the farmers and facilitators’ expectations writes, Denis Bbosa.

The 11th edition of the Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic today at Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyolo (MUARIK), Gayaza will promises to be more enriching, engaging and capturing the most enterprises ever.
Charles Tabu, the Seeds of Gold editor, says the emphasis at MUARIK will be on climate change farming techniques, creating a network for farmers and sharing experiences on greenhouse farming and backyard farming.

“After the training, the facilitators will also give all the participants free farming notes in hard copies and via emails so that they put in practice what they will learn, especially backyard farming for town dwellers,” says Tabu.

According to Stephen Lwasa, the chief facilitator of the clinic sponsored by Bank of Uganda, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAIF) and NTV, the training will be a hands-on learning experience and that each participant stands a chance of attending at least four of the nine enterprises on the menu today.

About the experts
Seeds of Gold magazine reached out to most of the expert facilitators set to lecture the participants today at MUARIK Kabanyolo and they revealed vital clues of what to expect.

Dr Stephen Lwasa – Agribusiness
Among the key farming economics components that every participant will learn from Dr Stephen Lwasa’s mandatory lecture are: resource use efficiency, the role of an entrepreneur, enterprise selection, goal setting, planning for production, planning for the market, planning human resource, financial planning and planning for and mitigation of risks and uncertainities.

Other elements Dr Lwasa has promised to lecture on today include: enterprise budgeting, gross margin analysis as a budgeting and profit analysis tool, farm records, types, benefits and challenges, break even analysis, marketing aspects, maximising profits from livestock enterprises, maximising profits from crop enterprises and the principles of ethical marketing.
Lwasa holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics. He lectures at Makerere University, and has practiced agriculture.
He also works with MUARIK to analyse its enterprises and advise on production and marketing aspects. He has also worked with many farmers widely.

He has local, regional and international experience in farm enterprise budgeting, planning, management and analysis of records and marketing.
He has written many business plans for students, farmers and institutions to help them access finances and run their enterprises commercially.

As the director of MUARIK, Lwasa is the chief host of the Monitor Farm Clinic and he promises an invigorated farming session.
“I possess 25 years of work experience in Agriculture and Rural Development. My specialties are in the following: Value Chain Analysis and Development, Production Economics, Agricultural Marketing, Cooperatives and Agribusiness, Farm Management and Accounts, Agricultural, Finance Agricultural Business planning and Development, and Climate Change. I have published in areas of agribusiness,” says Lwasa.

Precious Taremwa – Dairy
He has attended Makerere University – College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resources and Biosecurity, COVAB), has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dairy Industry and Business. Has a diploma in agro studies from Ruppin – Israel.
He has certificates in National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank – Entebbe, Artificial Insemination (AI) from Arapai Agricultural College – Soroti and National Diploma in Animal Production and Management.

Taremwa has worked as an agricultural advisor at Rukungiri District Farmers’ Association (RUDFA) and coordinator of Dairy Value Chain at MUARIK.
“I have an experience of more than 11 years training farmers (extension services) in areas of Animal production and management, disease prevention, control and treatment, animal feeding and nutrition, pasture establishment, management, maintenance and preservation in form of silage and hay,” he says. “I did research on improving Bovine milk production through appropriate udder health management – College of Veterinary medicine Animal resources and Bio-security – Makerere,” Taremwa explains.

Dr Settumba Mukasa – Bananas
He is an Associate Professor of Crop Science at the School of Agricultural Sciences, Makerere University and with business acumen. He obtained a PhD in Plant Pathology-Virology from the Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden (2000-2004); MSc (Genetics/Plant Breeding) from the University of Queensland, Australia (1995-1996); and BSc

Agriculture (Crop Science) from Makerere University (1988-1991). He carried out post-doctoral research in 2006 on phytoplasma infecting Napier grass (elephant grass) at the University of Helsinki, and Next Generation Sequencing training (2010) at the Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, and Cambridge in UK.

Over the last 20 years, he has taught both undergraduate and postgraduate courses including Genetics, Biometrics, Plant Biotechnology, Plant Tissue Culture, and Plant Virology. His research interest is in the areas of seed systems for vegetative propagated crops including bananas (since 1992), and cassava and sweet potato (since 2000).

He is serving as a member of the National Biosafety Committee of the National Council
for Science and Technology (2017-2020). Besides services to the university and local communities, he is a promoter of business ideas including being a director to SENAI Bioscience Laboratories, Senai Farm Supplies Limited. His work focuses on breeding for better planting materials that are high yielding and resistant to viruses, and bacteria.

Dr Sadat Walusimbi – Goats
He has a PhD in Animal Science, MS Animal

Science and BSc Agriculture-Animal Science obtained from Makerere and US universities.
Walusimbi is a lecturer at the Department of Agricultural production, CAES, Makerere University. “I have an experience of 14 years in agricultural education and research.
My work focuses on improving reproductive efficiency in wildlife and livestock. My specialties are in research, development and application of technologies such as estrous synchronisation and artificial insemination, which enhance reproduction in cattle and goats,” he says.
He has worked with the National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC&BD), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Farmers to study and improve the reproductive performance of exotic (Boer) and indigenous goats (Mubende) in Western Uganda.

Moses Mutibwa – Fish farming
He has BSc Agriculture from Makerere University and has been a facilitator as well as trainer for students, internees, and farmers who visit MUARIK for agricultural skills development since 2016. Mutibwa also has 14 years of work experience in Agricultural Education, Research and Outreach.

Chrysostom Tweyambe – Backyard farming
At Makerere University, he obtained a BSc Agricultural Land Use and Management. He has worked as farm manager at MUARIK for close to 10 years. Tweyambe has 28 years of work experience in Agricultural Education. Experience in General Agriculture with special skills in Horticulture and General Crop Husbandry.

Dr Constantine Katongole – Dairy
The centre of his lecture will be addressing the low milk production by cows – a permanent problem forwarded by Ugandan dairy farmers.
“There are several causes of this problem although several management options for improvement exist, many of the options are not pocket friendly,” he states.
“I am an animal nutritionist and senior Lecturer at Makerere University, with close to 15 years of experience in conducting animal nutrition/feeding research as well as farmer training and outreach activities. I have also published several articles in scholarly journals, and also authored books for both scholarly and farmer audiences,” Katongole, who has a PhD in Animal Science Dairy, reveals.

11th Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic
Theme: Climate Smart Farming
Enterprises
Backyard, Passion Fruit,
Greenhouse Farming, Bananas, Dairy,
Goat Rearing & Fish Farming
Topics
Pastures, Feeds, Silage & Hay,
Post-harvest handling, value addition,
Sustainable Land Management (SLM),
Agribusiness Aspects & Economics
Venue
Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyolo (MUARIK), Gayaza
Date: Saturday September 1 2018
Fee: Shs70,000 (inclusive of training, lunch and transport)
Time: 7am