By Simon Ssekidde
Social Innovation Academy (SINA), Mpigi, in partnership with Youth Challenge International, have started empowering Mpigi women rural farmers in modern farming practices that are climate-friendly.
According to Stella Nakawuki Lukwago, a social innovation consultant at SINA, the program dubbed “Mpigi Community Edie Food Forest” aims at benefiting at least 800 rural women farmers in Mpigi district.
The selected women from different sub counties in Mpigi district are currently undergoing training at the academy.
Nakawuki noted that with the ever-changing climatic conditions, there is a need for the stakeholders in the agricultural industry to embrace modern farming methods that are resistant to climate change.
“We intend to increase food in rural homes but also to train these women to not only grow food for home consumption, but also for commercial purposes. We can only achieve this when we put into consideration the ever-changing climate,” she noted.
Nakawuki added that since in rural homes it is the women who do most of the farming, it is important that they are trained in how to cultivate but also protect the environment.
Aloysius Kisitu, the project coordinator, said the program intends to create a sustainable seed bank with indigenous seedlings that community members can tap into.
“Under this project, we want to encourage our rural women to grow mainly the indigenous seedlings, and grow more than one type of crop on the same piece of land,” he noted.
He said with the help of Youth Challenge International, a Canadian international organisation, they are going to train a bunch of women who will go out and train others.
Plaxida Namatovu, one of the trainees, welcomed the move and said it is going to help women in rural villages of the district earn some income from their sweat.
Doreen Nalubuga, another trainee under the program, said the project comes at a time when the rural parts of the district are facing a challenge of land fragmentation due to various reasons and this project will help them grow very many types of crops on the same piece of land.
