Lessons galore at Farm Clinic

Naro’s Imelda Kashaija(right) buys sweet potatoes at a stall during the Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic. photos by Kelvin Atuhaire

What you need to know:

Stabiliser is a type of food supplement which helps in stimulating the animal digestive track, supports healthy intestinal function, constipation effects and bloat stabilisation. This can be applied when the animal is suffering from diarrhoea, including calves, writes Denis Bbosa.

Somewhere in the background of Ngetta Village in Lira District, stood a huge rock.
A cool breeze wafted from the windward side of the volcanic rock to the NgettaZardi grounds where Seeds of Gold held its 17th farm clinic last Saturday.
The event started few minutes after 10am and in attendance were hundreds of farmers and farming enthusiasts who started to stream at the venue as early as 7am, braving the morning chill.
Some came from Oyam District, others Kole, Loro, Soroti and Gulu districts.
Ready to educate the farmers were experts from NgettaZardi, Bank of Uganda, Stanbic Bank, NSSF, MTK and aBi, among others. And the questions from farmers to the specialists were varied.

Participants look on as an agronomist from NgettaZardi explains how to plant the shea nut tree

Government lured
It was an all-inclusive congregation with the government presence and desire to change the existing agribusiness status quo visible.
“Agriculture is the backbone of our country and without farmers’ input we all cannot live. From the knowledge gathered here, I ask you farmers to move away from subsistence farming to commercial farming to increase your household income,” Lira RDC Milton Odong told the mammoth gathering inside the institute quadrangle.
Students applauded
According to Dr Laban Turyagyenda, NgettaZardi director, soon it will become mandatory for all institutions in the areas that the Seeds of Gold Farm Clinics visit to attend.
It was captivating watching students from secondary and tertiary institutions closely paying attention to the procedures and teaching from experts and throwing in a few questions that probably fit into their agriculture classes.
Dr Turyagyenda noted the shift from the old guard to the younger generation and was overjoyed, terming it as a starting point to a brighter future for Ugandan agricultural sector.
At every learning point of the erected seven tents, farmers were updated on the latest technologies to transform their farms and animals and given at least one thing new about the Citrus fruits, dairy, cassava, soya bean, shea butter, groundnuts, cotton, rice and maize enterprises.
Farmers had a chance to ask their questions in the local dialect – Langi – and got instant responses on training, machinery and agribusiness financing.