Issue 15

Dr. Norman Borlaug (191Ernest

4-2009) The fath er green revoof agricultural lution

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How to grow mangoes commercially Issue 15, March - April 2015

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EAST AFRICA

2014

“takE it Family Fa to thE FarmEr : rming revolution for agricultural in Ugand a�

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agric show

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1

ndards com pliance: What you nee Backyard far d to know ming; You on vegetable s yet earn an can save income 7/6/14

5:32 PM

Women in Agribusiness

Model villages: vehicle to agricultural transformation in Uganda 9 770230 601681

Rwandan women in agriculture tackle malnutrition

Interview: Farmers need to embrace Climate Smart Agriculture Opinion: Can Climate Smart Agriculture work for our smallholder farmers? By Enoth Mbeine Issue 16, May - June 2015

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Start-up guide to Garlic growing

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EAST AFRICA

CLIMATE CHANGE: Will agriculture pass the test?

Why East Africa needs Climate Smart Agriculture

Issue 15, March - April 2015 9 770230 601681

Highlighting agricultural sector implications in FY 2015/16 budgets

Chief Executive Officer: Godrick Dambyo

COVER STORY 10 | Rwandan Women in agriculture tackle malnutrition

Managing Director: Peter Mugeni Wanyama Editorial Coordinator: Solomon Kalema Musisi Contributors Kasibin Francis Mutaka, Godrick Dambyo, Enoth Mbeine, Gloria Iribagiza Sales & Advertising: Luke Kasolo, Bellah Ruth Nankanja, Kasibin Francis Mutaka

SOIL 10 | Grow fodder in six days and feed cows on the seventh

Photography: The East Africa Agribusiness Magazine Ltd

Model villages: vehicle to agricultural transformation in Uganda ANALYSIS 22 | Food prices: smallholder farmers can be part of the solution

The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor, or any other organisation associated with this publication. No liability can be accepted for any inaccuracies or omissions. Š2014 The East Africa Agribusiness Magazine Ltd The East Africa Agribusiness Magazine is registered at the GPO as a newspaper.

TECHNOLOGY 16| Greenhouse farming an ideal mode of farming for small land holders

MECHANISATION 26 | Choosing the right tractor for your farm

OPINION 36| Are you making a living from farming?

1 March - April, 2015

2 March - April, 2015

Notice Board

6th - 13th July 2015

March 9, 2015

Source Of The Nile National Agricultural and Trade Show

Global Climate-Smart Agriculture Summit

Please call Chairman Show Board Mr. Patrick Kirya on 0772 644 197 and Show Manager Mr. Peter Kisambira 0772 602 035 -0704 602 035

The inaugural Global CSA Summit will be launched under the theme “Promoting sustainability & agricultural resilience”.

April 22, 2015

Master Class Dutch Cooperative Sector Tanzanian parliamentary standing committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Water is visiting the Netherlands.

Location: Agriterra, Arnhem, The Netherlands

April 23, 2015

3-5 June 2015

EFTA Mwanza Machine International Flower Suppliers Exhibition Trade Expo

The goal is to promote business and agriculture growth by using machinery as well as giving entrepreneurs and farmers a chance to explore the opportunities for equipment finance.

Location: Furahisha Grounds – Mwanza

27–30 SEPT 2015

Agribusiness Seminar—Africa

International Flower Trade Expo is a unique exhibition dedicated to the flower sector. Held at the city of Nairobi in Kenya this international event on flowers welcomes flower growers and equipment suppliers for flower growers to present before an international clientele

October 12-23, 2015

Course Agriculture Nutrition Linkages

Today’s agribusiness and food industry leaders must navigate an increasingly dynamic environment to meet the needs of a growing world population.

Despite the world-wide increase of food availability, there are still around one billion people undernourished. This is far above of the target of MDG 1.

For more information, visit: http://www. exed.hbs.edu/

Organized by Centre for Development Innovation,

Check us on-line: 3 March - April, 2015

President Museveni clarifies NAADS seedling programme

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overnment will distribute 37.6 million seedlings of coffee, 28 million tea seedlings, 2. 8 million orange seedlings, 1 million seedlings of mangos, 2 million seedlings of cocoa and 3 million seedlings of pineapples. Government will also provide 760,000 banana suckers, 800,000 cassava stems, 5000 cows, 5000 goats and 2000 piglets - says President Museveni.

President Yoweri Museveni has clarified that government took a deliberate decision to dedicate much of the resources under the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) to the procurement and distribution of cash crops such as coffee, tea, oranges and mangos. He said that less funds were allocated to the procurement of seedlings of other crops such as beans, maize and cassava.

The President said due to this deliberate policy decision by the government, the seedlings of the non-cash crops that have been distributed this season have not been enough and can’t cover many homesteads country wide. This, he said, has generated concern within the population. He appealed to citizens to bear with the government and the implementing institution. The President made the clarification in a statement; he issued at his country home in Rwakitura, Nyabushozi county Kiruhuura district.

He noted that for this agricultural season and the coming season, emphasis will be put on availing and promoting cash crops which he said once successfully promoted, they will make a great impact on the economy.

He noted that after covering most of the country the government will then increase funding for other agricultural sectors such as poultry, piggery, and dairy farming as well micro-finance services.

4 March - April, 2015

President Yoweri Museveni touring a NAADS project.

The President noted that for this agricultural season, government will distribute 37.6 million seedlings of coffee, 28 million tea seedlings, 2.8 million orange seedlings, I million seedlings of mangos, 2 million seedlings of cocoa and 3 million seedlings of pineapples.

He said the government will also provide 760,000 banana suckers, 800,000 cassava stems, 5000 cows, 5000 goats and 2000 piglets.

President Museveni further clarified that

government was not able to procure and avail seedlings to cover all homesteads in the country because of the many over-lapping national priorities and projects amidst a limited and strained budget. He however pointed out that the process is gradually try is covered. He cited the many ongoing road and power projects and the upcoming national election which he said require a lot of funding. He said that once these are dealt with there will be increased budgeting for the wealth creation campaign.

Kenya: Kakamega Government Signs Sh180 Million Agriculture Deal With Giz

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he German fering through losses they incur in Developthe troubled sugar sector," he said. ment CoOpranya said the the diversioperation fication process will see the more has signed a than 85 percent of residents Kshs180 million deal with whose mainstay is agriculture the county government benefit. of Kakamega to promote GIZ and the county governmodern farming among the ment also signed certificates of 50 youth.

ToTs who will go to Germany for Kakamega Governor.

The deal signed on Friday exchange programme.

Wycliffe Oparanya at Rock Motel in Maseno was Dr. Andrea Bahm, leader of the negotiated last year during a trip to Germany German delegation, said the deal is informed by nine counties to benchmark on devolution. by realization that agriculture is the backbone Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya said of economic growth in western counties. the agreement aims at promoting horticulture, Bahn said that GIZ attaches great impordairy and poultry production through training tance to key devolved functions among them of youths. agriculture.

Oparanya said fifty people from each of the "We want a one world without hunger; the twelve sub-counties will be trained for free and technical skills that we will grow in this venture supported to start their businesses. will indeed transform the lives of many," she "This will slowly lift our farmers from sufsaid.

UN airlifts seeds to South Sudan's The United Nations is sending up to 18 flights a day into South Sudan carrying seeds, tools and fishing equipment to allow desperate farmers to sow crops as the planting season begins in the conflict-ravaged country.

More than 175,000 farming families in violence-hit Upper Nile, Unity and Jonglei states need seeds in order to plant this season, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday, announcing the hasty airlift.

"We have a small window," FAO official Karim Bah said in a statement. Renewed violence and rain mean it is no longer viable to ship aid to many parts of the country by truck, he said.

Nearly 100 tonnes of supplies have been flown from Juba, the capital, to local airstrips in recent days, the FAO said.

Uganda to Increase Aquaculture Production

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dward Rukunja, the assistant commissioner for fisheries in the agriculture ministry, stated that Uganda needs to increase its aquaculture production as fish stocks dwindle, whilst opening the 8th Aquaculture Symposium hosted by the Walimi Fish Farmers Cooperative Society (WAFICOS).

“It is not a challenge for only Uganda. It is worldwide. But we can engage in these modern fish farming practices and add value to the fish we produce by processing it before selling,” Mr. Rukunja said.

Currently, Uganda produces about 90 metric tons of fish from aquaculture. Added to the 450 metric tons of wild catch fish, the

country produces about 530 metric tons of fish annually, reports The East Africa Agribusiness Magazine.

Of this, about 200 metric tons are exported to regional and European markets, bring-

ing in about $132 million (Ushs372b) forex annually.

“But we can’t keep depending on wild catch. Currently, there is over fishing. And although Government has tried regulating the sector by introducing Vessel Identification Plates to manage the number of fishermen on these water bodies, we need to scale up modern fish farming,” said Paul Omanyi, the principal fisheries officer in the agriculture ministry.

“We need to restock all valley dams and minor water bodies, subsidise on feeds for farmers as well as operationalise aqua parks that have already been set up country wide,” he said.

5 March - April, 2015

Cover Story

Women in Agribusiness

Model villages: vehicle to transform agriculture in Uganda

By Kasibin Francis Mutaka

Coffee has been Uganda’s most important cash crop since the 1980s.

The East Africa Agribusiness Magazine profiles Atamba Mixed Farm a model coffee farm in central Uganda. Atamba Mixed Farm is owned

by Mrs. Joan Kakwenzire the Head State House Poverty Alleviation Department (PAD).

N

amed after her late daughter, Joan Kakwenzire’s Atamba Mixed Farm on 16 acres is a model coffee village Farm located in Mwanyangiri village 3miles from Mbalala trading centre along Jinja-Kampala Highway. Kakwenzire bought the farm land without intentions of practising agriculture. The money she used to acquire the land was a retirement package from her non-renewal contract with the European Union where she worked for 7years in Human Rights Communication running a budget of US$3million on infrastructure development. She says that she bought the land like a “bank to gain profit by selling the same land at a double price after 5years.”

When His Excellency the President appointed Kakwenzire the Senior Presidential Advisor on Poverty Alleviation as

Mrs. Joan Kakwenzire, the Senior Presidential Advisor on Poverty Alleviation.

6 March - April, 2015

the head of PAD in 2000, that’s when she began to realise the untapped potential of her land and that entire village. She feels privileged to work with President Museveni. According to her, in Uganda and developing the agriculture sector you have to wake up rural areas. Most people are processing products from cows and if you want to set-up a processing plant, you have to go where there is power, water, good roads, man power, and which implies crowding around the city. She, therefore, believes in the need to wake up rural areas to stimulate the rural development. Kakwenzire says that something like Atamba Mixed Farm in the rural area creates enthusiasm and hopeful expectations among the people. “And it is not easy because it’s a very turf decision to undertake yet things could be easier in the town where there is security, money, electricity, and so on,” says Kakwenzire.

