By Victoria Nampala Bugembe
The main cash crop of Buikwe District is sugarcane which is unfortunately depleting the soils, thus making it not favourable to grow other crops in that particular piece of land.
In return, food is scarce in the region and this forced Samuel Kabuye to devise an initiative to give out seeds in the community to boost the food basket in vain. This is because the seeds given out could not produce the expected outcomes and climate change affected them alongside competition from foreign seeds.
“Some farmers could buy the seeds and practice the given instructions only to be disappointed during harvesting with fewer yields,” says Kabuye.
As a trained Agroecologist, he moved to different places to carry out agricultural training and could pick seeds for practical lessons.
Kabuye adds that he received much knowledge which he passed on to other youths in his community from Slow Food Uganda. This organization aims to support and empower small-scale farmers with efforts to preserve and multiply indigenous seeds in various communities to boost and restore the food basket.
The practice identifies the status of local agricultural variety and its role in safeguarding food and seed sovereignty and sustainable farming practices.
In the end, they formed a seed bank that is managed by KSAM farm in Buikwe District, but it serves beyond due to the variety of indigenous seeds they have.
Kabuye says, there are many fake seeds on the market which have affected the seed basket of the community in Buikwe and Uganda at large, thus the need to create a seed bank in his community.
This is because the National Seed Policy 2018 calls for a framework to enhance the performance of the seed sector in Uganda.
“The seed bank was set in this community to promote the multiplication and preservation of indigenous seeds among small-scale farmers who had embraced sugarcane growing that increased famine scourges in the area,” says Kabuye.
The farmers were also allowed to bring their seeds on board for testing but many of them were of poor quality due to storage means like granaries, and traditional sacks which lower their lifespan and productivity level.
Before the introduction of the seed bank, Kabuye and his team did a consultation with the community to seek their opinions about the nature of seeds needed based on the type of soil in the region. 70% responded with pumpkin, and 20% maize, but it also has other seeds in plenty.
The seed bank combined both food and sauce seeds within a central location at very affordable fees.
To widen the seed bank, whoever bought seeds, there a committee in place that would monitor the farmer throughout the season until harvest time. Some seeds are collected and kept back at the bank for future use in case the expected results are generated, but if not, such seeds would be tested again on different soils in another place to asses its productivity and it is then given a special name accordingly.
The community seed bank works closely with the NARO Genetic seed bank at Entebbe in Wakiso district to help them verify the nature of seeds that adapt to their soil requirements.
The seed bank worked with researchers, and innovators through Advocacy Coalition with Sustainable Agriculture (ACSA) to operate legally in the community.
He says the seed bank offers and advocates for value addition services and at the moment, it offers pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin floor for food and porridge respectively.
A pumpkin has 91 worldwide types and since 70% are hybrid seeds found in foreign countries like Egypt, KSAM farm has 30% indigenous seeds to boost and promote food security during any climatic change.
There is a species got from western Uganda, that was tasted and proved to be effective among children’s foods.
From eastern Uganda, the pumpkin species is very productive but it’s not durable for safety over a long period.
Therefore, the seed bank is very useful for storage purposes.
The darling species comes from the Central region. It’s very productive, with a wide market. When the garden is well-fed and looked after in any community, it can bear fruits throughout the year.
To multiply the seeds quickly, Kabuye is now crossbreeding seeds from various regions to bring on board a new seed variety.
Community empowerment.
Kabuye has been able to bring several youths on board who carry sensitization about Indigenous seeds and practice agroecological practices that have helped to restore soil fertility in the region.
The Community Seed Bank at Buikwe has helped farmers improve their accessibility to good quality varied seeds and also increase diversity in the farming communities thus enlightening their source of revenue and protecting the ecosystem.
Challenges
Kabuye says many farmers are still using modified pesticides on the Indigenous crops which is affecting the expected growth and harvest.
“The Indigenous seeds are giving less harvest and take longer to grow yet farmers expect bumper harvests in a short time as it is with modified seeds thus, they end up dumping them instead and embracing modified ones,” he says.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Kabuye inside the seed bank in Buikwe District. Photo by Victoria Nampala Bugembe
