High expectations as Farm Clinic heads north

Let us not shy away from it, farmers in Uganda are facing almost similar agribusiness challenges and need the same remedies.

The Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic sessions have endeavoured to address these farming challenges in the past 11 editions at Kabanyolo, Mbarara, Soroti and Hoima.

The next chance falls to Lira where farmers will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to interact with the animal and crop experts at Ngetta Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NgettaZARDI) on October 13 for free.

“We feel overly excited to hold the first Farm Clinic in northern and West Nile. It is going to expose our farmers to new technologies and how to combat the farming challenges they have been encountering for years,” said Dr Laban Turyagyenda the director general at NgettaZARDI.

Enterprises
He says they chose soybean, cassava, rice, maize, dairy technologies, citrus and pasture enterprises because they are the seven most sought after.
“Farmers here are mostly challenged by pests and diseases of animals and plants, lack of quality seeds (most use farm-saved seeds), limited capital, access credit required for agro-input and machinery, insufficient extensive services and market for their produce.”

He added; “There is also climate changes where drought is still a major problem while the flooding when it rains also remains a big issue.

Agribusiness in this region is affected by lack of skilled labour since youth prefer petty jobs such as riding motorcycles. The Farm Clinic event will try to provide tangible solutions to all those plus tackling the poor state of infrastructure and land degradation.”

Dr Turyagyenda reveals that the institution is ready to host the seven enterprises and that they have lined up two agronomists to handle each product – making the total of experts to 14.

“Space is big enough to accommodate huge numbers. We have started putting up new demonstration sites on top of the old animal and plant sites we have been having,” Turyagyenda confirmed.

About Ngetta ZARDI
The institute is one of the 13 Public Agricultural Research Institutes (PARIs) established by the NAR Act 2005 under the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO).

It is located in the former Ngetta District Farm Institute (Ngetta DFI), which in 2002 became Ngetta Agricultural Research and Development Centre (Ngetta ARDC) in line with the Decentralisation Policy, which emphasises taking services nearer to the beneficiaries.

As an ARDC, it was mandated to carry out adaptive research and disseminate improved agricultural technologies in the mid-northern agro-ecological zone comprising Apac and Lira districts.

With the coming into force of the NAR Act 2005, it became a Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (ZARDI).

The institute consists of two stations: the main one located 5km (3miles) on Lira-Kitgum Road and a satellite station located on the outskirts of Kitgum Town. The main institute has a total land area of 550 acres, while the satellite station has a land area of 175 acres.