To start crop farming on Atamba Mixed Farm, Kakwenzire sold all her cattle she owned in western Uganda and remained with only four of them. She had two choices, to go back to Rukugiri district and remain disconnected from the centre or to develop her 16acres of land in Mbalala that she bought at only Ushs 10million in 2000 which land she says “it was God given”

Cover Story

A CURAD staff demonstrates to Mrs Joan Kakwenzire how to remove affected coffee beans.

because it was a bush and only started working on it in 2005 when it was still a forested area.

Kakwenzire first planted 90,000 pineapple suckers on 4 acres. Which she says they did so well and her neighbours also now want to grow them and she has promised to give them seedlings and get-out growers. When all her pineapples ripened, she sold some of them but started making juice and wine out of the pineapples. She now has 6,000 litres of wine made from her own pineapples!

Partnerships “I wanted to pursue the vision of doing agriculture but I didn’t know how to because I was theoretical, I lacked knowledge and partners until I went back to where I came from (Makerere University where she was lecturing before the presidential appointment at PAD) to look for people who know. I feel happy that the Consortium for enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development (CURAD) has come in to energize me but I also found them struggling with the concept of what to do in Kampala. So we agreed to take Makerere University back to the people by bringing knowledge to farmers” says Kakwenzire.

On Atamba Mixed Farm, CURAD is already on board educating farmers on agribusiness beginning with coffee production. In their partnership, CURAD offered a building costing Ushs 20 Million which is uses as a class room for the farmers to learn the theory prior to practical demonstrations on the Atamba Mixed Farm.

CURAD has not only brought knowledge and

A farmers after training at Atamba farm, demonstrates how to plant coffee.

“I wanted to pursue the vision of doing agriculture but I didn’t know how to because I was theoretical, I lacked knowledge and partners until I went back to where I came from (Makerere University where she was lecturing before the presidential appointment at PAD) to look for people who know. I feel happy that CURAD has come in to energize me but I also found them struggling with the concept of what to do in Kampala. So we agreed to take Makerere University back to the people by bringing knowledge to farmers.”

Joan Kakwenzire a shelter but has also promised to bring a coffee processing machine on Atamba Mixed Farm.

CURAD is also sourcing a thieving machine from South Africa to make Kakwenzire’s wine more pure.

Government is also providing coffee seedlings through Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) to Atamba Mixed Farm where other farmers in Mwanyangiri village gather to receive the coffee seedlings for their own plantations.

Financial Institutions have come in to help Kakwenzire by giving Atamba Mixed Farm an agricultural loan for procuring machinery to produce raw materials and get-out growers. “I have been lucky. Government has also put in place agricultural loans. I have brought in my Bank and Bank of Uganda and they have agreed to support my industrial set-up” said Kakwenzire.

A 21 year old, Mr. Lufuga Zakalia of Lufuga

Investments ltd, who was the first winner of the Ushs 10 million award of James Mulwana Young Entrepreneurs’ Award 2014, (the award introduced to commemorate the late Investor James Mulwana as an inspiration to young entrepreneurs) has also partnered with Atamba Mixed Farm by educating and inspiring coffee farmers who have willingly agreed to work jointly with Kakwenzire. Lufuga supplies Atamba Mixed Farm with his own locally made fertilizers and medicines from birds, animals and human wastes. Lufuga sells his 70kg of fertilizers at Ushs50,000 and 20 litres of the medicine at Ushs100,000 which can mix about 60 other jerry-cans of 20 litres. Speaking to the Coffee farmers at Atamba Mixed Farm, Lufuga promised to start making the fertilisers and medicines on Atamba farm such that the purchase costs reduce and the farmer can learn how to make

7 March - April, 2015

Cover Story

Farmers attend training at Mrs. Joan Kakwenzire’s Atamba Mixed Farm.

David Muwonge, a coffee agribusiness expert at CURAD explains to farmers the coffee value chain.

their own.

Kakwenzire is a board member at Afri-Banana a forum for agricultural research in Africa that has provided technical and scientific knowledge in processing her wine at Atamba Mixed Farm.

And to professionally manage her wine sector on Atamba farm, her son is studying Food Science at Kyambogo University awaiting plans to go to South Africa for further studies on the same.

8 March - April, 2015

With the help of CURAD, Atamba Mixed Farm is processing pineapple wine.

The Ministry of Works and Transport has already opened the roads in Mwanyangiri village to access Atamba farm.

The Ministry of water has also given a bore hole to Kakwenzire on Atamba Mixed Farm as a reward for her services to the people and plumbers are already on Atamba Mixed Farm pipelining the water system to benefit her neighbours and farmers in Mwanyangiri village.

Kakwenzire also received a donation of a diesel engine from India to be used on the dam at Atamba Mixed Farm.

National water and sewerage corporation (NWSC) supplies Atamba Mixed Farm with human waste as fertilizers.

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral development through the Rural Electrification Strategy and Plan (RESP) implemented by the Rural

Cover Story

Electrification Agency has already supplied both three and two phase electricity lines on Atamba Mixed Farm.

These development projects as a result of Atamba Mixed Farm have sky-rocketed the price of land in Mwanyangiri-Mbalala which was a bush and a total village 15years ago and now many other partners are looking for Kakwenzire.

Challenges Like any other business venture, Atamba farm faces a number of challenges. Kakwenzire talks of drought, diseases and pests, soil infertility, marketing and poverty. However, when on Atamba farm and when you interact with the farmers, you can understand that it’s only the first step that has been taken on a journey of a thousand miles.

On Atamba Mixed Farm; Mixed farming is carried out on Atamba farm. To Kakwenzire, this is an eco-system arrangement with benefits from what would be termed as waste. For instance, Animal

“My vision is to export a container of clean coffee from 20 acres.

I came to transform this area from nothing to something, from no agriculture to agriculture, from poverty to prosperity, from no electricity to electricity, from no access roads to access roads, from no hospital to hospital, every thing is happening. Am going to change this village and not it to change me into rural way of doing nothing,” Kakwenzire promises amidst a huge applause from the farmers on Atamba Mixed Farm!

and bird wastes are used in the crops gardens as manure and medicine.

Under construction is a dam of 1.5metres deep and 15x36metres wide with 3 sections from which water for the farm will be drawn.

Its not only water which will be harvested from this huge dam but also the 3 sections will be pods for fish farming, and around the dam, Kakwenzire is to grow vegetables for the dry season surplus.

Kakwenzire already has 10acres of coffee plantation. She also does piggery, grows bananas, reeds for forage, cassava, mangoes, oranges, yams, and rears dairy cows and local chicken.

It’s this Atamba farm that has turned the entire neighbourhood into a coffee village.

Progressive villagers have joined Kakwenzire willingly and co-operatively to alleviate poverty through modern farming. It’s amazing that Atamba farm, though big, labour is provided by only four people who wake up as early as 4am every day. Kakwenzire also involves her colleagues at PAD in the activities of the farm especially in teaching and encouraging the people in Mwanyangiri village to practice agribusiness.

Both theory and practical farming is done on Atamba farm. The coffee farmers first meet in the classroom to learn the theory then they embark to demonstrations on Atamba farm before transferring the knowledge and skills acquired to the respective plantations. It’s interesting how the coffee farmers quickly understand instructions and demonstrate them as earlier guided during theory lessons.

Kakwenzire says that the reason she has hosted journalists from the East Africa Agribusiness Magazine Ltd on her Atamba Mixed Farm is because she wants it to go public such that people can get out and do something. “I have combined it with my work at PAD and if I had given it all my time, Atamba Mixed Farm would be more than it is today. They are talking about adding value to coffee; if we talk of adding value to pineapples it is amazing. Even processing milk into yogurt or one banana into wine and you see what you get but I leave that to the food scientists”. Kakwenzire concludes.

Kasibinfrancism@yahoo.com

9 March - April, 2015

Cover Story

A Rwandan farmer picking tea in one of the country’s tea plantations.

Rwandan women in agriculture tackle malnutrition

By Gloria Iribagiza

In Rwanda, agriculture cooperatives have been at the forefront of removing several barriers that women face in their roles as farm workers, food producers and primary caregivers. Through various programmes, trainings and awareness campaigns on how to use modern farming techniques, increased agricultural output is becoming achievable and inexpensive.

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ne of the beneficiaries of such initiatives is ‘Abaticumugambi Kabuga’, a women’s only agriculture cooperative located in the Village of Raro, Kabuga. This is in the District of Kamonyi in Eastern Rwanda.

10 March - April, 2015

Patricie Ninyandwi, the soft-spoken President of the cooperative says the objective of the cooperative is to empower women, through focusing on small and large scale crop production and animal husbandry. Formerly a women’s farming association established in 2008, they legalized their status as a coopera-

tive last year. This she says was mostly due to the benefits that are associated with working as a team in established cooperatives.

“The advantages of operating as a cooperative greatly outweigh those of an association,” Patricie says, adding that, “…I have watched the lives of the women we work with change daily.”

Cover Story

Challenges faced According to Patricie, the cooperative’s challenges range from access to capital to venture into bigger projects, embracing ownership of their cooperative, low literacy levels as well as, having access to land to grow crops on a large scale.

Access to land

Ninety-four women are a"liated to the ‘Abaticumugambi -Kabuga’ cooperative. They focus mostly on farming crops such as plantains (bananas), beans, maize, cassava, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, maize, pineapples, passion fruits and avocados in addition to animal husbandry where they rear cattle and pigs According to Patricie, they sell their commodities and products at the local district’s markets. They also take advantage of the annually organized trade-fairs such as the EXPO where they market, display and sell their products.

In Rwanda, over 80 percent of the rural population practices subsistence farming and of whom are mostly women and girls.

On a global scale, widespread discrimination against women and girls, in the social, cultural and legal spheres, has led to lower agricultural productivity and poorer health and nutrition.

The women cooperative currently depends on breeding animals and growing crops on the few plots of land owned by their members, but they mostly rely on renting land to cultivate their crops.

Patricie says she is convinced that when they grow economically as a cooperative, they will be able to own land, “A lot is already being done by the government to make land accessible to women …and maybe at some point we shall also rent out our land for cultivation and make money.”

Rwanda is one of the few countries in Africa where women’s land rights have been placed at the heart of policy; a lot of work is being done to translate these land reforms into practical and fundamental solutions that benefit women in terms of having greater control over household incomes, improved agricultural production and enhances their position in the wider community.

According to a UN Women paper which examines gender equality in 49 African countries—Rwanda inclusive—specific reference to property rights and land ownership was highlighted.

Recently, a nationwide land tenure regularization programme was rolled out in Rwanda which systematically registered over 10.3million parcels of land. The results were more than affirmative with about 66% of women having security of tenure either individually or jointly with their husbands. Generally, overall statistics indicated that in Rwanda, 93 percent of women own public land either singly or jointly—the latter, mostly as agricultural cooperatives.

