LEST YOU FORGET, WEEKLY NEWS UPDATES Edition (XIII) 2024
AGROREF UGANDA
YOU HAVE
A RIGHT TO KNOW; WEEKLY AGRICULTURE –COOPERATIVES (AGRICO) NEWS UPDATES
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About AgroRef Uganda
Agriculture Reform (AgroRef) Uganda is a Non-Governmental and
Not-for-Profit Organization focusing on advancing agricultural policy reforms,
budget advocacy; and supporting the building of systems, fostering values of
equity, accountability, transparency, and sustainability of organisations,
especially smallholder farmer organizations including but not limited to
agricultural cooperatives using a Human Rights Based Approach.
AgroRef Uganda compiles news from different media houses and
outlets that have been published during the week and shares them with our key
stakeholders. The purpose is to keep farmers updated and informed of the
operating environment in the country.
ORGANIC MANURE KEEPS FARMS FERTILE
For our small farms to keep naturally fertile and productive, the farmers should use organic or natural fertilisers. Agriculturalists describe organic fertilisers as materials derived from rotten plant and animal residues. When grass or wood is placed in one place for several months, it decays and becomes organic manure. Animal droppings and urine (farmyard manure) are also organic fertilisers. Decayed grass or mulches are also a form of organic manure. Some people bury grass and animal droppings underground which they uncover after some months and get compost manure. Another form of organic manure is liquid manure or “herbal tea” which is obtained by putting green leaves in a container of water and letting it rest until it gets rotten. https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/farming/organic-manure-keeps-farms-fertile-4658694
ACDP: GOVT PROJECT DRAWS OVER 8, 000 BUGWERI FARMERS TO GARDENS BUT RARE EARTH BOOM LEAVES SOME BENEFICIARIES WARY
Hundreds of farmer beneficiaries of a government project which drew at least 8, 264 farmers to gardens in Bugweri District are wary as an open-pit mining project valued at Shs60.1 trillion gains boom, authorities have said. For over 50 years, profiting from agriculture was a distant prospect for thousands of farmers in the impoverished Eastern Uganda Bugweri District as they faced twin challenges of low agricultural output and living at the mercy of brutal price fluctuations. Farmers had abandoned farming until this Agriculture Cluster Development Project (ACDP) came here in 2018, said Harriet Nguna, the Bugweri District Agriculture Officer (DAO) and ACDP focal person. https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/farming/acdp-govt-project-draws-over-8-000-bugweri-farmers-to-gardens-but-rare-earth-boom-leaves-some-beneficiaries-wary-4657644#story
UCDA CRACKS WHIP AGAINST ERRANT COFFEE DEALERS, PROCESSORS IN WESTERN UGANDA
Coffee dealers and processors in Ibanda and neighbouring districts will have to think twice in future before engaging in acts that compromise the coffee quality. This follows an operation by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) to enforce quality guidelines among traders and processors in the district on June 12. During the operation, Rwenkobwa Coffee Factory was closed for non-compliance with coffee handling guidelines as per the Coffee Act, while five sacks (about half-a-tonne) of coffee were confiscated for containing non-coffee materials. James Kinene, the UCDA coffee technical officer for south-western and Kigezi region, said the exercise aimed at enforcing the laws in the Coffee Act to strengthen coffee quality in the region. The official explained that many of the dealers and processors try to side-step, ignore or manipulate the coffee law, requiring such operations to ensure compliance. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/agriculture/ucda-cracks-whip-against-errant-coffee-dealer-NV_190082
UGANDA SEEKS GLOBAL FUND FOR SMALLHOLDER FARMERS
Uganda’s delegation attending the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Council is advocating for the establishment of a global fund to subsidize smallholder farmers. The FAO's 175th session kicked off in Rome, Italy, from June 10-15, 2024, amidst complex international circumstances such as the conflict in Gaza, the tragic food security situation there, and the impact of the war in Ukraine on global food security. Uganda’s delegation to the meeting is led by Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Fisheries. “My pitch is that partners in agriculture must create a global fund that helps to subsidise smallholder farmers on fertilizers, vaccines, and other disease control inputs. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/agriculture/uganda-seeks-global-fund-for-smallholder-farm-NV_189954
