The training also focused on encouraging farmers to join voluntary contribution schemes and register for SmartLife Flexi with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to strengthen their social security.
The National Organization of Trade Unions (NOTU), with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) under the PROSPECTS programme, has trained leaders from several farmers’ groups on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) to help them avoid risks and hazards associated with the agriculture value chain.
The farmers trained were from Nakivale Refugee Settlement and host communities in Isingiro District who are engaged in soybean farming, processing, and horticulture value chains.
The training was held at Banana Suits Hotel in Isingiro District and aimed at preventing accidents and injuries, as well as developing OSH improvement mechanisms for farmers involved in soybean farming and horticulture activities. To conduct the training, NOTU partnered with organizations including Ripple Effect and the Isingiro District Local Government.
NOTU Programmes Officer Nicholas Businge said the programme seeks to ensure that workers from refugee and host communities engage in decent work while maintaining occupational health and safety standards.
“We are here to inform workers from refugee camps and host communities that they have rights and also need social protection, which they should demand from their employers without fear,” Businge said.
Some of the workers narrated how they had been working in soybean gardens without proper protective gears such as gloves, overalls, gumboots, and masks, exposing them to danger, especially during pesticide spraying.
The farmers said they previously had little knowledge about the side effects of pesticides used in the gardens, but after the NOTU and ILO training, they are now in a better position to protect themselves from risks and hazardous situations.
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The training also focused on encouraging farmers to join voluntary contribution schemes and register for SmartLife Flexi with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to strengthen their social security.
Stewart Matsiko, who led the NSSF team, introduced the SmartLife Flexi programme, which is aimed at enabling workers outside formal employment to save more effectively.
“The product offers an opportunity to save for short- and medium-term financial needs such as education, buying land, and building houses, among others,” Matsiko said.
He added that the minimum amount one can save at any one time is sh5,000. On behalf of Isingiro District Commercial Office, an officer only identified as Vincent also trained soybean and horticulture farmers on business skills and ways to increase their earnings.
He advised farmers to add value to soybeans before selling them and to join government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), where they can access capital to boost their businesses.
