Group Farming and Rearing

   Group Farming and Rearing

YEU collective market oriented farming (“youth group farming strategy”) has continuously enabled youth to engage in agriculture sector and earn a small progressive income through their fruits and vegetable market hub given the fact that  such crops mature fast [less than 5months] favoring ‘impatient’ youth.

Youth Empowered Uganda has therefore embarked on formation of interest youth groups (small scale rural producers’ ago-enterprise youth groups) engaging them into collective fruits and vegetable farming which act as chain contributors in the fruits & vegetable ago-farming at village level. Currently we have 6 (six) youth farmers’ groups in Kateete, Kitto, Buikwe, Kigowa, Kitigoma, and Wasswa Villages in Buikwe and Mukono Districts with over 8 farmers in at least  each group and more effort is being channeled towards formation of even more groups throughout Buikwe and Mukono Districts. This project continues to address issues of low house hold income, ignorance, malnutrition, unemployment, hard core poverty challenging the youth and bridge the gap of scarcity for fruits and vegetable produce on market.

Project objectives:

1. To instil positive attitude towards farming among the rural community youth, being the backbone of our country employing 82% of Ugandans;
2. To organize youth farmers to be market oriented (producing what can be sold as opposed to selling what we produce);
3. To promote rural community collective responsibility among the youth hence leading to team work and its associated advantages like collective bargaining and marketing of farm produce;
4. To improve on the general health of all people living within and around our community;
5. To improve on traditional agricultural practices and methods as well impart modern farming techniques among the youths and rural community in general;
6. To contribute towards reduction of increasing youth unemployment in the country.

Youth  Empowered Uganda through partnership with a local farmer (Madam Christine) started up a piggery demonstration farm in Namengo Lugazi town council, where we train and encourage our fellow youth to engage in productive rearing, even if not the piggery project. It empowers and enhances the potential of local community members (youth and women) through equipping them with agricultural resources, skills, local market information, and learning opportunities coupled with mobilizing them to become change agents in their own lives, as well as in the community and the farm continues to strengthen advocacy for suitable policies that augment the agriculture sector.

Today, the demonstration farm at Equator College (Christine’s place) contains a piggery with 11 pens, and in August of 2012, we purchased a metallic tank and constructed a water harvest system, using the roofs of the school to put in place a water reserve for the animals at the piggery farm.