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How Farm Clinic touched the hearts of northern locals
Participants during a session about dairy farming at the Farm Clinic at Ngetta ZARDI last Saturday. Photo by Bill Oketch
What you need to know:
- Saturday was like no other in Lira Town. Thousands of eager farmers descended on Ngetta Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute to attend the 12th Farm Clinic held in northern Uganda.
- Bank of Uganda and aBi are among the Farm Clinic satisfied partners.
- Denis Bbosa highlights the event which dissected seven important enterprises including: maize, citrus, dairy production, cassava, rice, pasture and pigeon peas.
The endearing sight of the iconic Ngetta rocks greets one as he approaches Ngetta Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Ngetta ZARDI), a five-kilometre trek from the Lira town.
The beauty from the rocks seamlessly lends a tranquil learning environment to the Ngetta ZARDI, which the multitudes of farmers that thronged the Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic session last Saturday, enjoyed.
More than 2,000 active and prospective farmers converged at the institute armed with questions eager to learn about the seven enterprises on display - soya beans, cassava, rice, maize, dairy technologies, citrus and pasture.
The crop and animal experts lived to the billing; granting time and resources to each of the agribusiness enterprises that changed the mindset of many farmers in northern Uganda.
Citrus hope reawakened
Many farmers were giving up on the production of citrus after their orchards were devastatingly brought down by pests. During the two practical and theoretical sessions, crop expert Bushira Apelle and Alfred Kumakech enlightened farmers on the trendy ways to escape such challenges.
They taught farmers about post-harvest handling, good tree management, merits and demerits of budding citrus, deep cultivation, site selection, application of fertilisers and mulching.
Keen farmers asked about the market availability and were met with positive answers and relevant business contacts.
Cassava excites
The northern and eastern regions remain the largest producers of cassava in Uganda. Crop experts expounded on the importance of the crop in the area where it is used as food in making confectioneries, pharmaceuticals, animal feeds and as a raw material for starch in brewing alcohol.
As the crop experts illustrated, the new cassava trends like NASE 19, NASE 14, NAROCASS 1 and NAROCASS 2, they assured the attentive participants that common diseases like cassava brown streak, cassava mosaic and the cassava bacterial blight are avoidable.
Army worm fight
Cereal farmers got expert knowledge on how to contain the rampant fall army worm that causes damage to maize. Farmers were sensitised on the worm that has up to a hundred species.
The participants got to know the breeding patterns of the army worm that starts with laying eggs after mating, producing 2,000 eggs, adult moth being active at night to having the ability to migrate to a distance of about 100km at night.
Remedies like buying high quality seeds, planting maize early from the onset of rains, intercropping and timely weeding were brought to the fore.
Farmers want more
Ms Sarah Nalule Walakira, the head of marketing at Nation Media Group Uganda said, the Farm Clinics, which started with visiting prominent farmers’ homesteads, have blossomed into an event that should touch every corner of the nation.
She confirmed that they are now guaranteed of having such enriching sessions every year.
Prof Joseph Obua, the chairman of National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO) governing council, thanked the Farm Clinics for giving their institute visibility as required by Parliament.
Geoffery Okidi, the head of Agricultural Business Initiative (aBi), one of the partners, revealed that they were met with a relevant theme – climate smart farming – whilst they also got an opportunity to identify potential partners. Bank of Uganda are the other partners.
Contented
“We talked to farmers and told them to start taking agribusiness a serious money minting business. The youths can get friendly loans and rent land so that to be active in agriculture,” Geoffrey Okidi, the head Agricultural Business Initiative (aBi). Bank of Uganda and aBi are among the Farm Clinic satisfied partners.
