By Agnes Nantambi
Feeding animals on poor feeds has been cited as the leading cause of rejection of Uganda’s animal products on the regional and international markets.
Food Rights Alliance executive director Agnes Karabo is, therefore, advocating for the right food for humans and animals.
Speaking during the launch of the African Women in Animal Resources Farming and Agribusiness Network (AWARFA-N) Uganda Chapter at Mestil Hotel on Thursday, Kirabo observed that governments have not invested much in feed and fodder, yet they want to eat the animals, yield the milk from them, get eggs and make money from them.
The AWARFA-Network was initiated in 2018 by 32 member states of the African Union InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) to enhance financial and insurance inclusion and identification of capacity needs in the feed and fodder value chain.
The network supports the establishment and growth of national chapters that are the engine of the Network.
“As we speak, dairy is the third leading export commodity for Uganda, but where are the investments in animal feeds and fodder? Where are the researchers? How many scientists on feed and fodder do we have as a country? Where are the fodder seeds and where can the farmer credibly access the seed to plant his feed and fodder for his or her animals?” Kirabo said.
“We are just gambling about what animals eat and carelessly some people think that what is not safe for humans is what should be fed on animals,” she added.
“When the maize has been condemned of aflatoxins, the next destination, it should be fed on the pig, cows and chicken. When we are attending weddings, the worst food is fed on animals. why do we have to think that our animals should be fed on waste and after we eat animals that ate waste?” Kirabo said.
She added that she was happy that as a country and as partners and stakeholders, ‘we have turned around to think about animal feeds and fodder’.
“Traditionally, here we thought that animals must be in the bush to eat weed in the farm yet many farmers do not want to invest much in feed and fodder,” she says.
She believes that the project will take the country a while to change
mindset that animal feeds and fodder is something that needs to be invested in as a country, including training researchers and breeders
“This is an area that the private sector can think of investing in to make seed for fodder available and also make appropriate technologies for animal feeds available and accessible,”.
This she said is a step towards the right direction, especially now that Uganda is set to transform its seed systems.
“Once the cost of the feed is up, farmers will get out of business, and once we continue to feed our animals on contaminated feeds with aflatoxins, the more our products will be rejected on the regional market yet they give farmers some good money,” he said.
Kirabo decried the lack of access to finance as a very big challenge to women, saying banks do not take cows or birds.
She called for reinstatement of the cooperative bank to ease access to finance by women who invest in the feed and fodder value chain.
According to Lovince Kobusingye, the president of AWARFA-N Uganda Chapter, the network shall provide a multi-faceted platform for women working along the various animal resource value chains to voice and influence decisions at a national level while supporting national and local processes to enhance growth and expansion of women in animal resources enterprises, agribusiness, trade, and strengthen their visibility.
“Women want greater participation along the value chains beyond primary production, and greater benefit from access to secondary and terminal markets, and regional trade that provides better margins than primary markets they are now relegated to.
Currently, majority of Africa’s women in animal resources farming are excluded from accessing financial and insurance products by focusing collateral based on assets that are predominantly owned by men.
Frances Naiga Muwonge of Muwonge Organic Farm called for streamlining of the livestock feed and fodder value chain to enhance quality feeds.
“We need support from the grain farmers to help them minimize postharvest losses which greatly contribute to aflatoxins,” he says.
Dr Theophilus Mwesige, the commissioner of Animal production applauded women towards their contribution to the livestock sector, saying the livestock feed sub-sector is like any other business.
“As women you must prepare yourself to ensure quality rather than lamenting because it will not solve your problem. As a ministry, we are committed to supporting you and we hope to also involve the banks to ease access to finance,” he said.
PHOTO CAPTION: Assistant Commissioner-Animal Nutrition/principal Rage Ecologist Denis Mulongo Maholo (2nd right) and Agnes Kilabo, the Executive Director Food Rights Alliance in a kitenge dress interacting during the meeting at Mestil Hotel.
Photo by Agnes Nantambi
