Farmers' organisations operating in the Bunyoro region have been urged to mobilise and encourage the youth to embrace agriculture.

Innocent Aliguma, the community development officer (CDO) for Kyabigambire sub-county in Hoima district, says the youth are energetic, but few are engaged in agriculture.

Aliguma, who represented Hoima district senior CDO Kenneth Ebong during a sensitisation meeting of farmers from the districts of Hoima, Kikuube, Buliisa, Kagadi, and Kakumiro, among others, said that there is a need for more youth engagement to inspire them to love and embrace agribusiness to help them move out of poverty.

The sensitisation meeting was held at the Kolping Hotel in Hoima town late last week. The engagement organised by Kick Start International, Kitara Community Seed Bank, and Volcano Ventures was aimed at opening the minds of farmers on how to adopt new farming technologies such as irrigation and fertilisers to be able to benefit from agricultures in the face of continued climate change.

CDO Aliguma Addressing the farmers during the meeting

Aliguma said the youth are always migrating to town, engaging in gambling, and leaving the elders to produce for the growing population, adding that with this challenge, there is a need to mobilise the young generation and make them love farming.

“A big number of the youth are not productive, let's introduce the youth to agriculture and make them love it, this will help them to be productive and solve the challenge of unemployment,” he said.

Environmental protection is key

The CDO also underscored a need to sensitise the farmers on the importance of environmental protection.

He expressed concern over the increasing environmental degradation in the region, adding that the habit of cutting off forests and destroying water catchment areas is rampant.

“People have reached the extent of resorting to cutting fruit trees to burn charcoal, which is affecting the environment. Since 99% of the farmers in this region depend on rainfall, we are likely to face disaster if nothing is done because these trees and wetlands play a vital role as far as the formation of rain is concerned.”

John Aheebwa, the midwestern partnership officer working with Kick Start International, said the organisation is partnering with co-operatives and the Government to support farmers to get agriculture assistance through sensitisation to be able to adopt new farming technology such as irrigation.

one of the facilitators explaining how to us organic fertilize to the farmers after the meeting

Yahaya Byarufu, the executive director of Kitara Community Seed Bank, said training of farmers has come at the right time, adding that inadequate harvesting skills, knowing quality seed, fertiliser application, and management of land, among others, are some of the issues affecting farmers.

He noted that many farmers depend on rain as a major source of water, which nowadays is not sustainable. According to him, with the use of irrigation and organic fertilisers, small-scale farmers will be able to achieve their expected yields.

Charles Kisembo Good Year, a model farmer from Kagadi district, underscored a need for farmers to engage in agriculture as a business adding farmers in the Kingdom have not benefitted from farming because they do not take agriculture as a business.

Kisembo who is also Bunyoro Kiatara Kingdom parliamentary representative for Kagadi district, said most farmers are practicing subsistence farming, which, according to him cannot help farmers to develop.  

Concerns about the high cost involved

However, some farmers expressed concern over the high cost of agricultural inputs such as fertilisers and seeds, which, according to them, affects their ability to practice modern farming.

Ephraim Kyamanya, a farmer in the Kihukya cell in Hoima, challenged the Government to get a way of providing subsidised agriculture inputs to the farmers as a means of promoting modern and commercial farming.