In light of this, when women have access to land inheritance and ownership, they are assured of progress due to security of tenure and are in a better position to make economically productive and informed decisions that empower them, their families and communities at large.

Reaping the benefits of team work At the initial stages of forming the cooperative, the women at ‘Abaticumugambi -Kabuga’ cooperative had to pay a membership fee of Rwf3000. The primary aim was to sustain their efforts as women in the Kabuga farming community to succeed just as men were.

Being part of an agricultural cooperative, Patricie says, consequently led to, “… improved agricultural production and consequently leading healthy lifestyles within the women’s families.”

Access to credits “When we formed this cooperative, many women had no idea that they were in position to get loans and bank their money in order to gain interest,” Patricie said adding that, “…this lack of financial literacy among most women farmers in rural areas is a very big problem.”

Since she embraced her role as the president of the ‘Abaticumugambi -Kabuga’ women cooperative, Patricie says she had to deal with streamlining the shortfalls in management in order to empower the women to work as a team.

“At first it was quite di"cult for women to embrace the cooperative as their own; they always thought that someone would come and make everything easy for them, which was not helpful at all. “I knew we could have more opportunities if we agreed on many issues especially if we wanted to get financial help and loans for our projects and trainings,” she explained.

11 March - April, 2015

Cover Story empowered, but to be in position to access health services and facilities to ensure safe delivery at birth and buy medication at low costs,” Patricie said.

Therefore, by removing restrictions to accessing education, financial credit, employment opportunities and changing policies that allow women to own land, overall hunger can be overcome as women will be in a better position to earn decent wages and become economically independent.

Changing mindsets

When Patricie was asked whether the cooperative members were knowledgeable about the existence of loans that help small scale farmers, she was quick to emphasise that the women are already benefiting from partnerships with financial institutions like Bank Populaire du Rwanda (BPR) and the Umurenge SACCOS schemes.

Accessing fertilizers and using selected seeds through cooperative bank loans has boosted their crop productivity. She says in the longrun, awareness trainings always pay off because the women have learnt the benefits of working as a team within their cooperative.

“After several meetings we as women agreed to take charge of the cooperative as our initiative—it was a project for Rwandans by Rwandans,” she states.

Tackling malnutrition Furthermore, a UN report on the Right to Food, ‘Gender Equality and Food Security – Women’s Empowerment as a Tool Against Hunger’, states that women and girls make up 60 percent of undernourished people in the world.

“We were not limited to growing crops by using modern methods of farming, but also gained education on how to prepare a balanced diet in order to eradicate malnutrition in our children and families,” Patricie said. In Rwanda, about 2 percent of children under-five years of age suffer from severe malnutrition, according to Ministry of Health indicators. Within the same age bracket, 11

12 March - April, 2015

percent of these children are underweight and 44 percent suffer from chronic malnutrition.

These cases have been attributed to ignorance associated with parents especially mothers who do not know how to feed their children on a balanced diet.

Patricie cited community initiatives such as ‘Akagoroba k’ababyeyi’, a platform in several villages where women meet at cell-level to discuss ideas on best practices of improving their livelihoods, socially, economically and culturally—and overcoming malnutrition is a core topic of discussion.

The women in her cooperative have taken advantage of such platforms and are contributing towards encouraging other women farmers to join cooperatives. In addition, as a women’s agriculture cooperative, they ventured into acquiring Rwanda’s public medical health insurance (Mituelle de Sante) for all their members.

“We not only wanted to be economically

Patricie attributes most of the cooperative’s success to a change in mindset among the women. For example, the cooperative president says, “at the start of the association, most women believed that they had no major roles to play in their community because they were not educated enough, or that they couldn’t make life changing decisions on their own unless their husbands made them.”

This myth was challenged after a series of campaigns by their village local leaders, government officials and Non-Government Organisations that facilitated several programmes.

“We now know that our well-being and that of our families is our responsibility,” Patricie says and, “…are have taken charge of our problems and are enlightened when it comes to expressing our rights as women for example; we are now in position to handle Gender-Based violence cases in our homes and communities.”

In order to lay lasting foundations for a better future for their children, the women had to denounce wrong mentalities in their community and homes—the cooperative’s members begun to see the importance of ensuring that their daughters remained in school in acknowledgement that their education was as important as that of the boys.

A study by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) estimates that closing the gender gap between women and men, in accessing productive resources such as land, credit, machinery or chemicals and fertilisers, could eliminate crop yield gaps of 20 to 30 percent. This would in turn increase domestic agricultural output by 2.5 to 4 percent; meaning that there would be approximately 100 million fewer people living in hunger.

Source: http://www.theservicemag.com/

Farm Guide

START-UP GUIDE TO MANGO GROWING

13 March - April, 2015

Farm Guide

How to grow mangoes commercially Mangoes can now be grown commercially. Initially, mangoes were only enjoyed from March to May, but now locally grown mangoes can be enjoyed anytime of the year. Here is a simple guide to mango growing. The mango is an evergreen fruit tree, It is the most widely distributed of all fruits in Uganda. It flourishes in Districts that are too dry for orange; and in these areas the fruit ripens to a yellow or orange colour and develops its full flavour.

T

he tree is often planted as a shade tree, although it may harbor mosquitoes because of its dense foliage. The seeds germinate readily and the trees are able to compete with the native vegetation and resist bush fires. Most of the varieties grown in Uganda are consumed locally and are of inferior quality with little commercial value. In the early 1990’s many improved varieties were introduced from Puerto Rico and are being promoted countrywide.

Climate The mango is adapted to both tropical and subtropical conditions. Temperature range is 21- 25oC. Rainfall of at least 600 mm/year and an altitude of 1,500-2,000m are ideal for the crop.

The crop is intolerant to saline conditions.

A dry period of at least 3 months is necessary for flowering. The tree requires plenty of sunshine for optimum growth and fruiting.

Dancan, Early Gold, Erwin, Palmar, Palvin.

Medium canopy and fairly early yielding varieties: Zillate, Pinero, Alfonso, Apple, Kent, Keitt. Large canopy and fairly early yielding varieties: Boribo, Ssejjembe, Bire.

Bire, Ssejjembe, Ssu and Kate are some of the local selections.

Management Practises Propagation It is highly recommended that planting materials for the improved mango varieties should be grafted or budded (shoot joined on rootstock). This practice reduces time to flowering to 2-3 years instead of 6 -7 years if seed is planted. Suitable rootstocks are used which withstand soil born diseases. Most trees bear 2 times a year.

Soils and site selection Mangoes require deep soils with good drainage not necessarily fertile but mangoes can thrive in a wide range of soil types.

Types/Varieties Three types of mangoes are common in Uganda; small canopy: Florigon, Glenn,

14 March - April, 2015

Grafting of mangoes

Mango budding

Grafted mangoes

Farm Guide and put back into the hole to cover the first 30cm. Make a small hole within and plant in the grafted seedling. The plastic bags used for potting should be removed before planting.

When covering the hole a basin should be made around each plant for harvesting water.

Each plant should be mulched around and a cage or perimeter fencing put in place to avoid damage by animals. One month after transplanting, the grafting tape should be removed.

Any shoots, which grow below the point of union should also be removed.

Watering When planting is done during low rainfall season, the young plants should be watered at least once a week to avoid drying. It is also advisable to give water during flowering, where possible, to avoid flower abortion.

Watering after fruit set reduces fruit abortion and increases fruit size.

off ground to trap falling fruits for tall trees.

Collect fruits in a wooden box with smooth inner surface. Avoid picking fruits from the ground.

Insect pests, Diseases and their control Mango can be attacked by many diseases which reduce quality and yield. The major diseases of economic importance in Uganda are: anthracnose and powdery mildew.

Anthracnose The disease attacks young shoots, flowers and fruits causing leaf spots, drying twig tips and dark spots on fruits. Black spots develop on fruits, which leads to cracking. Fruits infected at mature stage carry the fungus into storage and cause considerable loss during storage, transit and marketing. Wet conditions favour the disease.

Fertiliser Requirements Apply manure once a year at the beginning of the rainy season. Put at least 2 tins per tree, applied around one metre from the tree.

For artificial fertilizers, put about 1 plastic tumpeco around the tree. Avoid putting too much nitrogen fertilizers to your mango plants during productive stage. Smoking in the field and cutting the bark of the tree encourages flowering.

Weed management

Anthracnose mango

Slash the orchard regularly. Do not dig through as this will damage roots and cause root rot diseases. Where mulching materials are available, mulching is encouraged.

Production Mango spacing depends on the rainfall pattern and soil fertility. In Uganda, the recommended spacing for optimum plant population is 8m x 8m giving 144 plants per hectare (58 plants per acre).

Depending on the variety, the time from flowering to maturity is 100-150 days. Under good management 400-600 fruits per tree per year can be produced. Yield range is 10-16 ton/ha depending on management, variety and age of orchard. In the case of improved varieties, fruits can weigh 0.3 – 2 kg each.

Planting

Harvesting

Medium fine field is adequate. Dig holes 60cm deep and 60cm wide while separating top soil from sub (red) soil. Mix well decomposed manure with top soil at 1:1 ratio

Harvest mature fruits and with smooth, undamaged skin. Use a long stick with a knife and basket at the tip or just long stick with knife and clothes or polythene spread below,

Spacing

Mango leaves affected by anthracnose

15 March - April, 2015

FARM GUIDE

Control

Control

Mango seed weevil

The fungus has a long survival ability on dead plant parts. The diseased parts should be pruned and burnt. Remove rotting fruits from the orchard. Where the disease is severe, apply fungicides before flowers set to reduce flower infection. Fungicide such as Ridomil and Antracol alternated at 10-15 day intervals at quantities indicated on the package are recommended.

Control and prevention is possible through use of resistant varieties.

Ridomil, Antracol or Thiovit sprays alternated with Dithane M45 at 10-15 day intervals at quantities indicated on the package is recommended for the control of the disease.

Spraying can start at the signs and repeated after 2 weeks until fruit set. Once young tissue has hardened it is no longer susceptible and s책praying can be stopped.

This is a serious pest of mangoes in the tropics.

The female lays eggs on partially developed fruits.

The eggs hatch and the maggots bore through the flesh into the seed where they feed and develop damaging the seed. There is a discoloration at the point of entry.

Powdery mildew The sign of the disease is the white powdery fungal growth on leaves, stalks and flowers. Rain and cool nights are favourable conditions for disease spread. Young leaves when infected develop white patches and later become curled and distorted. The fungus persists on older leaves and when conditions are favourable spores are blown onto susceptible tissue.

Pests The major pests attacking mangoes include: fruitfly and mango seed weevil. Minor ones are scales and mealy bugs.

Control Burying by removing fallen fruits and burying them in a pit.

Spraying the trees, especially the stems, with a suitable insecticide e.g. Dimethoate or Dursban at the quantity indicated on the package.

