Prime
Lessons at Farm Clinic in Mukono
A crop scientist at NaCORI trains farmers on how to grow coffee and proper post harvest-handling methods at the Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic last Saturday. Photo/Frank Baguma
What you need to know:
- Engagement between farmers and the experts has become more intense with the former now saying they are farming from a point of information. It affirms our commitment to scale the clinics to every county in the country.
Somewhere in the background of the National Coffee Research Institute (NaCORI), Kituuza in Mukono District stood swatches of a man made rainfall forest.
A cool breeze wafted from the forest and a nearby Lake Victoria to NaCORI grounds where Seeds of Gold held its 32nd edition of the Farm Clinic last Saturday.
The event started a few minutes after 9am and in attendance were hundreds of farmers, students Uganda Christian University (UCU) and neighbouring primary and secondary school students.
The farmers who braved the heavy downpour midway the training asked several questions related to the agronomy of coffee, banana and cocoa.
Training
A notable number of farmers that attended the training where retiring UPDF officers. They were led by the chief of production Maj Gen Sam Kiwanuka who told Seeds of Gold that he intends to retire into commercial coffee farming. “I have secured land and I am here to learn more about the agronomy of coffee planting,” said Maj Gen Kiwanuka.
“I farm cocoa on my land in Bundibugyo, I have more than 600 trees but pests and diseases are pulling my back. I want to learn control methods which I will put to action when I return to the farm,” Maj Paul Masereka told Lorna and agronomist and farm manager at NaCORI.
After a brief examination, Maj Masereka was told his plants where under attack from varied pests and diseases that included white mealybugs and root-knot nematodes among others.
Managing the farm
Besides use of pesticides, Maj Masereka was advised to use crop rotation, test his soils before planting and observe hygiene on his farm.
Dr Godfrey Kagezi, a senior research officer at NaCORI, had some advice for Maureen Nabawanuka a farmer from Mukono whose coffee garden is under attack from the Black Coffee Twig Borer (BCTB).
Dr Kagezi told Nabawanuka and other farmers that the BCTB attacks crop-bearing branches of mainly Robusta trees causing them to dry. He said a farmer can lose up to 50 percent of the coffee yield if they do not manage BCTB on the farm.
“Act swiftly the moment you detect the twig borer on your garden. The first step is to gently cut off and immediately burn the affected branch. You cut using secateurs,” said Dr Kagezi.
An enthusiast farmer learns how to add value to coffee beans. Photo/Frank Baguma
Because the pests most times fly over a very long distance, Dr Kagezi told farmers it will not be helpful if one farmer uses the BCTB traps and others do not. The entire community must take up the technology. After training, Dr Kagezi donated to each farmer BCTB trap.
