By Ibrahim Ruhweza
The ninth edition of the Harvest Money Expo, happening at Namboole National Stadium in Wakiso District, has attracted different schools from all parts of the country. The expo will run for three days, themed under “farming as a business value addition and cooperatives”. The expo’s agricultural foundation explains why school children have embraced it.
In 2021, the Ministry of Education introduced the new Lower Secondary Curriculum (LSC) to equip learners with practical skills. While launching the curriculum, the minister for education, Janet Kataaha Museveni, said the new curriculum would place a strong emphasis on developing skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration, which are essential for success in the modern workforce.
Students of St Peters Naalya Namugongo said ever since the new curriculum was rolled out, practical lessons became the order of the day. “We do agriculture, so we have come here to see what innovations the expo has brought for us. We can see machinery, feeds, and fertilisers, and now we are going to learn about seed quality,” one of the students said.
Sherinah Kazaare, a student in S4 at St Peters Naalya, said practical learning, mostly of agriculture, needs ample space to operate. She noted that coming to the expo is another lucky chance for all of them to understand what is needed first than the other.
Her dream is to be a modern farmer after her schooling, employ many fellow young people, and also keep sharing her knowledge with other people in her community.
“My parents in Mubende engage in animal-farming and fruit-growing, which inspires me to become the next big farmer. However, this expo will provide me with fresh and new ideas,” she said. Several of the students and other expo goers said that they got to know about the expo through newspaper adverts and television, mostly Bukedde TV.
“Knowledge about farming helps others to learn more. I want to try farming after my S4,” said Ronah Nuwe, also a student at St Peters Naalya Namugongo. Her parents back home do coffee farming, and she said they also plan to come to the expo to learn more about it.
Vivian Ezzayo noted that her father is a carpenter; he gets trees from his farm, which has helped him maximise profits. Ezzayo said after school she intends to apply the knowledge she has learnt from the lower secondary curriculum to become a world-class farmer.
“Because I like farming, my dad bought me a piece of land to practice my agricultural skills. He wants me to be a successful farmer. He is giving me a good foundation,” she said.
Joel Mukula, a teacher at St Peters Naalya, said this new curriculum needs children to get exposed by attending such events. “The Harvest Money Expo is providing new ideas to my students; I don’t regret bringing them here,” he said. “We used to attend other events; we got setbacks. The organisations associated with other farming expos were not up to par,” he continued.
After many years of teaching agriculture theoretically, teacher Mukula has finally found real machinery in the expo. He is convinced that it will benefit other expo-goers.
The expo is sponsored by Engineering Solutions (ENGSOL), Tunga Nutrition, aBI International, Uganda Development Cooperation (UDC), Bella Wine, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Pepsi.