Fruit fly This is one of the most serious pest of mango in the country affecting the marketing of fresh fruits. The female punctures the maturing fruits and lays eggs in small clusters inside the fruit.

After hatching, the larvae feed on the fruit that appears normal from outside. The maggots later fall on the ground for further growth. When infested fruits are cut open, maggots of the fruit fly are seen in the damaged flesh.

Mango fruit fly

Control

Mildew affected flowers

Mildew affected leaves

16 March - April, 2015

Collection and burying of infested and dropped fruits.

Spray suitable insecticide at quantities indicated on the package e.g. Dimethoate, 7 weeks and 3 weeks before picking. Salut and Dursban can also be used.

Mango fruit fly spot

Mango fruit fly damage

FARM GUIDE

Marketing of mangoes and Value Addition Traditionally Mangoes have been known to grow wildly and different varieties are grown in almost all the districts of Uganda. Many rural and semi-urban homesteads in Uganda have at least a Mango tree planted somewhere on the farm. The introduction of improved varieties of mangoes has encouraged mango commercial farming in Uganda. The Central region and Eastern Uganda are the main sources of Mangoes.

T

he mangoes are grown by local farmers mainly for the home consumption and the excess if any to sale for cash.

The volumes are therefore not enough to meet both the local and export demand. The fruits processors do not have enough volumes of mangoes throughout the year and they have therefore to resort to the importation of mango concentrates from abroad.

Export market Uganda’s exports both fresh and dried mangoes to small niche markets in Germany and UK for organic dried mangoes.

The fruits fetche better prices when exported especially between November and December where there is less competition.

VALUE ADDITION Value addition helps to widen market scope and reduce post harvest loses. It gives

the product a higher value. Green or ripe mangoes can be processed and value added into various products as follows:Green Mangoes can be used for making of Pickles, Preserves, Desserts, Chutneys and can also be eaten when ripe.

Dried mangoes can be used in to make Mango juice, Mango concentrate, Mango jam, Mango jelly and ÂşMango syrup/ canned mango

Mango juice made by the Makerere University Food Science & Technology Department

17 March - April, 2015

product enhancement

Grow fodder in six days and feed cows on the seventh My name is Oliver Ndegwa. I had chosen a training path that would have ended in a career in radio frequency engineering. As matter of fact, pursuit for training in engineering had taken me to distant Finland.

It didn’t quite turn out that way for me and today I’m a researcher in hydroponic technologies all geared towards making the lives of farmers more profitable and easier.

H

ydroponics, a subset of hydroculture, is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil.

But there is a good reason for this shift in my career path. I’m very much my father’s son. I spent many years at the feet of my late father, Charles Ndegwa, the National Agricultural Research Laboratories/Kari researcher who engineered the nationally acclaimed 614 maize seed.

From my father, I learnt the importance of research as a means to greater food production, greater returns and higher standards of living.

After working in the ICT industry for a while, I got a job at Agrotunnel International Ltd as a researcher. A few years ago, one of the directors at Agrotunnel, Faridah Marete, attended an agribusiness course at USIU sponsored by Melinda Gates.

The course exposed to her the pain of dairy farmers who struggled to increase production without reducing their profit margins. She saw a business opportunity and challenged me to find a solution to farmers’ fodder problems.

I took my time to look for alternative methods that farmers in developed countries use to feed their animals during droughts.

What do they do differently to increase and sustain milk, meat and egg production without increasing costs? I asked myself.

In Australia, I discovered, they started using hydroponic fodder in 1940s. By the 1970s, other countries like India, Canada, America and South Africa had adopted it to feed their animals.

18 March - April, 2015

Farmers in those countries have increased milk and meat production and also slashed

their production costs. Hydroponics require only water and grain. No fertilizers are used.

product enhancement I was convinced that hydroponics is what we were looking for. To effectively venture into this line of work and research, we formed Fodder Grow as a subsidiary of Agro-tunnel International. We brought together five directors.

Hydroponics allows farmers to grow fodder in a record six days. It drastically reduces the time a farmer spends looking for fodder and increases milk production. It is ideal for small and large-scale farmers. It is also important in rearing chickens.

Commonly used Hydroponics is a fusion of the old and the new. It was practised in older civilisations in

Eng. Oliver Ndegwa tends to his hydroponics crops at his farm in Kiambu.

Egypt, Mexico and China. However, it has been under constant research and improvement over the years.

Cereals such as sorghum, rice, maize and sim sim are some the mostly commonly used seed for hydroponic productions. Under proper production guidelines, the fodder matures in just six days — hence giving the farmer easy access to animal feed.

On day one, for instance, dry barley grains come in contact with water in trays and swells.

On day two, the grain bursts and roots sprout followed by a shoot on day three. On day four, the shoot continues to grow and at this stage, this fodder can be fed to chickens. The green fodder grows further on day five and six and on day seven, it can be fed to livestock.

The most suitable material for hydroponics is aluminium trays. Some small-scale farmer have been improvising and using such materials as cold galvanised steel trays or greenhouse polythene.

What many forget or don’t know is that galvanised iron rusts when it comes into contact with water. This poses several health hazards when consumed by animals. Polythene is also a breeding ground for mould and consequently, aflatoxin which can kill animals. Aflatoxin-contaminated milk and meat are also toxic to humans.

At a cost of Kshs100,000, we can put up a unit capable of producing 50kgs of fodder a day. This is enough to feed five cows on a small holding. We can use local materials to make a small unit to produce 20kg of fodder at a cost of Kshs50,000.

We have put up units in Nakuru, Kajiado and Kiambu counties. The unit in Kiambu produces a tonne of fodder a day while the one in Nakuru produces three tonnes a day, which is enough to feed 300 cows.

Through Agrotunnel International, we have now working with Egerton and Makerere universities to equip farmers with the skills for fodder production. We have trained farmers and government officials from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria and Ethiopia.

We are currently recruiting for fodder production training in South Africa before the end of November.

Engineer on a mission to grow home farming

By Annie Njanja

Oliver Ndegwa is a telecommunications engineer.

However, since growing interest in farming years ago, he has switched his line of work. Besides constructing greenhouses, he also helps Kenyans adopt new farming techniques.

H

e says his greatest pleasure is seeing a farmer he nurtured do well.

His experience has taught him that good farming business can only be realised when farmers start small and grow slowly.

Vertical farming And now he has a dream for Nairobi residents; he wants them to change their backyards, balconies and car parks into gardens.

“I have discovered that Kenyans own huge pieces of land in their rural areas. My plan is to help them experience farming on a small scale in their homes before they retire to their rural homes,” said Ndegwa, the founder of Agrotunnnel.

He says teaching Kenyans small-scale farming is like helping them make a retirement plan.

He says those with backyards can build agrotunnels (small green houses) and grow own food to stop reliance on markets.

He adds that growing vegetables would help cut down on the cost of living substantially.

Besides intensive farming, he also helps residents adapt vertical or hydroponic farming technologies.

“This kind of farming can be done from a balcony,” he said.

He charges Kshs50,000 for installation of an agro-tunnel and Kshs5,000 in helping a farmer set up and adapt the technology.

19 March - April, 2015

Opinion

AGRI-BUSINESS INNOVATION

CHALLENGE Boosting smallholder farming in Uganda

20,000 Euros ICCO’S AGRI-BUSINESS INNOVATION CHALLENGE LAUNCHED Through an informed vision of agri-tools and technology aimed at boosting smallholder farming in Uganda, ICCO Cooperation, an international Dutch Development Organization, has launched its Agri-business Innovative Challenge both in Kampala and The Hague, Netherlands.

The challenge is meant to kick-start and boost the businesses of innovative agri-entrepreneurs in Uganda. This challenge

20 March - April, 2015

involves cash prizes up to 20,000 Euros for the three most promising businesses to roll out their business models, and a chance to qualify for investment by the ICCO Investment Fund.

The first Agri-entreprenuer will bag 20,000 Euros (about Ushs 65M), the second 10,000 Euros (Ushs 35m) and the third runner-up 5,000 Euros (Ushs17m). For more information; www. abc.co.ug

Coming Soon

IAL EC ON SP ITI ED

Opinion

Agriculture sector handbook- 2015 The East Africa Agribusiness Magazine who have partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture, animal industry and Fisheries to publish a sector handbook, highlighting 10 years of transformation of the agricultural sector in Uganda.

TO ADVERTSE, CALL: 0772 524 165/0774 916 019/0776781316 The East Africa Agribusiness Magazine Ltd P. O. Box 33752, Kampala-Uganda Tel: +256 (0)414 223 471 / +256 (0)200 902 012 Fax: +256 (0) 414 223 475 Email: info@ea-agribusiness. co. ug Website: www. ea-agribusiness. co. ug

Commercialization of cassava will increase production 21 March - April, 2015

Analysis

Food prices: smallholder farmers can be part of the solution

By Godrick Dambyo

Recent price volatility on international markets is putting pressure on global food security. For the 2 billion people who live and work on small farms in developing countries, life has become more precarious. But with the right investment policies and development programmes in place, smallholder farmers have a huge potential to increase food production, improving their lives and contributing to greater food security for all.

T

he roots of the recent food security crisis go back almost 30 years, when investment in agriculture started to decline because of the growing perception that agriculture was unprofitable. In 1979, aid to agriculture was 18 per cent of total assistance. By 2006, it was just 2.9 per cent. Domestically, government investment in agriculture in developing countries also fell, by one third in Africa and by as much as two thirds in Asia and Latin America during this period.

In many developing countries, particularly low-income countries, a policy vacuum accompanied the decrease in investment. Governments dismantled older, costly instruments that had supported agriculture, but did not replace them with new, more effective ones.

In the absence of spending and supportive policies, the growth rate of agricultural productivity began to drop, from some 3.5 per cent in the 1980s to about 1.5 per cent today. Global food stocks also diminished – by about 3.4 per cent a year since 1995.

Today food security is critical. Climate change is expected to reduce the availability of arable land and water. And more agricultural land is being devoted to bio-fuels rather than to food crops.

At the same time, a growing and more affluent world population is raising demand for food. To meet this demand, cereal production will need to rise by an estimated 50 per cent by 2030 and meat production by 85 per cent. The question of who produces this food is crucially important.

Most of the world’s smallholder farmers are struggling to live and to feed their families on less than US$2 a day. Many have not been able to respond to increased demand because they lack

22 March - April, 2015

access to assets and capital, and they face higher transaction costs, which makes it difficult for them to adapt and respond quickly to market developments.

Smallholder farmers do not compete on equitable terms in local, regional or global markets.

Often they lack access to markets because roads are poor or transportation is too expensive. And higher food prices do not always filter down to the farm-gate, where poor farmers often have to sell their produce.

As a result, the increased demand is being met by large commercial farmers in developed and

food-exporting countries. From 2007 to 2008, cereal production in developed countries increased by 11 per cent. Production in developing countries rose by 0.9 per cent in the same period.

