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Secrets of getting higher yields taught at Farm Clinic
Former Namutumba District Woman MP Florence Mutyabule (in yellow dress), now a presidential advisor, and other farmers attends the cassava class. Photos/George Katongole
What you need to know:
- The Farm Clinic has been teaching farmers in conjunction with Naro since 2013. The sessions are held at selected Naro institutes.
The final round of the Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic concluded at Ikulwe Satellite Research Station in Mayuge District last Saturday, with farmers gaining loads of information on modern farming practices.
Daily Monitor and sister television station NTV under the Nation Media Group flag, have been partnering with the National Agricultural Research Organisation (Naro) to deliver farming lessons since 2013.
But for the past two years when Covid-19 pandemic struck, the events have been mainly virtual with a limited number of farmers invited to the Naro institutes. The rest have been following the live coverage on NTV.
Saturday’s event at Ikulwe, marked the first time the Farm Clinic was hosted in Busoga region despite being a food basket for the region in the past years. Last year, a similar event was held at Buginyanya Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (BugiZARDI), which also covers Busoga region.
Farmers learn about the best practices of conserving pasture.
Change inevitable
Dr Lawrence Owere, director of research at Naro Buginyanya ZARDI, told the invited farmers that agriculture is influenced by two major trends; climate change and emergence of new diseases.
“We therefore need to learn the latest farming techniques to have sustainable farming with proper management of crops and livestock,” Dr Owere said.
The Farm Clinic tackled five enterprises including pasture management in line with climate-smart objectives, upland rice growing, cassava growing as well as coffee. “We must learn to use land effectively and be able to earn more,” he stressed.
Food security
The Farm Clinic has been teaching farmers in conjunction with Naro since 2013. The sessions are held at selected Naro institutes. According to Elizabeth Namaganda the head of marketing at Nation Media Group - NMG (Uganda), the Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic comes at a time when farmers need alternatives. “You need to guard against famine and invest in food secure crops. This is why we are working with experts to share knowledge and experience,” Namaganda said.
A group of rice farmers tour the garden for upland rice.
Financing made easy
Information on good farming techniques is not enough. Although it has the potential to help farmers deal with diseases and yield, farmers are increasingly becoming concerned with financing.
Sarah Nantongo Mubuke, who represented Bank of Uganda, stressed that the Agricultural Credit Facility (ACF) is the right solution for agriculture-related financing to farmers who want to up their game. The ACF loans target key areas such as acquisition of agriculture machinery, equipment, post-harvest handling, storage facilities, irrigation, inputs and working capital for agriculture and agro-processing. Yet the maximum interest is 12 per cent per annum.
She explains that the ACF is available in banking institutions of a farmer’s choice and the Uganda Development Bank.
The loan period is up to eight years yet in some instances, a grace period of up to three years is available. Specifically for the people of Mayuge, who are stuck in poverty, the grain facility caters for their needs. “What I want to emphasise is that the Bank of Uganda finances the whole agriculture value chain right from ploughing to post-harvest harvest handling,” she said.
Ms Nantongo encourages farmers to form groups to be able to access block allocation financing which does not require collateral.
Stanbic Bank, one of the partners of the Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic and one of the biggest lenders to the agriculture sector, offer the ACF loan facilities and a lot more.
Harriet Kayanga Mwesigwa the Stanbic Bank team leader at Iganga Branch that covers Mayuge area explained that they have farmer-focused financing products which can benefit farmers greatly.
“There is great progress in agriculture funding and we are continuing to look for more helpful options such that we can transform lives,” Ms Kayanga said.
The Bank’s relations manager in-charge of cooperatives George Bwire expounded that farmers need to open bank accounts to be able to access financing.
“Many farmers come to us asking for financing yet we cannot assess their financial records,” Bwire says.
Dr Frank Kagoda, the Station Manager Ikulwe Satelitte Research Institute in Mayuge delivers his speech during the Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic.
About Farm Clinics
• The Farm Clinics offer farmers a golden opportunity to get quality knowledge and skills, get access to a wide range of products at farm level as compared to when they just get to an agrovet and purchase a product about which they have very little knowledge and guidelines.
• The events feature teachings, trainings, knowledge-sharing, exchanging of ideas for better agribusiness practices, and demonstrations on the best farming practices.
• Farmers also learn technologies that they can adopt to boost their livelihood and food security for the country at large.
• Previous editions of the farm clinics have proven instrumental in shining the light on the problems farmers are facing and connecting them with experts and other players in the industry.
