All roads lead to Mayuge for Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic

The major crops in the highland areas include bananas, Arabica coffee, wheat, maize and vegetables while in the lowland areas maize, beans, bananas and fruits are predominant.
Farmers will be trained in Cassava, maize, pastures, coffee and rice production as a means of food security and income generation.

Dr Lawrence Owere, director of Research NARO BugiZARDI has advised farmers to follow the live training that will be broadcast on NTV saying they help farmers improve their skills.
“Many farmers have been practicing for many years. However, expert knowledge from these clinics can boost your produce,” says Dr Owere.

Agricultural financing 
Agriculture funding has emerged as one of the major issues and Bank of Uganda officials will address it at the Farm Clinic. Officials from the Bank of Uganda will break down the Agricultural Credit Facility (ACF) scheme and how farmers can access it through commercial banks such as Stanbic Bank.

The ACF has the lowest interest rate on the market of 12 percent yet it helps farmers acquire machines such as tractors, combined harvesters, planters, coolants especially in the dairy sector and coffee processing machines, among others. The ACF facility also provides working capital to farmers, especially those who are involved in grain processing. Farmers are also supported through; buying more land, fencing, installing feeders and increasing the production size of the poultry farm. Farmers do not need to give collateral security when acquiring the ACF loan.

Animal feed training
To ensure a constant supply of pastures to farmers, experts will train farmers on establishing and selling high-quality forage. The changing climatic conditions have greatly affected pasture production.
Dr Owere explained that they will teach farmers on improved pastures rich in nutrients which can guarantee high milk production and faster growth rates for the animals.

“When dairy animals are well-fed with balanced proportions, it translates into increased milk yields and faster growth rates in case of beef animals. Improved pasture species include; Chloris gayana (Rhodes grass), Brachiaria mulato and NARONAP3,” Dr Owere said.

Highland maize breeding
Experts will train farmers on the latest highland varieties of maize. Five varieties for highland adaptation were released in 2018 as a means of disseminating sustainable technologies after field trials in Kabale, Bukwo and Bulambuli.

Dr Frank Kagoda, an expert in the field explains that the highland crop varieties are not late yielding yet are high maturing. Dr Kagoda says maize grain yield had decreased as there were no hybrid cultivars for highlands. He says that farmers depended so much on maize importation from Kenya. “But some of the maize is not bred for highlands and disease resistance,” he says.

Rice cultivation
Soil nutrient depletion is one of the top most agricultural production constraints for rice farmers in eastern Uganda. Yet, fertilisers are barely used, and yield responses to conventional NPK-fertilisers are poor.
Dr Owere says that farmers will be trained on efficient fertiliser intake to help farmers improve yields, profit margins, grain nutritional quality and disease tolerance. “If farmers start using fertilisers on a commercial level, Uganda is headed for greater things with the rice crop,” Dr Owere said.

Climate-smart farming
The Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic targets climate smart-farming techniques. Farmers will benefit from the vast knowledge of experts on cassava clones resistant to diseases.

Dr Owere stressed that cassava is a major food crop in terms of food security and by ensuring its productivity.
Eastern Region is a major producer of Arabica and Robusta coffee in the country, with Arabica Coffee coming from Elgon sub region and Robusta from Busoga and parts of Bukedi sub regions.

Eastern Uganda is reviving coffee production in Bugisu, Busoga, Bukedi and Sebei sub regions.
Learning about coffee production will be an important part of the Farm Clinic session.
Nation Media Group and the National Agricultural Research Institute have partnered with Bank of Uganda, Zoetis, Stanbic Bank and NSSF to broadcast the farm Clinics this year.

The trainers 
Dr Lawrence Owere (PhD)
Dr Lawrence Owere is the director of Research Buginyanya Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute. He holds a PhD in Plant Breeding from the University of KwaZulu Natal, Republic of South Africa, a Masters’ of Science and Bachelors’ degrees from Makerere University. He has attended a number of trainings both within and out of the country including among others; advanced courses in biometry, leadership, financial management and intellectual property.

He brings 20 years’ experience working in agriculture development through his work as an agricultural extension officer, senior inspector at the ministry of agriculture animal industry and fisheries (MAAIF), policy formulation on agricultural development, and currently Director of Research Buginyanya Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute. 

He leads the development of agricultural solutions in the zone in partnership with both private and public sectors to address challenges in the different commodity value chains. The technologies are also appraised for response to effects of climate change and with a special focus on nutrition and value addition to contribute to the national agro-industrialisation agenda.

Joseph Ekwangu
Ekwangu is a soil scientist but works as farm manager at Buginyanya Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (BugiZARDI). He has vast experience in cassava and cereal research spanning more than 10 years. 
He has also facilitated short farmer training courses on cassava production along its value chain for eight years. Ekwangu holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Master of Science in soil science from Makerere University and a Master of Arts in Development Studies from Uganda Martyrs University. Currently, he is a Research fellow at the African Centre of Excellence in Agro-ecology and livelihood system of Uganda Martyrs University.

Dr Frank Kagoda
He is a senior research officer at Buginyanya ZARDI and the programme leader for Crops and Natural Resources Research Programme. He is a dedicated and knowledgeable professional with a demonstrated productive work experience of more than 20 years in agricultural research and development activities. Dr Kagoda will share his experience on maize production and post-harvest handling practices. 

Dr Arthur Wasukira 
Dr Wasukira is a research scientist working to develop and promote effective low cost widely adaptable crop pest management strategies in Eastern Uganda. His expertise includes molecular plant disease diagnosis, project design and management, data analysis and interpretation, and the development and implementation of research tools. 

He enjoys generating new ideas, devising feasible solutions to broadly relevant crop productivity problems with modern ICT tools and fostering sustainable partnerships.
  Currently, he is involved in a variety of multi-disciplinary teams on Arabica coffee, potato, wheat, barley and banana crop improvement and development initiatives. 

He strives to adapt factors and seek opportunities that will develop and promote technologies that benefit food security, livelihoods and nutrition. 

His specific fields of interest include plant disease forecasting and diagnostics, data analytics, biotechnology and excellent ability to apply agricultural skills to practice for increased household impact and better livelihoods.

Farmers tipped
At today’s Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic, experts from the participating organisations will educate, inform, teach and nourish farmers’ hunger and quest for knowledge on cushioning themselves from these conditions that impede on their optimal agricultural productivity, among others.

“This farm clinic comes against the backdrop of a myriad of challenges that farmers contend with. These include crops and livestock diseases and pests like the fall armyworm and tuta absoluta, and the lethal maize necrosis disease (MLND), as well as challenges posed by climate changes. These, have made the need for accurate information an urgency, which the farm clinics seek to address to the farmers’ satisfaction,” said Elizabeth Namaganda the head of marketing at Nation Media Group (NMG)- Uganda.

Namaganda is optimistic next year, the clinics will be bigger.