By Peter Abaanabasazi
Farmers organisations operating in the Bunyoro region have been urged to mobilise and encourage the youth to embrace agriculture.
Innocent Aliguma, the community development officer (CDO) for Kyabigambire sub-county in Hoima district, says the youth are energetic, but few are engaged in agriculture.
Aliguma, who represented Hoima district senior CDO Kenneth Ebong during a sensitisation meeting of farmers from the districts of Hoima, Kikuube, Buliisa, Kagadi and Kakumiro, among others, said that there is a need for more youth engagement to interest them to love and embrace agribusiness to help them move out of poverty.
The sensitisation meeting, which was held at Kolping Hotel in Hoima town late last week. The engagement organised by Kick Start International, Kitara Community Seed Bank and Volcano Ventures was aimed at opening the minds of farmers on how to adopt new farming technologies such as irrigation and fertilisers to be able to benefit from agricultures in the face of continued climate change.
Aliguma said the youth are always migrating to town, engaging in gambling and leaving the elders to produce for the growing population adding that with this challenge, there is a need to mobilise the young generation and make them to love farming.
“A big number of the youth are not productive, let’s introduce the youth to agriculture and make them to love it, this will help them to be productive and solve the challenge of unemployment,” he said.
Environmental protection is key
The CDO also underscored a need to sensitise the farmers on the importance of environmental protection.
He expressed concern over the increasing environmental degradation in the region adding that the habit of cutting of forests and destroying water catchment areas is rampant.
“People have reached the extent of resorting to cutting fruit trees to burn charcoal, which is affecting the environment. Since 99% of the farmers in this region depend on rainfall, we are likely to face disaster if nothing is done because these tree and wetlands play a vital role as far as the formation of rain is concerned”
John Aheebwa, the midwestern partnership officer working with Kick Start International, said the organisation is partnering with co-operatives and the Government to support farmers to get agriculture assistance through sensitisation to be able to adopt new farming technology such as irrigation.
Yahaya Byarufu, the executive director of Kitara Community Seed Bank, said training of farmers has come at the right time adding inadequate harvesting skills, knowing quality seed, fertiliser application and management of land among others are some of the issues affecting farmers.
He noted that as many farmers depend on rains as a major source of water which nowadays is not sustainable. According to him, with the use of irrigation and organic fertilisers, small-scale farmers will be able to achieve their expected yields.
Charles Kisembo Good Year, a model farmer from Kagadi district, underscored a need for farmers to engage in agriculture as business adding farmers in the Kingdom have not benefitted in farming because they do not take agriculture as business.
Kisembo who is also Bunyoro Kiatara Kingdom parliamentary representative for Kagadi district, said most farmers are practising subsistence farming, which, according to him cannot help farmers to develop.
Concerns of high cost involved
However, some farmers expressed concern over the high cost of agriculture inputs such as fertilisers and seeds, which according to them affects their ability to practise modern farming.
Ephraim Kyamanya, a farmer in Kihukya cell in Hoima, challenged the Government to get a way of providing subsidised agriculture inputs to the farmers as a means of promoting modern and commercial farming.
