Catholic church bids to boost cattle economy in Buganda
Dr Antony Zziwa hands over a cow for St Felista Kiboga Parish to Fr Ronald Ssevume on October 26,2024. PHOTO/ JESSICA NABUKENYA
What you need to know:
- Through this agricultural project, the bishop said, they want to achieve socioeconomic transformation.
The chairman of the Uganda Episcopal Conference, who doubles as Kiyinda-Mityana bishop, Joseph Antony Zziwa has announced a new campaign aimed to boost cattle rearing “to improve household incomes.”
Kiyinda–Mityana Diocese comprises the districts of Mityana, Mubende, Kiboga, Kyankwanzi and Gomba, all in Buganda Kingdom.
“We need to change the mindset of many of our people in Buganda region. Cattle rearing is not a preserve of people in Ankole, Teso or Karamoja. This is an economic activity we can all do and get money,” the prelate said while handing over 120 in-calf Friesian heifers to residents at St. Felista Church in Kiboga District on Saturday.
The cows were donated under the Integrated Cow Programme initiative, through which Kiyinda –Mityana Diocese is supporting people in the diocese to fully engage in rearing cows, irrespective of their religious denominations.
Through this agricultural project, the bishop said, they want to achieve socioeconomic transformation.
“When a good number of our people embrace this project and we get enough milk and coffee, we will go to the next step of adding value so that the beneficiaries can earn more money,” Bishop Zziwa held.
He further expressed worry that some families, especially in central Uganda, are selling off their ancestral land which they could instead use to engage in commercial agriculture.
This diocese has in the past four years donated over 300 cows to people in various districts in Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese.
On Saturday, the bishop visited several homes of some beneficiaries who received cows much earlier.
“I’m happy to see that the first beneficiaries have looked after the cows well and are sending the calves to other residents. This is a step in the right direction,” he observed.
Kiyinda Mityana Diocesan Bishop Dr Antony Zziwa, joined by Emily Federand and Joyce Feder (from US) in planting a tree at one of the homes he visited in Kiboga District on October 26,2024. PHOTO/JESSICA NABUKENYA
Fr Simon Peter Kyambadde, the diocesan projects’ coordinator, commended Emilly Feder and Joyce Feder from the US for funding the cow project.
“You are free to go to other parishes where people got these cows earlier and learn more skills on how to look after them,” he added.
Farming in Uganda
While agriculture is the backbone of Uganda’s economy and employs more than 65 percent of Ugandans and feeds more than 80 per cent of the country's industries with raw materials, most farmers practice it without any training, which experts say has limited their opportunities of transiting from subsistence farming to large scale merchandised commercial agriculture.
