Feature: Backyard gardens revolutionize agriculture in central Uganda

Harsh climate change effects, poverty and malnourished children is now history to sixty-year-old Celestine Uwizeye, a settler in the central Ugandan district of Mubende.

Uwizeye, a father of six, is among thousands of farmers who are taking advantages of a UN program aimed at helping communities in Mubende adapt to the climate change effects.

Mubende is in the central cattle corridor that brings together the water stressed districts of Sembabule, Kiboga, Nakaseke, Luwero and Nakasongola.

Local authorities in Muleete village passed a by-law that every household must have a kitchen or back yard garden to boost nutrition and household income.

Uwizeye is one of the villagers that heeded to the call.

Before he started the garden, he was trained in farming techniques by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and its local partner C-Care Uganda, a community development organization.

On a piece of land less than a quarter an acre, Uwizeye set up a vegetable garden and also a water reservoir to collect rain water.

Uwizeye, unlike farmers in other parts of the country, does not depend on rain-fed agriculture. He uses the harvested water for irrigation during the dry season so that he could have produce all year round.

At his garden, Uwizeye started with two rabbits a year ago and now they are 15. He has already sold 15, each at 10 U.S. dollars. Seven of the 15 rabbits currently in stock are pregnant. He is expecting 70 young ones.

From his vegetable garden, Uwizeye has earned about 100 dollars from the last harvest. Still on the quarter an acre land, Uwizeye had a ginger garden from which he earned 1,000 dollars during the last harvest.

"Part of the money I have gotten out of this small garden, I have used it to buy an acre of land. I bought that land at about six million shillings (1,800 dollars)," he told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"If my wife does don't have money for salt, soap or anything, she just sells a few of cabbages and tomatoes,"he added.

This model of farming is replicated all over this village. Nearby villages with support from FAO and government have started adopting the farming model which does not require expanses of land and yet generates respectable incomes.

Uwizeye and his village mates have also started a Savings and Credit Co-operative (SACCO), where they save their money.

With authorization from the group, money can be borrowed to either pay tuition fees for their children or pay medical bills. The money is paid back after selling the produce.

Several farmers in this district have organized themselves into groups where they pool money to buy bigger pieces of land where they set up larger joint farms.

NATURE'S PUSH

Uganda is currently facing the harsh effects of climate change as evidenced by the change in weather patterns.

Alhaji Jallow, FAO Country Representative argues that the effects are expected to increase frequency and intensity of droughts, floods, and landslides which have significant impact on the livelihoods of communities.

This spells doom if mitigation measures are not taken especially in a country like Uganda which largely depends on rain-fed agriculture.

Laban Rutareberwa, the national coordinator of C-Care Uganda argues that simple technologies have to be devised to enable farmers adapt to the effects of climate change.

"It should not be nature who controls us, with this kind of farming, it is us who use knowledge and skill to control nature," Rutareberwa said.

The FAO has run a four-year agriculture adaptation to climate change project in the central cattle corridor of Uganda.

An assessment from the agricultural body shows that 168 farmer field schools with a total of 4,240 households have been established. Over 132 groups are actively saving and lending among themselves, with a revolving fund of about 100,000 dollars.

"Over 40 percent of money saved has been re-invested to support climate change adaptation practices," the report said.

About 40 small-scale water harvesting systems have been constructed with 30,000-35,000 liter capacity for smallholder livestock and supplementary irrigated vegetable production.

Local government officials have been trained as champions for mainstreaming climate change into the district strategies and plans.

Alternative livelihood diversification enterprises like mushroom, improved poultry, apiary, and irrigated vegetables among others have been introduced instead of entirely depending on land cultivation. Enditem