FAO INTRODUCES DIGITAL PLATFORM FOR AGRO-FOOD MONITORING IN KABALE
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has launched an innovative digital information and surveillance system in Kabale district aimed at ensuring sufficient, nutritious, and productive food. The initiative also seeks to support sustainable agro-food system transformations. The event took place at the district headquarters in Makanga, Central Division of Kabale Municipality. Jean Marie Byakweli, a policy officer at FAO, stated that the Digital Database Registry System in Uganda was first introduced in Kabale district and also operates in Nakasongora and Kiryandongo. The project began about 12 months ago. "With this system, we hope to enable a better system of data collection, analysis, and utilization in forecasting, planning, and decision-making in the food systems. This will enable improved food security, nutrition, better health, and better environmental management in agriculture," said Byakweli. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/agriculture/fao-introduces-digital-platform-for-agro-food-NV_189856
Godfrey Akampwera, 23, a student at the Ibanda Farm Institute in the Ibanda district, says, "I never looked back the day I discovered that agriculture is a live bullet to fighting unemployment among the youth.” Akampwera, who is pursuing a national certificate in agriculture production in his final year at the institute, stated that he never imagined that his studies would provide him with both skills and a job. “I came to the institute expecting to gain knowledge and qualifications to look for a job after completing my studies, but here I am with a job even before finishing my course,” he said. Starting poultry Akampwera expressed gratitude for the good fortune of joining the institute in 2023 when it was collaborating with the AVSI Foundation and carrying out the Skilling in Agripreneurship for Increased Youth Employment (SAY) Project, supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/agriculture/agriculture-a-weapon-to-fight-unemployment-in-NV_189803
Aquaculture is playing an increasingly important role in meeting the world's food needs, surpassing wild fisheries in aquatic animal production for the first time, according to a report published Friday. With global demand for aquatic foods expected to keep growing, an increase in sustainable production is vital to ensure healthy diets, the United Nations's Food and Agriculture Organization said. In 2022, aquaculture yielded 94.4 million tonnes of aquatic animal production -- 51 percent of the total, and 57 percent of the production destined for human consumption, it said. "Aquatic systems are increasingly recognized as vital for food and nutrition security," according to the report, released as experts gathered in Costa Rica for talks on ocean conservation. "Because of their great diversity and capacity to supply ecosystem services and sustain healthy diets, aquatic food systems represent a viable and effective solution that offers greater opportunities to improve global food security and nutrition," it added.
WEST NILE TRADERS PUSH FOR LOWER CUSTOMS DUTY ON IMPORTED HONEY
Honey traders in Arua district have asked Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to lower the customs value of imported honey, which they say is too high. Late last year, URA standardized the value of imported honey to USD 0.8 per kg. This was an increase from the USD 0.07 per kg that the traders were accustomed to. Customs values are used to determine the taxes for imported goods and to ensure fair treatment of taxes across the board. Arua is home to original honey, with some of it originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Speaking at a meeting between URA and members of the Honey & Bee Traders Association in Arua, Obeta Moses, the Chairperson of the Business Community, explained that there was a consensus between them and URA to have the value of a 20-liter jerrycan of honey at sh5000 back in 2021. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/business/west-nile-traders-push-for-lower-customs-duty-NV_189763
NARO TURNS TO TURKEY FOR FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE VACCINE PROJECT
