AGRICULTURE Kasese district produces several food and cash crops and livestock products. Over 85 percent of
the people in the district depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Among the food crops produced in the area are finger millet, cassava, maize, ground nuts, sorghum, potatoes and matooke. The district also practices horticulture farming that includes fruits like passion fruits and vegetables. Most of the agricultural products are either sold to the local markets in the region or exported to Kampala and other districts in the country. However most of the farming activity is done on subsistence nature although the district together, through the government’s Program for the Modernisation of Agriculture (for example AAMP and NAADS) is trying to boost productivity.
The district has also introduced new crops to improve on the standards of the farmers. They include hybrid hot pepper, mangoes, Pineapples,vanilla, apples and pears. Another new
type of farming in the district is fish farming. Fish farming is
being encouraged in the district due to the high demand on both
local and external markets. The district plans to increase on the number of demonstration farms and information centres at sub county levels for the purposes of sensitising the farmers on modern farming techniques. Livestock farming:
Kasese district practices livestock farming to supplement crop husbandry. The district has been encouraging farmers to cross-breed their traditional breeds with exotic dairy cows which are more productive. The district has a staff of 11 veterinary officers and 10 animal dips.
National Agricultural Advisory
Services (NAADS), 2005/06 to date
Under NAADS,
enterprises being promoted following the zoning of the district are: piggery,
poultry, goat keeping, cattle, coffee, horticulture, maize, cassava and sweet
potatoes.
Specific
interventions have included:
Farmer institutional development
·A total of 1400 groups have been
identified/ formed and registered at sub-county level.
·All 24 subcounties and Town councils have sub county
farmers’ forum. A District farmers Forum is in place.
· All the subcounties and Town councils have procurement committees.
·All the parishes in
the District have parish coordination committees.
·All parishes have community based selection committees
(CBSCs) which are currently handling procurements at the parish level. All
sub-counties have sub-county procurement committees that handle sub-county
level procurements.
·At least 4 community based facilitators (CBFs) have been
identified per sub-county and supported with a bicycle each.
·6 higher level farmers associations (for coffee, maize,
rice, poultry) have been formed, with the main objective of enhancing bulking
of produce for better marketing. Capacity building for these institutions is
ongoing, to have their capacity built.
·1 higher level farmer association engaged in coffee has
grown into a cooperative society dealing with production and marketing of
coffee. The association embarked on a savings and credit scheme with savings of
3M at the moment.
Advisory
services
A
total of 5,300 farmers have been trained in various agronomic practices, soil
and water conservation, animal husbandry, apiary fish farming, post-harvest
handling practices and marketing. A number of crosscutting issues such as
environment, HIV/AIDS and gender were also integrated into the trainings.
Technology
development
Inputs
have been procured and distributed to farmers and technology development sites
have been established. A detailed description of technology development
achievements is as indicated below;
Technology
Development sites established from 2005/06 to 2006/07
FY
2005/6
FY
2006/07
13 treadle
pumps were received from the NAADS secretariat and passed on to 7 sub counties.
These are meant to demonstrate to the farmers’ small scale irrigation
technology.
Inputs
procured and distributed to farmers from FY 2007/08 - June 2010
Partnership
establishment
Two
partnerships - NASECO/NAADS in the maize enterprise development and Bukonzo
Mixed Farmers Ltd/NAADS in the horticultural enterprises, have been
implemented, with the renewal of Bukonzo Mixed Farmers Ltd.
Key
achievements under the partnerships:
NASECO/NAADS
on maize
·18
demonstrations were established.
· 250 farmers were reach-out in advisory
services provision
·200
farmers adopted good management practices of maize production
·Post
harvest handling practices were improved thus facilitating better marketing.
Bukonzo Mixed Farmers/NAADS
partnership on Horticulture
• The nursery at the nucleus farm was
rehabilitated to a capacity of producing 50,000 seedlings per year.
• 6 farmers have emerged and grown
into nursery operators.
• 2 mother gardens were established
for mangoes, citrus and pineapples. These are located in the two counties of
the district.
• A second nursery has been
established at the second mother garden, to decentralize the multiplication of
the seedlings.
• 30 lead farmers were supported with
mango, citrus and pineapple planting materials.
• The lead farmers and the out growers
who were supported by the District through provision of planting materials have
been guided during the planting process and
general management aspects.
• Continued advisory services have
been offered to the farmers on various aspects of orchard management, by the
trainers of BMFL and researchers from NARO.
• A system of linking district extension
workers, NAADS Coordinators, CBOs, CBFs and BMFL workers was established.
• A database was manually established
at BMF. Information generated here is being passed on to the District, where an
electronic data base is being established.
• At least some farmers can ably
identify diseases and carryout tree training and pruning. The CBFs visit the
farmers regularly and make record of significant findings.
• Strong skills amongst the CBFs to
offer farmer-to-farmer extension services are being observed.
• Harvests have been realized by the
earlier beneficiaries mainly for pineapples.
The average harvest for a farmer with 1 acre of pineapple currently stands at
8000 pineapples with each pineapple valued at 700/=.
