Farmers' competitions boosted farming

By Gladys Kalibbala

When Victoria Sekitoleko was appointed deputy minister for agriculture just after turning 37 in 1986, she immediately devised ways of promoting farmers.

Together with the ministry’s technical staff, she started farmers’ competitions which she says helped a lot in promoting agriculture in the country during her regime.

So how it did work?

She says the experience in her previous job played a huge role.

“The exposure towards farmer’s problems that I experienced on my first job at Uganda Development Bank (UDB) had prepared me well for this new job,” she says.

“While at UDB, I was responsible for farmer’s loans, so I visited their farms a lot.  On joining the [agriculture] ministry I encouraged frequent meetings with District Agricultural Officers (DAO’s) where we discussed different challenges faced by farmers. “

The former deputy minister (right) was pivotal in ensuring more improved refresher courses and further studies for the technical staff, which led to their decision to help farmers as well.

This would be through competitions.

The farmer’s competition they started in the early 1990’s not only open their eyes to more opportunities but also boosted farming, as year after year they worked harder to get to the top.

The stiff competition among farmers was a blessing to the overall agricultural sector in the country. There was a direct improvement in the sector and farming was promoted.

Former finance minister Gerald Sendawula from Masaka district won the competition twice while he provided employment in the community around him by using over 1000 casual labourers.

The competitions which started at the parish levels continued to the sub-county, county, district and later on to the national levels.

Prizes included trips to the US, the UK, Denmark, Egypt, Zimbabwe and Kenya where winning farmers visited other farmers and exchanged notes.

Becca Ojok (from Gulu), widow to the late Oyite Ojok, was among the winners who went abroad.

From left, Chief Magauze, former President of Zimbabwe Farmers Union, Victoria Sekitoleko and former General of FAO Dr Jacques Diouf in a discussion in 1995.

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Victoria Sekitoleko (front row, far-left) with the High Commissioner for UK sending off farmers to UK in 1992

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Muwonge, a farmer in Mbirizi in  Masaka District, standing next to a tractor he won as the best farmer in 1992

Sekitoleko still fondly remembers the time when a farmer from Bushenyi tamed a cow in Denmark.

“At times we had cases where farmers who did not understand English became winners and we provided translators for them to assist them on their trips.

“This farmer from Bushenyi reached a farmer in Denmark whose animal had become difficult and ran to the bushes. After getting the story he asked to be shown where it was hiding. To their surprise he came out of the bush caressing the animal while talking to it,” recalls Sekitoleko.

She adds: “The next time the Denmark farmer met me, he could not stop narrating how a farmer from Uganda talked to his animal in his native language and it obeyed him.

“We did not have any allocation of funds from the finance ministry to run the farmers’ competition but different embassies were happy with this promotion after I had started it and came on board to offer tickets and accommodation.

“I made it a point to talk to different companies who offered the prizes to be won plus cash. Each of those countries took between 10 to 12 farmers each year.”

Sarah Kiyingi, a former commissioner for agriculture, was one of the judges at the national level.

Back then, the lower levels of competition were handled by district officials who would be trained by their seniors (at the national level) in the procedures to follow during the competitions.

“It made farmers compete positively and those who missed visits abroad at least won prizes like tractors, wheel barrows and many other farm inputs,” says Kiyingi.

“The promotion looked at different categories – from small-scale, medium and large-scale farmers and each was judged differently.”

Later the ministry also developed agricultural shows at Jinja and farmer’s markets.

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Sarah Kiyingi was one of the judges at the national level. PHOTO/Gladys Kalibbala

Kiyingi says that to be considered a winning farmer, you had to reflect exactly that in your home.

“During judgment we considered many things where you could not become the best farmer when your children at home looked underfed,” recalls Kiyingi.

“Although tree planting was not part of the requirements, it earned someone marks. This was the time we also introduced animal traction and I still feel it needs to be promoted in the central region.”