When Tree for the Future, a global nature conservation entity undertook a spirited campaign of imploring smallholder farmers to embrace agro forestry farming model four years ago, none among the recipient farmer communities ever guessed this would turn into a money maker.
Among priority tree species that farmers received and reluctantly planted on edges of their gardens in knitted rows, was calliandra.
Today, it is a different economic game for 3,950 farmers in districts of Mbale, Manafwa and Sironko, that obliged to plant the wild tree species.
Experts says calliandria has high natural protein values suitable for poultry and livestock.
The fast rising agribusiness of making organic feeds for both poultry and livestock is now claiming a sizeable proportion of market, previously dominated by established feeds manufacturers that lately have fallen victim to counterfeits.
“When we harvest leaves of the wild plant, we dry them. Once dry, we rub them between our palms into tiny crisps. A farm gate price of dry crisped calliandra goes for sh4,000 per kilogramme,” observes William Nambafu, one of the farmers growing the magic plant.
A client may opt to serve the recipe to his birds or livestock exclusively, or mix it with maize bran.
Calliandra seeds
Apart from realising earnings from calliandra leaves crisps/ floured, powder, farmers cash in from seeds too. A farm gate price for a kilogramme of calliandra seeds goes for sh50,000.
A cross section of calliandra concentrate clients that spoke to the Harvest Money team confessed to maximised production and profitability. At the beginning of the calliandra enterprise four years ago, individual farmers were given calliandra seed materials by Tree for the future.
They prepared seed beds and planted the wild tree.
“It takes about a week for seeds to germinate. Transplanting is done when the seedlings are six weeks old,” Nambafu says.
He says calliandra tree seedlings are weather resilient, though farmers are encouraged to irrigate during harsh dry conditions. Planting is done in the dimension of 10x15cm wide.
Maturity
It takes two years for the calliandra to mature. However, development of seed pods comes after four years.
“Harvest of the wild plant leaves has to commence the moment it attains two years. Harvest could be done any moment for as long the previous spot has sprouted,” observes Nambafu.
Hellen Nambuya, 47, another smallholder farmer and a calliandra recipient, contends that during the hot season, harvested twigs of the calliandra ought not to be put under open sunshine. The fresh twigs should be kept under shed.
“Our mentors contend that direct sun rays are bound to drain the efficacy in the leaves,” Nambuya, who has used proceeds realised from the calliandra enterprise to start a backyard local goat enterprise, says.
Esther Namakola, 33, another smallholder farmer, observes that it takes two-three days for twigs of calliandra trees to dry.
Once they are dry, a farmer lays a tarpaulin/ a plastic sack before carefully running his palms through to make a fine powder.
“Smallholder farmers with modest land could gather 2kg-3kg of crisps a week, while farmers with extensive tree species could collect between 10kg-30kg a week,” observes Namakola, who has a herd of five goats, courtesy of calliandra enterprise.
Calliandra cooperative
The farmer community has since established an office where farmers dispatch their produce.
“Individual farmers with livestock and poultry form the bulk of our clientele. We supply calliandra leaf-crisp, while on the other hand, established agro entities buy the calliandra seeds,” Nambafu says.
What calliandra clients say
Ahmed Gimoyo, 67, a dairy farmer with six crossbreed cows in Butiru, Manafwa district, observes that in the beginning, the dairy production of his stock staggered between three and four litres a day.
The visibly healthy looking animals’ production would drop further to two litres a day.
However, when I started complimenting their daily diet with calliandra concentrate, their dairy production has since shot up to between six and seven litres, not forgetting the physical nourishment of the animals.
Juliet Newumbe, 40, a poultry farmer in Luhonge sub-county, Mnafwa district, confirms that calliandra recipe has proven to be a ‘silver bullet’.
Newumbe, an old hand in layer poultry enterprise, recalls observing that regularly, some of her layer birds had low egg production. She reached out to several agrostores in town for a solution, but failed.
“It is only after I switched my stock to calliandra concentrate that I now mix in their daily feeds. I can now proudly say I consistently realise 100% egg production. Apart from realising the high production, the eggs are bigger and with harder shells. They also have an attractive deep brown colour,” she observes.
Tree for the future, Uganda
It is a local environment conservation organisation affiliated to a global entity that promotes constant conservation of mother nature.
Among other primary objectives is imploring smallholder farmers, who form the bulk of predominantly peasant community in the countryside, to adopt sustainable land usage systems.
Enock Makoba, the country director, observes that they have been imploring smallholder farmer communities to embrace the agro[1]forestry farming model.
“Our campaign entails imploring farmers to adopt an agro forestry model in which crops are intercropped with critical and essential tree species,” he stresses.
The agro forest model started four years ago in this part of the country side, which has slowly, but steadily started to break cycles of climatic change and generational poverty.
He observes that although calliandra tree species is as old as the community, there has never been deliberate efforts to grow it on an extensive scale as the case is today.
“Today, every household of this community earns some money from calliandra products, not forgetting direct benefits — every household today rears a goat or more courtesy of calliandra,” he observes.
Experts speak out
Dr Philip Wakimwere, the Mbale district veterinary officer, says mobilising smallholder farmers in their thousands to grow the magic wild tree has been eventful, since it provides a reliable and substantive vital recipe for poultry and livestock.
He defines calliandra as a resilient, multi-purpose, ever green, perennial wild plant, that over time could evolve into a huge tree.
“But among its premium relevance to humanity, is serving as nutritious fodder/ feeds for both livestock and poultry, as it holds immeasurable contents of natural protein minerals, a principal food value for healthy growth of both livestock and poultry,” Wakimwere adds.
Dr Sam Odongo, the Bududa district veterinary officer, says other than the calliandra being a nutritious pasture for livestock, it also has medicinal properties.
“A livestock that eats the recipe (calliandra) in substantive quantities is bound to reduce faecal worms-egg-deposits by 80%,” he observes.
Odongo further explains that introduction of fouls and livestock to calliandra drastically reduces worm infestation, a favourable condition for the animal to more than double its weight.
The veterinary officer says studies have indicated that calliandra’s high protein content stands at between 20% and 25% against any other considered excellent quality grass for livestock that averagely would hold not more than 15% protein content.
He adds that intercropping calliandra trees offers farmers much more gains, other than using the same as fodder.
“It fixes nitrogen in the soil and enhancing soil fertility,” Odongo observes.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Nambafu in his calliandra garden