In a world where research drives production, the National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO) is partnering with VETAL Animal Health Products Inc. from Turkey to establish a foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccine production facility. By extension, the project is intended to also build the capacity of researchers in the region. NARO director general Dr Yona Baguma, VETAL director Dr Abdullah Tutak and the V1-Biotech Ltd executive director Henry Mayanja signed a commitment to get preparations started for the project. The meeting took place at the NARO head offices in Entebbe on Saturday (June 8). This collaboration includes the construction of a vaccine manufacturing facility, the establishment of industrial model farms for research and development and capacity building along the entire product value chain. It is a tripartite collaboration between NARO, VETAL and V1-Biotec. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/agriculture/naro-turns-to-turkey-for-foot-and-mouth-disea-NV_189758
The Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) has called upon the people of Lango sub-region to take up coffee growing to eradicate poverty. Earlier this week, UCDA conducted a campaign in Lira code-named 'coffee run' at Mayo's Garden in Lira City whose target is to promote coffee consumption and production. The field team reported that coffee production in the sub-region is growing faster with support from the government. Describing coffee as a better enterprise for the sub-region to improve people's livelihood, Nicholas Okino, the regional coffee extension officer in charge of northern Uganda said that farmers are now taking the coffee enterprise seriously and they believe that through the crop, they can fight poverty. He reported that the sub-region had received over two million seedlings courtesy of the Operation Wealth Creation under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fishery. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/agriculture/ucda-launches-coffee-growing-campaign-in-lang-NV_189747
CLIMATE CHANGE SINKING UGANDA'S LAKE SHORELINES
It is the second time in the last five years that the rising
waters of Lake Victoria have displaced Moses Omondi, a fisherman at Entebbe in
Wakiso district, from his house. The lake has been swallowing up the low-lying
areas of the shores like a glutton.
He still remembers the floods that hit his home in 2019, 2020, and 2021 at the
Kigungu landing site. “I have lived here for more than three decades, but I
have never experienced floods like the ones in the last five years,” Omondi
says. “The floods hit with devastating blows.” He moved to a makeshift camp at
Kigungu to escape the uncompromising floods. Omondi returned to his home
recently for the first time in five years because the water had dropped.
However, he did not know the lake was preparing for another strike. This time,
the lake advanced inward by more than 200m of dryland, which the fisherman
believes is worse than the previous floods. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/agriculture/climate-change-sinking-ugandas-lake-shoreline-NV_189720
AGROCHEMICALS THREATEN FISH SPECIES IN ALBERT NILE TRIBUTARIES
Tributaries of the Albert Nile in Amuru district are experiencing
a significant decline in the number of fish species, which is believed to
be a result of agrochemicals used on various commercial farms in the district. Communities
in Lakang and Layima sub-counties are reporting a noticeable
reduction in fish species in major rivers. The endangered
species include tilapia, brycinus, clarias, electric
catfish, and mudfish from rivers Omee, Unyama, and Aswa, as well as
the Lakang stream, which are tributaries of the Albert Nile. Clower
Ongwech Owiny, a resident of Bana Village in the Lakang sub-county, started
fishing in the Omee River in 2013, harvesting tilapia and electric catfish
using hooks and nets. He says the number of fish species has reduced
significantly compared to other areas that do not border farms.
https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/agriculture/agrochemicals-threaten-fish-species-in-albert-NV_189407
LOCALS JOIN HANDS TO AFFORESTATE DEGRADED LANDSCAPES AROUND BWINDI
To mark World Environment Day on June 5, 2024, communities around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park have embarked on a drive to afforestate over 100 acres of their land with indigenous trees. Over 85 households in Mpungu and Kinabo sub-counties, Kanungu district in southwestern Uganda, have undertaken a move to find what they deem as a better sustainable way of utilising their land outside tea farming. Under their community-based organisation Change a Life Bwindi, the residents have so far planted 20,000 trees out of the 50,000 trees targeted to be planted before the end of the year 2024. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/travel/locals-join-hands-to-afforestate-degraded-lan-NV_189502
BUKALASA COLLEGE PASSES OUT OVER 1,000 AGRICULTURALISTS
