26 Apr. 2021 Uganda
Cooperatives and YEH learned agricultural management. They will lead the communities’ income levels to rise.
A member of YEH Kabumba presents their business plan on pig farming.
In August, HFW hosted training to learn and plan agricultural management for the cooperatives and Youth Ending Hunger (YEH). Total 128 people joined the training across three parishes where we’re active.
The young members in YEH and the cooperatives had been working separately so far. In July 2020, we decided in our conference to enhance the collaboration between these two parties. We aim to help YEH have more opportunities to learn and let the adult members in cooperatives encourage and support the youth, who consists of the majority of the population in Uganda, to join and play an active part. Then we held this joint training to kick-start their collaboration.
Local agricultural experts, veterinarians, and commerce experts guided the lectures and workshops during the two-day training session. At first, the agricultural experts and the veterinarians introduced the cultivation and storage of maize and beans, the techniques, and important points in poultry and pig farming.
In the lecture on pig farming, for example, the participants brought up various issues, including their concern about feed and diseases, high cost of pig hut construction, lack of knowledge about reproduction of each breed, and theft. The lecturers pointed out some ways and tips to solve these issues.
The participants also learned the importance of crop processing to add values, the ways to set up business plans, and the benefits of joint farming operations and market expansion. We also had some workshops to build actual business plans.
The participants will leverage their learnings and business plans to improve their own crop farming or livestock rearing. We also expect that they will become local leaders in income generation by sharing what they’ve learned to other members in cooperatives and YEH who couldn’t join the training this time.
Members of Luguzi Cooperative brainstorm to build their business plan.
Cooperative and YEH in Kabumba Parish sit together at the lecture on livestock rearing.
Participants in Tumbaali-Lwemwedde Parish are attending a lecture.
Messages from participants
Most farmers have been thinking that vaccination is unnecessary for indigenous livestock because they are tolerant of pests and diseases. As the lecturers told us that it’s not true, I hope that the farmers will change their mind.
Nalukwago Agnes (Secretary of the Cooperative of Kabumba HFZ, Farmer)
I appreciate that HFW offered us this opportunity to learn about cultivation and livestock rearing to increase production, sell products, and drive income generation. I will push ahead with our pig farming project with the knowledge and skills that I gained in this training as the representative of YEH in Tumbaali-Lwemwedde Parish.
Mukuye Joshua (Youth chairman Tumbaali/Lwemwedde HFZ)
