Locals get road, seed stores for livelihood improvement

Joy. The first secretary for Agriculture and private sector development at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mr Anno Galema (Centre), the Rubanda District Woman MP, MS Prossy Akampurira (Right), and residents celebrate after the commissioning of the road on Tuesday. PHOTO BY ROBERT MUHEREZA

What you need to know:

  • "The seed is the most important input, it is the starter input in agriculture production. Most farmers don’t know the potential of the crop they are planning, they don’t know it’s resistance to disease and drought. But when you plant a quality seed of known attribute and known yield, then you are sure you are starting on the right foot. This is what we are promoting,” Patrick Oyee, director at ISSD

Residents of Bubare Sub-county in Rubanda District can now market their produce with ease following the construction works on the 18km Nyaruhanga-Kyamabare-Butobore-Ihanga community road.
The road that was constructed at a cost of Shs2 billion was commissioned on Tuesday.
International Fertiliser Development Center (IFDC) and the Netherlands Embassy provided the funds while Rubanda District local government availed road unit and engineers who supervised the works.

“The road project aims at improving farmers’ market engagement, strengthen household resilience and increase availability of agriculture support services,” Mr David Slane, the IFDC chief of party in Uganda, said at the opening of the road.
He added that the infrastructure will greatly support access to health and education services in the community.
The Rubanda District chairperson, Mr Jogo Kenneth Biryabarema, said the road links residents to five primary schools, three weekly markets, two churches and a health facility.

“We thank the development partners for the construction of this road but we need more roads so that the residents can easily transport their goods to market centres. I thank the residents in the area for their cooperation as none of them asked for compensation,” he said.
Meanwhile, farmers in Kayonza and Rweikiniro sub-counties in Ntungamo District have received seed stores constructed at a cost of Shs50 million each under Local Seed Business (LSD) arrangement. The stores have been constructed by Integrated Seed Sector Development (ISSD) and Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in partnership with farmers.

The stores were opened on Wednesday by the first secretary for Agriculture and private sector development at the Netherlands Embassy, Mr Anno Galema, and Mr Patrick Oyee, a director at ISSD.
Mr Oyee said the seed stores project aims at improving access to quality seeds by farmers in Uganda. Famers form groups and plant only seeds approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF). The farmer groups in Kayonza and Rweikiniro sub-counties are growing beans.

ISSD works with MAAIF to select seeds that farmers plant, monitor the process of their growth to harvest and storage.
“Statistics indicate that 85 per cent of farmers use home saved seeds and seeds from open markets, which are not of good quality. There are no quality seeds for food crops such as cow peas, soya beans, ground nuts and Irish potatoes. That is why we came up with the idea of supporting farmers to produce quality seeds for sale,” Mr Oyee said.

Mr Oyee further said they have facilitated establishment of 260 local seed business groups across the country since 2012 and have supported 30 to establish stores. The group, composed of more than 50 farmers, contribute 15 per cent of the funds needed for establishment of the store and ISSD puts in 75 per cent.
He added that more crop farmers are embracing the idea having seen what their counterparts have achieved. “Farmers are already changing, if they buy quality seeds from these groups, they are improving productivity,” he said.