And when Brazil, India and mainland China are excluded, production in developing countries actually fell by 1.6 per cent.

Supporting smallholder farmers would not only enhance world food security, but would make a significant dent in poverty. Leaving them out of the equation will push many into greater poverty and hunger.

When people cannot make a living on the land,

Analysis they are often forced to leave it. This economic mi- have greater bargaining power in the marketplace gration has implications for social tension, urban and can influence national, regional and global poverty and conflict. policies related to agriculture.

Above all, smallholder farmers need a longThe power of smallholder farms term commitment to agriculture from their own Smallholder farms are often very efficient in governments and the international community, terms of production per hectare, and they have tre- backed up by greater investment. mendous potential for growth. Experience shows Intervation of the international that helping smallholder farmers can contribute to a country’s economic growth and food security. community For example, Vietnam has gone from being a foodIFAD recognizes the need for a concerted, deficit country to a major food exporter, and it is comprehensive and coordinated effort by the now the second largest rice exporter in the world. international community. It played an active role It achieved this largely through development of its in the High Level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis, established by the United Nations Secretary-General in April 2008. The task force produced a Comprehensive Framework for Action, which aims to ensure that the international effort is well planned and coordinated. IFAD now hosts the Rome hub of the Secretariat of the task force.

Partnerships are essential in overcoming hunger and addressing food security. IFAD’s key partners are poor rural people and their organizations.

IFAD also works with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Bank and other partners. In this broad partnership, governments play a key role in guiding international efforts to ensure an effective, efficient and coherent response to the challenge of global food security.

IFAD was set up to help combat rural hunger and poverty. It focuses on strengthening the capacity of poor rural people to respond to and shape the challenges and opportunities they face.

Farmers’ organizations play a key role in defending the interests of poor rural people in an increasingly competitive and global market. Strengthening these organizations is fundamental to the way smallholder farming sector. In 2007 the poverty IFAD works. rate fell below 15 per cent, compared with 58 per During the Eighth Replenishment of IFAD’s cent in 1979. Seventy-three per cent of Vietnam’s resources in 2008, IFAD’s Member States agreed population live in rural areas, and agriculture is to contribute US$1.2 billion to the Fund. This their main source of income. means that IFAD was able to considerably expand Smallholder farmers can contribute to greater its programme of work up to US$3 billion durfood supply for the world. But, first, they need ing the period from 2010 to 2012. It continued secure access to land and water – as well as to rural to strengthen its development effectiveness and financial services to pay for seed, tools and fertilexpand its investments in sustainable agricultural izer. They also need roads and transportation to get production in order to guarantee food security, their products to market, and technology to receive nutrition and rural development, and to eliminate and share the latest market information on prices. the root causes of hunger.

And they need stronger organizations, so they can

Key facts ■■ The world population is expected to grow by 50 per cent by 2050.

■■ Food production will need to rise by 50 per cent by 2030 to meet growing demand.

■■ There are about 500 million small farms in developing countries, supporting almost 2 billion people – one third of humanity.

■■ From 2007 to 2008, the number of undernourished people in the world rose by 40 million to a total of 963 million.

■■ Despite the decline in international prices in the second half of 2008, in December 2008 FAO’s Food Price Index was 28 per cent higher than in 2005. Domestic food prices remain very high in several developing countries affecting access to food of low-income population groups.

■■ Government spending on agriculture in the world’s poorest countries averages 4 per cent of public expenditure.

■■ Development aid to agriculture was 4.6 per cent in 2007, compared with 18 per cent in 1979.

23 March - April, 2015

Technology

A Balton Uganda demonstration greenhouse during the Nile National Agricultural Trade Show in Jinja in July 2012.

Photo: East Africa Agribusiness

Greenhouse farming an ideal mode of farming for small land holders

By East Africa Agribusiness Team

While the population is ever growing, land size remains fixed. Thus there is increasing pressure on land especially for agricultural or food production. In Uganda, about 80% of the population depends on agriculture for both food and employment.

O

ne of the ways to get around this challenge of increasing shortage of land is to embrace new technologies and modes of farming that require small space but produce high yields.

The Ministry of Agriculture and private stakeholders are promoting Greenhouse farming as one of the strategies to counter land shortage and increase food production.

A greenhouse is a structure in which crops are grown. These structures range from small sheds to industrial-size structures.

Greenhouse farming is the type of farming in

24 March - April, 2015

which crops are grown in built structure with different types of covering materials such as glass or plastic roofing and walls.

There are two types of greenhouse farming.

One is growing crops directly in the soil on open space where the plants are susceptible to soilborne diseases.

The second type of greenhouse farming is growing crops in artificial enclosed systems such as cocopeat, vermiculite etc which are disease free and require controlled fertilizer application through irrigation.

The good news for farmers in Uganda is that the technology to start this type of farming is available in the country. One of the companies

providing this is Balton Uganda Limited.

Basic requirements to set up a greenhouse The first step is to get funds to buy the necessary equipments required for constructing the greenhouse.

According to the Manager for Irrigation and Agro Technical Department at Balton Uganda, it is also important to consider weather.

Weather Farmers in countries that experience winter have to set up a covered greenhouse to provide the crops with necessary warmth or heating.

Technology Farmers in warmer countries like Uganda need a shed. Weather is important to consider because it provides the ideal environment for the crops to grow.

Location A farmer must make sure that the greenhouse receives sufficient sunlight for healthy growth of the crops.

and training in greenhouse farming in addition to other measures such as growing market targeted products.

Advantages The beauty with a greenhouse is that the structure can last at least 15 years. In one acre of land, one can have close to 8 greenhouses especially those who would like to go into large scale com-

mercial farming.

Greenhouse farming is clean because it doesn’t require using the ordinary hoe and touching the soil. A farmer is provided with protective gear.

Crops in a greenhouse are less contaminated with chemicals because the latter are mixed with water in the tank that is passed onto the plants using the drip

Ventilation It’s one of the key components in a successful greenhouse. Without proper ventilation, the greenhouse and crops will be affected. Ventilation regulates temperature in the greenhouse and allows movement of air to prevent build-up of plant pathogens.

Ventilation also ensures supply of fresh air for photosynthesis, plant respiration and helps vital pollinators to access the greenhouse to pollinate the crops. Ventilation can be achieved by use of vents - often controlled automatically - and recirculation fans.

Be careful about the shades to cover the greenhouse. Glass-made shades or fiber-made shades are the most recommended because they are durable and can easily stand against tough weather conditions. These shades also retain moisture content and warmth in the greenhouse.

Another important factor to consider is availability of the source of water. Plants in a greenhouse depend entirely on irrigation to grow.

Thus the farmer must be assured of the source of water for irrigation.

Also a greenhouse farmer must have a dedicated caretaker to make sure the crops are irrigated in time because the life of the plants there depends on water through irrigation.

Getting materials for greenhouse One of the suppliers of greenhouse farming materials in Uganda is Balton Uganda, an Israeli company which gets the materials from its home country.

Beating risks in greenhouse farming Like other types of farming or business, greenhouse farming is associated with some risks and challenges which include weather and market volatility, poor inputs like seeds, limited technical assistance and agro-support, skills limitation and lack of appropriate technology.

In order to beat these risks, farmers are advised to invest in appropriate production technologies

25 March - April, 2015

Mechanisation

Choosing the right tractor for your farm

By Jim Middleton

Mechanised farming does not only increase production but also improves quality of the crop. There is a variety of machinery used in the production process especially at farm level. The most commonly used machinery in farming is a tractor. Tractors too are of various types and a farmer needs to know which type he should buy depending on various factors like the terrain of the farm, type of crop he wants to grow, the amount of money at his disposal, among other considerations.

T

he initial choice facing a farmer may be a two-wheel (walking) tractor versus the conventional four-wheel tractor. There is a big difference in price between the two types, which is the reason the two wheel tractors have found favour from many governments and donor agencies. But does this efficiency in price translate into performance in the field?

In 2011 the European Union commissioned a study into the effectiveness of twowheel tractors supplied under an EU donor programme. After visiting around 50 farms in North Korea and Tanzania, the EU consultant concluded that the programme had not been very successful. There were several reasons for this.

■■ Two-wheel tractors are ineffective for draft operations (that happen below the surface such as ploughing) as they were unable to reach the required depth. Also the mould boards exhibited very high rates of tear and wear and quickly became unusable.

■■ Almost all operators complained of the excessive amount of physical effort to operate the machines for more than two hours.

■■ The use of a single cylinder engine causes high level of vibration leading to components failure through fatigue. Of all the tractors

26 March - April, 2015

examined, 95% were found to have failures on the exhaust silencers and air cleaners. The transmissions, belt guards and handlebars also suffered frequent failures.

■■ When used for transport, the trailer drawbar registered 100% failure rate, with many units having been repaired several times. This puts the driver at a risk of personal injury from being run over by the trailer when it fails.

■■ On sloping land, the large flywheel mounted on one side of the engine made the machines inherently unstable and overturning was a common problem.

■■ The fuel consumption was very high compared to output.

There is a place for the two-wheel tractor but this would be primarily using powered implements in the production of high value crops on a very small scale such as growing vegetables in a greenhouse. They are clearly not suited for large scale field use on crops such as maize, cotton, wheat and others.

So having made the decision that a tractor with a wheel at each corner is desirable, what are the main factors that should affect the farmer’s choice? The single most important factor is availability of spare parts and service for the tractor. This is fundamental as every tractor will need spare parts and service.

A tractor in rural Uganda To import spare parts into Uganda from distinguished UK suppliers takes at least 5-7 days by courier. If they are imported from India or China, it can take over four weeks.

A one-week delay for a farmer from the optimum planting date is a long time. It can result in significant yield losses. It is therefore essential that the local supplier, for example in Uganda, has a large stock of spare parts. It is advisable a farmer looks for an established dealer who sells a large number of tractors

Mechanisation very few good used tractors for sale.

But also it is advisable to avoid buying cheap second hand tractors from Europe.

The specifications of these tractors are usually different from the models sold new in Africa.

They have more electronics, computers and hydraulic functions. And would therefore require computer diagnostic software to trace problems. Given that even their spare parts will not be readily available on the Ugandan market, such tractors would be much more expensive to operate in the long run.

Buying a new tractor has advantages as you will benefit from the manufacturer’s warranty, lower operating costs in the early years, higher availability and it will be easier to get financing from a bank. It is also important to buy new tractors from the official dealer and not from the bond/warehouse yard dealers who cannot provide the manufacturer’s warranty, spare parts or service and often sell lower quality tractors not specified for the Ugandan market.

2 versus 4-wheel tractors A two-wheel drive tractor will initially require less capital amount and maintenance costs. But it’s less efficient in the field. At 90hp engine power and above, except for specialised transport operations, only a fourwheel drive tractor is capable of transferring the power to the land. For lower horsepower units, a two-wheel tractor can be used for field operations, but it is less efficient in the field than its 4-wheel counterpart.

