On back-to-back weekends last month, our cooperatives in Kenya and Uganda held their first agriculture conferences of the year.
During our #genuinelyconcerned holiday campaign in 2022, we fully funded the cause to facilitate agriculture seminars for 80 farmers in East Africa over the next 12 months. In March, we were able to use a portion of these funds to kick off this year’s agriculture conferences in both Kenya and Uganda. Last year, we were able to host two conferences in both countries. (Read highlights from last year’s conferences on our blog here.) The impact on local farmers is immeasurable, as they take the education gained back to their farms to feed their families. We’re excited to see many East Africans eat more and healthier this year.
Kenya’s two-day conference was run by cooperatives and brothers Simon Njeru and Reuben Ndwiga, along with their wives Irene Wanjiru and Ann Wambura.
Simon and Reuben and their families have been farming their entire lives. They still farm the land their father passed to them. They’ve been using innovative farming techniques and practices for years, and they’re consistently troubleshooting and improving their strategies toward greater yields. Neighbors notice and are eager to learn from them. Many of this conference’s attendees were returning after last year’s, and so the weekend started with giving the farmers time to testify what they’ve been practicing from the organic farming methods they’ve learned. Simon says they’ve all been practicing it and it’s been helping them, which he can confirm as he and Reuben have visited their farms themselves and helped them troubleshoot their problems and give solutions on their own lands. Simon and Reuben are thrilled to see their neighbors embracing the education. The farmers asked for the conferences to continue, stating that the knowledge “is saving our lives and making us experience a low cost of production as we make our own compost manure and not buying fertilizer from stores.” Thank you, Lord!
The topics included in the conference were 1) organic pesticides, when and how to use them, 2) seed selection and planting pointers, with emphasis on proper spacing, 3) weeding, 4) proper long-term storage techniques for corn and beans, 5) and the importance of eating moringa. Moringa is a plant natural to the area that has multivitamin benefits. Farmers were given a piece of moringa stem to plant. They were also introduced to another plant called garden cress, which functions similarly to moringa but matures faster. Lastly, Simon and Reuben and their new installation trainees shared about the benefits of rocket stoves, a smokeless, fuel-efficient stove the pair has been installing for families all over the area for the last five years.
Uganda’s one-day conference focused on discussing and reviewing concepts taught last year.
Ninety percent of last year’s attendees came to the seminar day, allowing the team to use their time together to check in with them, see what they remember about organic farming, and how the education has impacted their farming practices and production. The participants were divided into five discussion groups and were given four topics to discuss: soil management, soil water and plant growth, pest control, and food nutrition and health. The discussion facilitators were Francis Lubega, Peter Musaazi, Peter Kimbugwe, and Josephine Nakimuli. After each discussion session, each group chose one representative to present their views. Francis says that “the discussions were so lively and the participants did not want to reach the closing time.” Lawrence Ssemakula emceed the day, and hospitality was provided by Josephine, Cissy Namukisa, and the youth. This event helped solidify knowledge for everyone and springboard into future conferences. Thank you for reading and for supporting agriculture education and nutrition in East Africa!
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