The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) together with the National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO) have partnered to forge a sustainable resolution aimed at addressing the challenge of food insecurity in some of the districts majorly affected by the prolonged drought.
Dr. Damalie Babirye Magala, a Senior research officer at Mukono Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MUZARDI) while sensitizing farmers from different farmer groups who turned up for a one-day local seed fair held at Kamira Town Council headquarters in Luweero district, said the partnership is aimed at helping farmers identify, protect and reproduce the traditional seeds which if well catered for have capacity of giving better yields in their districts unlike other hybrid seeds which are mainly affected by the prolonged drought.
The seed fair was organized by FAO in conjunction with NARO, MUZARDI and CARITAS, a Catholic Church organization aimed at mobilizing members through different development and agricultural projects.
The seed fair attracted a number of farmer groups that showcased their locally protected seeds which included; cereals like different types of beans, ground nuts, sorghum, millet, food crops like local types of matooke, cassava, sweet potato leaves, local yams, chicken, among others. Also students from different schools were in attendance.
Brenda Carolyn Piloya, the FAO field Coordinator said that the partnership is funded by the Global Environment Facility under the project, integrating climate resilience in the agricultural and pastoral production, through the farmer field approach which they are implementing in 13 districts.
Piloya said that among the activities is the support of the food and agricultural sector so that it becomes very vibrant.
“We are doing this through promoting better production, better nutrition, better environment and better life which we technically term as the four betters,” she said.
They are aiming at identifying traditional seeds and crops which had better production results in each of those districts, empower the local farmers to embrace, reproduce and protect them.
Some of the districts to benefit from this arrangement include; Nakaseke, Nakasongola, Kiboga, Kayunga, Kamuli, Luweero, Buyende, among others.
Dr. Babirye said the seed fair held at Kamira town council grounds also saw the formation of a traditional seed bank which is to ensure perennial availability of traditional seeds of a variety of food crops in a central place.
She said the main purpose of their intervention is to raise awareness of the farmers on local crop varieties, especially given that many people today have no knowledge of the presence of such foods in their midst.
She added that it also looks at creating opportunities for farmers to sell, buy and exchange seed varieties to get money and boost the seed banks.
“This will not end here but we will involve different interactions to enable farmers know what each has or wants, so that there is an established address for getting the seeds at the right time,” Babirye observed.
She added, “The arrangement has ecological zones in its implementation because some crops thrive best in certain regions and not in others, and added that it is the reason they have specific approaches towards climate change challenges given the type of crops grown in each given region.”
Emmanuel Mugisha, the deputy mayor Kamira Town Council lamented that nowadays, the market is awash with seeds that go on one plantation round, making farmers to buy seeds for each planting season, and advised that reliance on traditional seeds will address this challenge.
Kamira Town Clerk Henry Ddungu advised farmers to make use of extension workers and other technical staff who he said are on the grassroots.
Giving an account of common crop diseases, Wilberforce Ssemigga, the town council agricultural extension officer advised the farmers to endeavour to use only the right acaricides to fight pests in their crops.