Engine Power

each year. Basic economics dictate that even the most committed dealer cannot stock many spare parts if he is only selling a few machines. A farmer should insist on seeing the dealer’s spare parts store. If the dealer is reluctant to show you his store, it suggests he does not hold a large stock of spares.

If you are satisfied that one or a number of different dealers can support the machines with spares and service, then the other factor affecting your choice will largely depend on

your budget.

New versus Used tractors: In a mature market, such as Europe, there is a vibrant market for second hand tractors as many large farmers will change their tractors every 2-4 years.

There is plenty of good quality used tractors.

However, in Uganda, very few companies have a replacement policy. They tend to keep their tractors for many years and sell when they are worn out. Coupled with the countrywide shortage of tractors, this means there are

Higher horsepower tractors are generally more efficient and economic to operate. But they require bigger capital and their implements are comparably more expensive. The drive for very high horsepower (200+hp) machines has to a large extent been driven by increasing labour costs in first world countries, which does not apply in Africa. The tractor of 120-130hp combines good field efficiency with reasonable cost, without being too complicated and would be the best choice for the large scale farmer or contractor. Where the tractor will be used in smaller fields with time spent on the road between fields, then a smaller tractor would be more suitable.

27 March - April, 2015

Mechanisation

UGANDA NATIONAL ROADS AUTHORITY

UNRA PAVES 1200KM ROADS; 5,000KM FOR TARMACKING BY 2016

Transport infrastructure is one of the crucial elements of communication and development. Typically, Ugandan road network is made up unpaved roads such as tracks, trails, footpaths, and natural, gravel and earth roads that link rural villages and towns and often connect to, in this case, farmers to markets as well as other social.

S

ince its formation in July 2008, The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has taken a big step in the provision and maintenance of National Roads in a more efficient and effective way.

And by 2016, UNRA’s tarmac roads network will be 5000km. “UNRA’s Strategic Plan is to tarmac 2000km gravel roads and rehabilitate 700km of old paved roads over

R-L: Museveni, EU Ambassador Kristian Schmidt and Contractor Gilberto Rodgrigues flag off Northern By-Pass.

28 March - April, 2015

the next 5 years,” said UNRA Board Chairperson, Angella Kanyima Kiryabwire during launch of Kampala Northern Bypass capacity upgrade project February 23, 2015.

Of UNRA’s network of 21,000 km; only 19% (4000km) is paved hence the need for more wok hard to attain the 80% paved roads, planned under Uganda Vision 2040.

UNRA has since 2008 tarmacked only 4,000km from 2,800km of the national roads

network and reconstructed over 1,000km of old paved roads.

Kiryabwire appreciated the efforts of the Government of Uganda together with other road sector development partners, particularly the European Union and the European Investment Bank for their support, especially towards the development of the Northern Corridor Route.

Opinion

Kampala northern bypass The 21km Kampala Northern Bypass is a dual carriageway from Busega roundabout to Kampala-Jinja highway at Namboole. The second phase include construction of the second lane along an existing 17.5km single carriageway road. About 3.5km between Hoima Road and Gayaza Road is originally constructed as dual carriageway. It will also include the construction of bridges, to enhance the capacity of the 17.5Km section.

The Scope of work involves the upgrading of the existing bypass to dual two-lane Limited access highway with 100km/hr design speed. The pavement layer shall comprise 300mm stabilised subbase; 180mm dense bituminous macadambase course and 50mm asphalt concrete wearing course.

Three new pedestrian bridges and a number of bus-stands will be constructed; road safety equipment installed, including vehicle restraint barriers, horizontal and vertical markings, a segregated footway throughout the alignment, service lanes, pedestrian fencing and full length lighting. The contract for the project was awarded to MotaEngil through competitive bidding and will be under the Supervision is COWI. The European union funds the project.

Acholi Bur-Musingo Rd Upgrade Acholi Bur– Musingo road is part of OlwiyoGulu-Acholi Bur-Musingo road corridor that opens up Northern Uganda up to the border with Southern Sudan. The road provides access to the extreme north of Uganda and Southern Sudan, and, 86km long Acholi Bur-Musingo road is an access to Nwoya, Gulu, Pader and Kitgum districts.

On February 21, 2015, a UShs195bn Acholi Bur-Musingo road upgrade from gravel to bitumen standard was launched. The government is funding the construction, acquisition of land and compensation of the affected. When completed, the road will be 7m wide with two 1.5m-wide surfaced shoulders, an overall roadway width of 10m. A cross-section with parking lanes but

Upgrade of Acholi Bur-Musingo road already commenced. without shoulders will be constructed through the trading zones.

Walkways and bus bays will also be provided where required. Road safety features will include road kerbs, road signs, road markings, rumble strips, road humps and guardrails. The project will be undertaken by Chonqing International Construction Corporation (CICO) and supervised by KOM Consult Limited.

Olwiyo-Gulu 70.3km Road Paving The Government of Uganda (GoU) under its National Roads Development and Maintenance Programme (NRDMP) is improving the condition of selected road sections on the national network to enhance economic development.

Thus,the Olwiyo-Gulu 70.3km road is to get an upgrade to bituminous standard stems starting at Olwiyo trading centre, on KarumaPakwach highway to Gulu town 70.3km.

The objectives of the project are to improve access to goods/passenger transport services and reduce transport cost along the route. The paved

road will improve access to social and economic development opportunities along the route and enhance the communities’ integration into the rest of the country.

The road is to be upgraded to Class II bitumen standard with a Double Bituminous Surfacing wearing course, a carriageway width of 7.0m and 1.5m wide shoulders on either side.

Musita-Lumino/Busia-Majanji road The upgrade of 104km Musita-Lumino/ Busia-Majanji road from gravel to bitumen standard has been commissioned at a February 22, 2015 ceremony at Mwezi Primary School in Mpugwe Sub-county of Mayuge District.

The 104km project road, an alternative route to Kenya and the Port of Mombasa will improve the access to the districts of Mayuge, Namayingo, Bugiri, Tororo and Busia. The travel distance, time and cost to and from the districts that the road serves will considerably be reduced.

UNRA has contracted the UShs206bn construction works to China Railway 18th Group, supervised by Consulting Engineering in associa-

29 March - April, 2015

UGANDA NATIONAL ROADS AUTHORITY tion with MBW. The double bituminous road will have a carriageway width of 7.0m with 1.5m wide sealed shoulders on either side. Some built up areas will be provided with 2.5m extra parking lanes and/ or 1.5m wide walk ways.

Communities that the road serves have been urged to maximize the completed road’s economic use in improving the quality of their living standards.

The population is further called upon to safeguard and protect road furniture, ensuring the continued safety of the road user.

Kanoni-Sembabule Villa Maria Road Upgrade The February 24, 2015 construction launch formality marks the commencement of another 110km upgrade on Uganda’s national roads network, advancing Government’s strategy for poverty eradication, economic development and regional integration.

Kanoni-Ssembabule-Villa Maria 110km road project will significantly improve access of the districts of Bukomansimbi, Ssembabule, Butambala and Gomba to Kampala and the rest of Uganda. The paved road will considerably reduce travel time and cost to and from the served districts.

Kanoni –Ssembabule-Villa Maria road upgrade from gravel to bitumen is part of a wider Government funded National Road Development and Maintenance Programme (NRDMP), solely implemented with financing from the Government of Uganda. Other similarly funded on-going roads projects include Mpigi Kanoni, Olwiyo-Gulu-Kitgum-Musingo, MusitaLumino-Busia/ Majanji, Ishaka – Kagamba, Moroto– Nakapiripirit, and the newly completed Hoima–Kaiso–Tonya, Mbarara-Kikagati, BugiriMalaba/Busia and Kampala–Masaka roads.

The others for which contractors have been procured and will start any time this year are Mubende-Kakumiro-Kibaale-Kagadi, MukonoKayunga-Njeru and Hoima-Butiaba-Wanseko, a manifestation of Government’s resolve to develop the country through improved inter

30 March - April, 2015

President Museveni commissioning the 104km Musita-Lumino/BusiaMajanji road. linkages.

Managing the project, UNRA has contracted the UShs239bn construction to China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group, under the Supervision of AECOM RoA limited.

The construction will yield a double bituminous seal standard road with a carriageway width of 7.0m with 1.5m wide sealed shoulders; some built up areas will have 2.5m extra parking lanes and/or 1.5m wide walk ways.

Mbarara Bypass Works and Transport Minister, Eng.John Byabagambi said, “This event is a clear indicator of the success and effectiveness of the partnership between Uganda government and the European Union over the years.”

The February 28, 2015 ground-breaking formality for the construction of Mbarara bypass is indicative of the success and effectiveness of European Union and Uganda Government partnership over the years. The Bypass is part of the very important Northern Corridor Route, which starts from Malaba/ Busia and ends at Katuna in the South Western Uganda.

Circuiting Mbarara town, the project is 13.8km with 1.2km access to Mbarara town, and includes the construction of a bridge over Ruizi River that will be 76metres long and 22metres wide. It also entails the reconstruction of part of the existing Northern Corridor Route starting at 9km+400km to 36,000km, a length - 26.6km.

UNRA has contracted the Euro 48,889,402.01 works to China Railway Seventh Group (CRSG) that has already demonstrated reliability in the implementation of similar projects in Uganda. The construction period is 30 months and started in November 2013 and completion is expected in April 2016.

Uganda government is grateful to the European Commission and the European Investment Bank for their cooperation and support to the Government of Uganda and the roads sector in particular.

President Yoweri Museveni formally launched the project’s construction on February 28, 2015 and thanked the European Union for its support to Uganda’s roads sector.

wide walk ways.

The Works and Transport Ministry is grateful to the World Bank and the Ministry of Finance for their corporation on this project.

Hoima–Kaiso Road is Commissioned

Museveni, flanked by Ministers John Byabagambi, Frank Tumwebaze and local leaders yesterday, commissioned the Mbarara Bypass.

He cautioned people to make use of the road to fight poverty.

Giorgio Ficcarelli, the European Union Delegation First Counselor said, “The EU and European Investment Bank (EIB) will increase their support to Uganda’s transport sector; we are pleased to announce 200million Euro support Uganda’s transport sector until 2020.

To further improve Uganda’s leverage, the EU and EIB will look for bankable cost effective priorities with a significant economic impact.”

Other EU support to Uganda’s road sector has facilitated the construction of Aswa Bridge in Gulu, Awoja Bridge in Soroti, MasakaMbarara, Mbarara- Ntugamo-Katuna roads and Jinja-Bugiri Road; the Northern Corridor Route rehabilitation is now about complete.

Kamwenge-Fort Portal Road Project Kamwenge-Fort Portal Road upgrade project furthers the upgrading of the corridor Nyakahita – Kazo – Kamwenge-Fort Portal to tarmac, connecting the districts of Kiruhura,

Ibanda, Kamwenge and Kabarole.