Luwero-based Bukalasa Agricultural College has passed out it's first cohort of internationally accredited graduates whose diplomas and certificates are recognised worldwide. The pioneer cohort of 35 were part of a total 1,443 backlog of 2019/2029 graduands who were passed out at the college's 58th graduation ceremony in Luwero on Friday, May 31, 2024. The new development follows a recent upgrade of the college into a centre of excellence in agricultural training which the Government implemented under the World Bank-funded Uganda Skills Development project (USDP). The five year long Bukalasa upgrading project which the education ministry implemented with guidance from Dalhousie University of Canada, among other components involved development of a new competence-based curriculum which is more hands on and relevant to the needs of employers https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/education/bukalasa-college-passes-out-over-1000-agricul-NV_189327
ENTEBBE TO CLOSE OPEN AIR MARKETS, BAN FRESH FOOD VENDING
Entebbe Municipal Council will from effective July 1st, 2024 close all weekly open air markets popularly known as “kabubbu” except for one in Kitooro, Mayor Fabrice Lurinda has announced. Also banned are mobile delivery vans or trucks vending food stuffs, which he said will be impounded and their owners charged accordingly. Briefing journalists on various aspects in his jurisdiction on Friday, Lurinda explained that the decision had been taken by the council following realization that the two distribution systems affected business performance in the main markets, which paid monthly dues to the municipal council. Entebbe Municipality has been running four popular open air markets a week including Kitooro on Tuesday, Kigungu on Thursday, Nakiwogo Saturday and Central Market on Friday. Various other open air markets are also operated in the neighbouring Katabi Town Council jurisdiction in Baita-ababiri, Kisembi, Kawuku among others. https://www.independent.co.ug/entebbe-to-close-open-air-markets-ban-fresh-food-vending/
BUDGET2024/2025: AGRO-INDUSTRALISATION, TOURISM AND MINERAL DEVT TO PROPEL ECONOMY’S EXPANSION
Uganda’s growth strategy for the 2024/2025 Financial Year is anchored on agro-industrialisation, tourism development, mineral development including oil and gas, and technology and innovation, the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Matia Kasaija has said. “These are the anchors that are going to propel Uganda to a US$500 billion economy in the next one-and-a-half decades,” said Kasaija. Kasaija was delivering the budget speech during a plenary sitting of Parliament presided over by Speaker, Anita Among, at Kololo Ceremonial grounds on Thursday, 13 June 2024. Kasaija explained that to achieve the US$500 billion economy, government must among others, double the size of the Growth Domestic Plan (GDP) every five years and raise per capita GDP six-fold from the current US$1,146 to about US$7,000 in financial Year 2039/2040. https://www.independent.co.ug/budget2024-2025-agro-industralisation-tourism-and-mineral-devt-to-propel-economys-expansion/
HIPPOS DESTROY MAIZE IN OBONGI DISTRICT
Residents and farmers in Obongi Town Council, Obongi District, are counting their losses after a group of hippopotamuses invaded their maize gardens and destroyed other crops. The most affected areas include Yakinemiji Cell, Kenya Cell, and Arinya Cell, all in Yakinemiji Ward, Obongi Town Council, where several acres of maize have been ravaged by the hippos over the past week. Residents report that the hippo invasion has caused panic among those whose gardens are close to the Foligo stream catchment area, a tributary of the River Nile. Stephen Angubo, one of the affected farmers, said the continued invasion by the hippos has frustrated many farmers in the area, discouraging them from engaging in farming activities. According to Angubo, the hippos, which usually invade the gardens at night, have also destroyed the crop garden of teachers at Obongi Primary School. https://www.independent.co.ug/hippos-destroy-maize-in-obongi-district/
UGANDAN WOMEN TURN AGRICULTURAL WASTE INTO BIOFUEL TO SAVE TREES
Every morning, Sheeba Kwagala and her colleague head to a sanctuary in the Ugandan capital of Kampala to mash agricultural waste, mainly banana peels and crop residues, with molasses and clay to make briquettes. Briquettes, a type of renewable energy source and a form of solid biofuel, are said to be more energy-efficient than wood or charcoal, largely used in the East African country. “We crush agricultural waste, then mix it with clay and molasses to solidify it. We put the mixture into a machine that forms the briquette. Learning how to make briquettes is easy, and I will share my skills with other women,” Kwagala, 20, told Xinhua in a recent interview. https://www.independent.co.ug/ugandan-women-turn-agricultural-waste-into-biofuel-to-save-trees/
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