Formally launched on February 27, 2015, the upgrade will assist the administrative coverage of the new districts in the region and significantly reduce vehicle operating costs.

It its improved condition, the road will enhance the delivery of healthcare and education services, besides the numerous direct economic benefits associated with and accruing from the improvement of transport infrastructure. All affected property owners will be compensated.

By inducing economic development and facilitating trade, a functional road network contributes to the integration of Uganda’s economy into the regional and world markets, a precondition for sustainable economic growth and development.

The construction at UShs206bn is by China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group, managed

by Uganda National Roads Authority.

The upgrade from gravel to a double bituminous seal standard will deliver a carriageway width of 7.0m with 1.5m wide sealed shoulders on either side. Some built up areas will have 2.5m extra parking lanes and/or 1.5m

Whereas Hoima–Kaiso-Tonya Road feasibility studies and detail engineering designs were realized through the financial support of the African Development Bank (AfDB), the upgrade from gravel to bitumen has been financed by the Republic of Uganda.

Works and Transport Minister Eng.John Byabagambi said at the February 26, 2015 commissioning of the completed road that its upgrade, “Is to provide an enabling investment environment for the development of mineral and oil exploration, some of the key strategic economic investment ventures the Government is under taking.”

The 92km Hoima–Kaiso Tonya road starts at the end of the tarmac in Hoima Town to traverse a largely rolling to hilly terrain, past the escarpment along the western rift valley to Kaiso. It is a major access to Lake Albert along Uganda’s border with Congo Democratic Republic through an area rich in cash and food crops with a high potential for animal husbandry.

Kolin Insaat of Turkey was the Contractor with SGI–Studio Galli in association with Xtreme International Ltd, the Supervision Consultants. In this region, other roads are programmed for upgrading to bitumen standard starting 2015; Kyenjojo–Hoima– Masindi-Kigumba; Hoima-Butiaba-Wanseko and Mubende-Kakumiro-Kibaale.

While there have been some delays in their procurement, these projects will kick off by June of this year. The communities through which this road runs are encouraged to maximize its economic utilization to uplift their household economies, thereby improving the quality of their living standard.

31 March - April, 2015

UGANDA NATIONAL ROADS AUTHORITY

Update of ongoing major projects There are over 2,000km of major roads currently under construction. These roads include;

New roads under upgrade to tarmac 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Road Project Gulu-Atiak road (Funded by WB/GoU) Vurra – Arua – Koboko – Oraba(Funded by WB/ GoU) Ishaka – Kagamba (Funded by GoU) Nakapiriprit – Moroto road (Funded by GoU) Kampala-Entebbe Express Highway with a spur to Munyonyo (Funded by China EXIM bank/ GoU) Kamwenge-Fort Portal (Funded by WB/GoU) Atiak –-Nimule (Funded by JICA/GoU) Mbarara-Bypass (Funded by EIB/GoU) Mpigi-Kanoni (Funded by GoU) Ntungamo-Kakitumba/Mirama Hills (Funded by DFID/TMEA/ GoU) Expansion of Kampala Northern Bypass (Funded

by EU/EIB/GoU

KM 74 92

Status 95% of the works done and the project will be completed by June 2015 92% of the works done and the project will be completed by June 2015

35 93 51

55% of the works done and the project will be completed by December 2015.

57% of the works done and the project will be completed by January 2016 35% of the works done and the project will be completed by December 2017

65 37 40 64 37

20% of the works done. The project will be completed by January 2016 30% of the works done 13% of works done 10% of works done Physical works commenced in September 2014

17

Mukono-Kyetume-Katosi/Kisoga-Nyenga (Funded

by GoU) Luuku-Kalangala (Staged upgrading under PPP) Kanoni-Ssembabule-Villa Maria (Funded by GoU) Musiita-Lumino-Busia/Majanji (Funded by GoU) Acholi Bur – Musingo (Funded by GoU) Olwiyo - Gulu (Funded by GoU) Gulu – Acholi Bur (Funded by GoU) Roads under Rehabilitation Mukono-Kayunga-Njeru(Funded by GoU)

74

Works commenced on 14th July 2014 for a period of 3 years, expected to be completed by end of July 2017. Project is funded by the EU, the European Investment Bank and GoU. A new contract has been awarded. (SBI JV RCC)

66 120 104 86 70 86

30% of works completed Physical works commenced in January 2015 Contractor mobilising. Physical works will commence in April 2015 Physical works commenced in January 2015 Physical works commenced in January 2015 Physical works commenced in January 2015

94

Kampala (Busega)-Masaka (Phase ll) Funded by GoU Mbale- Soroti (Funded by GoU) Kawempe-Luwero-Kafu (Overlay) (Funded by GoU) Mbarara (Buteraniro) –Ntungamo(Funded by EU/ GoU) Ntungamo-Katuna Road (Funded by EU/GoU) Mukono – Jinja (Funded by GoU) Kafu-Kiryandongo (Funded by GoU) Kiryandongo-Kamdini (Funded by GoU) Kamdini-Gulu (Funded by GoU) Pakwach-Nebbi (Funded by GoU) Sironko-Namusi-Muyembe(Funded by GoU) Iganga-Tirinyi(Funded by GoU)

51

This is a design and build pavement recycling project. Contract for civil works commenced on 29 January 2015.

96% of works completed. The project will be completed in March 2015

104 166

97% of the works done. Mbale-Soroti will be handed overat the end of April 2015.

95% of the works done and the road will be completed by the end of June 2015.

59

90% of the works done and the project will be completed by June 2015

74 52 43 58 62 30 32 102

75% of the works done and the project will be completed by June 2015.

80% of the works done and the road will be completed by June 2015.

40% of the works done. The project will be completed by Dec 2015.

10% of works done 10% of works done Contract awarded. Contractor mobilising Contract awarded. Contractor mobilising Contract awarded. Contractor mobilising

32 March - April, 2015

32 33 35 36 37

Nansana-Busunju(Funded by GoU) Iganga –Kaliro(Funded by GoU) Major Bridges under construction New Nile Bridge (Funded by GoU and the Japanese Government) Birara Bridge (Funded by GoU) Mitaano and Ntungwe bridges in Kanunugu (Funded by GoU) Total

47 32

Contract awarded. Contractor mobilising Contract awarded. Contractor mobilising

6

Under Construction. 10% of works completed. The works include construction of a 6km access road Under Construction. 50% works done Under construction

2,067

Upcoming projects

Approximately 1,400km of roads are due to commence in 2015:

1

Road Name Kigumba-Masindi-Hoima-BulimaKabwoya (Funded by AfDB/GoU)

Km 135

2

Masaka-Bukakata (Funded by BADEA/OPEC)

41

3

Design and Build of Mubende-KakumiroKibaale-Kagadi (Funded by GoU) Kyenjojo-Kabwoya(Funded by WB/GoU)

107

112

9 10 11 12 13

Rukungiri-Kihihi-Ishasha-Kambuga/Kihihi-Kanungu-Kambuga(Funded by AfDB/ GoU) Tirinyi-Pallisa-Kumi/Kamonkoli (Funded by BADEA/ OPEC/GoU) Muyembe - Nakapiripirit (Funded by Islamic Development Bank) Mbale-Bubulo-Lwakhakha (Funded by AfDB/ GoU) Zirobwe-Wobulenzi Kapchorwa-Suam (Funded by AfDB/GoU) Hoima-Butiaba-Wanseko Kayunga - Galiraya Kampala-Jinja Expressway

14

Kampala Flyover Project

5

4

5 6 7 8

105

111 94 55 25 73 111 88 80

Status Kigumba – Bulima: Re-evaluation of bids completed and the revised report submitted to AfDB for approval. Bulima-Kabwoya: Displayed the best evaluated bidder. The contract expected to be signed before the end of March 2015.

Evaluation of works bids completed, award and signing of contract awaits the outcome of the on-going due diligence on the preferred bidder.

Evaluation of bids was completed. Displayed the best evaluated bidder. The contract expected to be signed before the end of March 2015.

Evaluation of bids was completed and the report was submitted to the World Bank for no-objection. The Bank is waiting for Parliamentary approval of the loan (Albertine Region Sustainable Dev. Project) Prequalification evaluation report was submitted to AfDB for no objection.

Procurement ongoing. Prequalification of contractors was completed; the report was submitted to Islamic Development Bank (IDB) for approval The loan for the project was approved by parliament. Procurement of the contractor will commence in April 2015.

Prequalification evaluation report was submitted to AfDB for no objection.

At project preparation.

At project preparation.

The design was completed. Procurement of the contractor is ongoing.

At project preparation Detailed Engineering design completed. Construction will be financed under PPP. Tendering for financing and implementation is expected in April 2015.

At project preparation

33 March - April, 2015

AVERAGE COMMODITY PRICES: AS AT MARCH, 2015 Commodity Agwedde Beans Apple Bananas Beef Cassava Flour Cavendish (Bogoya) Coffee (Arabica) Cow Peas Dry Fermented Cassava Exotic Chicken Exotic Eggs Fresh Cassava Goat Meat Groundnuts Irish Potatoes Kayiso Rice Local Chicken Local Eggs Maize Flour Maize Grain Matooke Matooke (kg) Milk Nambale Beans Nile Perch Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes Pineapple Pork Processed Honey Simsim Sorghum Flour Sorghum Grain Soya Beans Sun Dried Cassava Sunflower Super Rice Tilapia Turkey Upland Rice White fleshed Sweet Potatoes Yellow Beans

Units kg kg kg kg kg kg kg kg bird tray kg kg kg kg kg bird tray kg kg bunch kg litre kg kg kg whole kg kg kg kg kg kg kg kg kg whole bird kg kg kg

Average RP 1, 750 2, 100 8, 150 1,000 3, 550 6,000 3,050 700 11, 550 9, 250 900 9, 300 3, 800 1, 200 2, 500 20, 150 14, 850 1, 550 600 21, 200 1, 150 1, 300 1, 850 11,000 800 2,050 8, 650 11, 800 5,050 1, 800 1, 200 2, 300 750 950 2, 950 9,050 49, 800 2, 550 900 2,050

WP 1, 500 1, 650 6, 900 800 2, 900 5, 700 2, 700 650 9, 800 8,050 700 8, 150 3, 200 1,000 2, 150 16, 850 12, 850 1, 300 450 18,000 900 1, 100 1, 600 9, 200 550 1, 650 7, 300 10, 900 4, 300 1, 550 1,000 1, 850 650 850 2, 600 7, 700 44,000 2, 300 700 1, 800

Central RP 2,000 2,050 8, 300 1,050 4, 550

WP 1, 500 1, 500 6, 250 750 3, 500

3, 550 800 12, 150 8, 700 1,050 9, 950 4, 150 1, 300 2, 550 22,050 16, 250 1, 550 650 22, 200 1, 150 1, 400 2,000 12, 250 1,000 1, 950 8, 450 14,000 5, 450 2,000 1, 550 2, 650 900

3, 150 700 9, 650 7, 600 700 8, 100 3, 300 950 2,000 17, 650 13, 500 1, 250 500 17, 850 850 1, 150 1, 600 9, 550 600 1, 450 5, 950 12,000 4, 300 1, 700 1, 250 2,050 750

3,050 8,000 52, 800 2, 650 1,000 2, 300

2, 600 6, 650 45, 350 2, 300 650 1, 900

Eastern RP 1, 550 2, 150 8, 500 900 2, 800 6,000 2, 500 600 11, 650 8, 950 800 8, 750 3, 450 900 2, 200 14,000 13, 650 1, 500 600 23,000 1, 350 1, 350 1, 700 10, 650 300 2, 450 8, 500 12,000 4, 750 1, 600 850 2,050 650 1, 100 2, 800 10,050 52,000 2, 300 750 2,050

WP 1, 250 1, 750 7, 750 750 2, 300 5, 850 2, 250 550 10, 500 8, 250 650 8,000 3,000 750 1, 950 12,000 12, 300 1, 250 550 19, 800 1,050 1, 150 1, 400 9, 350 250 2,000 7, 750 11, 500 4, 250 1, 350 700 1, 700 600 1,000 2, 500 8, 550 47, 650 2, 100 700 1, 850

Northern RP 1, 500 2, 850 8, 500 1, 150 3, 600

WP 1, 250 2, 400 7, 500 1,050 3, 150

2, 500 900 11, 500 11, 500 850 9, 500 3, 650 1, 750 2, 300 21, 350 15,000 2,000 650 15, 850 950 1, 450 1, 900 10,000 600 3,000 8,000

2, 200 750 10, 150 8, 600 700 9,000 3, 150 1, 600 2,050 18, 850 14,000 1, 750 500 14, 350 850 1, 300 1, 750 9,000 500 2, 500

4, 500 2,000 900 1, 550 700 800 2, 800 15, 650

3, 950 1, 900 700 1, 350 600 700 2, 400 14, 350

2, 300 800 2,000

2,050 650 1, 850

Western RP 1, 850 1, 650 7, 650 950 2, 950 6,000 3,050 700 10, 500 8, 950 900 8, 750 3, 650 1, 100 2, 800 22, 750 13, 650 1, 350 500 21, 300 1, 100 1,000 1, 750 9, 650 850 1, 550 9, 250 10,000 5, 200 1, 900 1, 450 2, 200 750

WP 1, 650 1, 350 7,000 800 2, 450 5, 500 2, 750 600 9, 150 8, 200 750 8, 100 3, 250 950 2, 600 19, 400 11, 850 1, 150 400 18, 800 950 900 1, 550 8, 650 700 1, 300 8, 400 9,000 4, 700 1, 500 1, 150 1, 950 650

3,050 7,050 30,000 2, 650 900 1, 750

2, 400 6,000 27,000 2, 500 750 1, 550

FIT Uganda Ltd Promoting Innovation in Business Services

The markets in the table above are representative of our collection points therefore for more information on daily prices of the above commodities to could reach us on Email: info@fituganda. com, Tel:- +256414 532 393, Toll free 080020855 To subscribe to the weekly prices on email:- send your request to infotrade@fituganda. com To receive information on your phone send the request to 8555 e.g. Coffee Masaka send to 8555

Ask the Experts

With BY GODRICK DAMBYO, C.E.O, The East Africa Agribusiness Magazine Ltd

FARMING AS A BUSINESS

Floating feed good for fish farmers

F

eeding is one of the key components in fish rearing. There are both floating and non-floating fish feeds. It is also important to get your feeds from professional and recognized feed manufacturers such as Ugachick, manufacturers of fish and poultry feeds. In case a farmer wishes to buy floating fish feed, Ugachick Poultry Breeders is one of the available options. They manufacture floating fish feed at their feed mill on Namulonge Road in Gayaza, Wakiso district. The feed is produced using an imported extrusion feed plant that is capable of producing three tonnes of feed per hour using precision process control methods.

The feed contains various proportions of crude protein and fat, calcium and energy. The feed of 35% crude protein is meant to be given to fish that have just been introduced in the pond. This feed gives fish first growth at the initial stage and helps fish acclimatize in the rearing system. It is made with high protein content and high energy value, high concentrate of amino acids and a well- balanced amino acid profile required by fish.

It has double vitamins and minerals to ensure feed utilization and fast response to the rearing system. It is given to fish up to 8 weeks. The one with 30% crude protein is formulated to enable fish meet its high metabolic energy requirements and gain maximum weight. It is single stabilized with vitamins and minerals. The feed does not allow the fish to use body reserve and thus ensures steady growth.

The 25% crude protein feed is produced with improved palatability as the fish at this stage are more mature. Although the feed has high palatability, its satiety value is high thus enabling a farmer to give little feed in relation to fish body weight hence minimizing wastage.

Floating fish feeds at the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute in Kajjansi.

Floating extruded feed is the contemporary feed for producing farmed fish. The greatest advantage with the feed is the efficient nutrient delivery system made possible to the fish. The user benefit is the ability to observe water stable feed on water by which one will be able to manage the feed better in order to derive maximum economic benefit, low feed conversion ratio( FCR) and considerable reduction in grow-out period.

The feed is much more safe because feed ingredients are sterilized during feed extrusion operation, thus reducing the effects of contaminated feed on the health of aquatic animals and water quality.

Why should a farmer use extruded floating fish feed?

Easy digestion: The extrusion which is a high temperature and short duration process cooks the materials, killing the germs/ pathogens and makes the feed easily digestible.

Good response: Aquatic animals respond well in digesting cooked starch. Fish cannot digest

uncooked starch effectively resulting in excessive excrement which causes physiological problems such as excessive gas/ bloating, diarrhea thus affecting the growth of fish and leading to water pollution.

Therefore, the use of extruded floating fish feed comes with a host of advantages in terms of digestion by fish, fish growth, low water pollution levels, optimized labour usage and zero wastage of raw materials since they are well mixed and fully utilized by the fish.

In the traditional method of fish farming, a mixture of maize bran, mukene, rice bran etc is used for feeding fish. This mixture normally settles down at the bottom of the culture facility (pond, tank, cage) thus causing water pollution. There is high wastage of raw materials which becomes costly once the feed is not fully utilized by fish.

These wasted materials would otherwise be used for other purposes. Since the raw materials are not treated well, the growth of fish is slow and with extremely high feed conversion ratio which is uneconomical. It is therefore advisable to use only floating fish feed produced by professional suppliers.

Floating feed is first cooked, and having the ability to float makes it have many advantages over other forms of feeds. It is user friendly and easily managed since farmers have the ability to observe the fish feeding, has low feed conversion ratio (FCR) due to the cooking it has been subjected to during preparation, zero pollution of the rearing system (pond) and minimal feed loss. All these advantages combined save a farmer’s money and increases his/her output and profit.

With proper farming methods and materials, food security is an achievable mission.

Opinion

Are you making a living from farming?

There is a current craze of people, especially those in the formal sector, going into farming as another alternative source of living or income. Many of these people joining farming represent a new vision of dynamic and hopeful generation that is helping to change the face of agriculture in Uganda. Farming is becoming attractive for people who have been working in formal institutions. There is a rush for arable land in many parts of the country.

H

owever, starting an agricultural enterprise, like other businesses, has its own challenges and risks. Agribusinesses are complex enterprises that integrate agricultural production, value-added processing, packing, distribution and marketing activities. All these entail greater risk than the simple subsistence farming and require specific skills and experience. But the rewards for farming are immense especially with the current high demand of food in the country and the East African region.

So the big question is, are you really making money from your farming enterprise? Are you actually making a living from the farming enterprise? Can you afford to pay for household utilities, health care, school dues etc.? Can you pay your labor a living wage? Since you started the farming enterprise, aren’t you draining most of your savings? Aren’t you keeping your farm afloat with income from other means and yet it should be sustaining itself as a business unit? Are you feeling like you are trying to fill a bathtub when its drain is open?

These are questions many of us who are practicing farming should begin to serious ask ourselves. Are you wondering how other farmers are actually making a living? To make this clearer, let me try to define what constitutes a living in this context; a) When a farmer is paying himself/herself a weekly wage that equals what a person working full-time would make on a minimum wage. b) When the farmer is abiding by the labor laws, meaning all his/her workers are paid for all the essential farm tasks. c) When the farmer is earning his/her income from farming which means that

36 March - April, 2015

By Enoth Mbeine, Director/ Senior Technical Advisor, Business Development Services, FIT Uganda Ltd nonprofit farms that survive on grants and donations should not be considered here, neither the farms that sustain themselves on outside income sources.

I have talked to many friends who are into farming and most are working outside jobs to keep their farms above water. They are not looking at farming as a serious business that should offer a living. It’s not all about loving what you do. Many farmers are seen to be enjoying what they do, but ultimately they should understand that farming should be taken as work, an occupation, a means of making a living that must fulfill the basic function of a job; to be able to provide you an income!

Here are some points that can help to prove that you are farming for a profit and not just as a hobby; ■■ You operate your farm in a businesslike manner. As a farm owner, do you have a business plan, have you set goals, do you keep records?

■■ The time and effort you spend on farming indicate that you intend to make a profit. Do you actually spend sufficient time and energy on attaining this goal or you are a “weekend” or a “telephone” farmer?

■■ You depend on income from farming for livelihood. Here, full-time farmers have an advantage, but the income issue relates more to the farmer’s need for deductions than his or her dependence on farm income. Farmers having off-farm jobs to supplement their income depend on their farm income, too.

■■ Your losses are due to circumstances beyond your control or are normal in the start-up phase of farming.

■■ You and your advisers have the knowledge to carry on the farming activity as a successful business.

■■ You made profit farming in other years and can document how much you made.

■■ You can expect to make a future profit from appreciation of the assets used in the farming activity.

We need to make a decision to begin farming for profit rather than “just for fun”.

So are you planning retirement? Are you in a state of uncertainty at the workplace due to increasing number of layoffs? Are you among the many employees who have become disenchanted with employers who are normally quick to let or their peers go when the times are tough? You can use your current employment to mobilize savings, and together with the real world formal experience, you can begin to plan joining farming which has enormous benefits and potential especially helping you in making a living. But this can only be achieved if farming is taken serious as a business.

To Advertise, Call:

+256 414 223 471, +256 774 916 019 +256 772 524 165, Rwanda Office +250 787 397 015

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SP ED EC ITI IAL ON

Coming Soon Every year, the Uganda National Farmers’ Federation (UNFFE) holds The Source of the Nile Agricultural and Trade Show in Jinja Show Ground. Preparations for this year’s show are underway and will take place from 6th – 12th July 2015 under the theme; “Smart Climate for Agricultural and Sustainable food Security and Wealth Creation”.

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