• The harvested pineapples are sold in
local markets, BMFL however, sells the products in Kampala hotels, supermarkets
and fruit processing factory at Britannia.
• All fruit farming in the District is
not using chemical fertilizers, but organic certification has not been carried
out.
Support
to youth farmers.
NAADS
is implementing a youth empowerment strategy supported by State House:
v The NAADS secretariat has allocated
135,000,000 for the youth project in FY 2009/10. 46 youth groups’ were
identified to be supported with farm inputs for Goat and Poultry enterprises.
v 230 indigenous goats and 23 Boer
goats were supplied to 23 youth groups while the procurement of layer chicks is
on-going.
v Also under the presidential pledges
to the youth, 3 youths were identified and 2 of them have been supplied with
500 layers birds and 10 local goats.
Rural Financial Services Development
There are a total of 21 SACCOs in Kasese
district that have been formed since the Presidential call for Prosperity For
All (PFA).
16 out of the 21 SACCOs have got funding from
government, covering 76.2% of the district.
Of the 2,375bn/= that the district has received
from Micro Finance Support Centre (MSCL),
SACCOs have received 375m/=and 2m/= given to
Nyakatonzi Cooperative Union, a farmers’ produce and marketing entity.
Financing
under LGDP
v 210 bags of cassava cuttings, 4 bags
of Irish potatoes and 100kgs of upland rice were procured and supplied to
farmers as part of ensuring food security
v A total of 3,525 coffee seedlings and 518 passion fruit
seedlings were supplied to various farmers in addition to supplying 710kg of
garlic to various farmers in Kyabarungira.
v Fish fray were supplied to 2 fish ponds and 30 fish-nets
were supplied to the communities on the lakes.
v 300 layers and 200 broilers were supplied to households in
Rukoki Sub County.
v A total of 83 piglets, 46 Boer goats, and 147 local goats
were supplied to households and the youth, women and PWD. In addition, three
exotic cows were supplied to farmers in the mountain areas of Mahango.
v 9 sewing machines were supplied to PWDs (Persons With
Disabilities).
v One 15-HP engine patrol boat was bought to control fishing
on Lake Edward in Nyakiyumbu Sub County.
1. Two Motorised irrigation pumps were procured
in Munkunyu Sub County.
Area-Based
Agriculture Modernisation Programme (AAMP)
Fisheries
1. Two (2) fish slabs built at Kayanja landing
site in Nyakiyumbu Sub County and at Kahendero in Muhokya Sub County.
2. A
market stall under construction in Kithoma Market in kitholhu Sub County.
3. 18
Fish cages delivered at Kayanja Landing site in Nyakiyumbu Sub County to begin
fish farming.
Mubuku Irrigation scheme:
2,000hactares
516 ha (26%) are under irrigation and continues
to enable farmers produce demand crops all year round.
We are grateful to government that the
rehabilitation of the scheme has been approved in the farm income enhancement
project.
Other achievements under the
Production sector in the last four years are:
v Maintaining the Kanyampara water
channel that provides water to the cattle-keeping community in Nyakatonzi area.
However, we currently face a challenge of funding the maintenance of the
channel to continuously provide the needed water for the cattle keeping
community.
v A
total of 18,150 heads of cattle vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease and
lumpy skin disease.
v Two (2) deep tanks rehabilitated; one in Munkunyu and
another in Mubuku Irrigation Scheme.
v Construction of animal holding ground at Katunguru in L.
Katwe Sub County
Agro-processing
initiatives
Ø RECO industries that process
pineapples into juice and Jam, tomato into ketch-up, garlic into garlic oil,
parpain into mattresses.
Ø Nyakatonzi Cooperative Union processes cooking oil from
cotton seed and sun flower, Receipt warehouse system dealing in maize and Paddy
rice and ginning cotton for export.
Ø Kyempara farmers process oil from sunflower.
Ø Various maize millers who process maize flour, and animal
feeds.
PRODUCTION AND MARKETING There are three main sources of livelihood in Kasese;
Status of Major Crops in the District
Complied by John B. Thawite, August 2009 Livestock supplied to the community through the Production sector
Key: In general terms, we are offering;
Mubuku Irrigation scheme Mubuku irrigation scheme covers 2000 ha out of which 516 ha (26%) are under irrigation and continues to enable farmers produce demand crops all year round. Unfortunately, some parts of the scheme do not have access to water and the already established infrastructure needs rehabilitation. The district has been zoned into five agricultural zones - Coffee, cotton, horticulture (mangoes, pineapples), maize, bananas, cassava, beans, goat raring, diary farming, piggery and fishing.
National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) and the Area-based Agricultural Modernisation Programme (AAMP)
Multiplication of the animals that were procured in the first phase is taking place. In Kisinga, Rukoki and Kitswamba subcounties 180 crosses have been registered. In Kitswamba Subcounty, one of the initial goat farmers (Mr. Mafungura) has had his herd to grow from 5 goats to over 45 goats. The farmer is able to sell a cross of 6 months boar male goat at 150,000 thousand shillings. Muranga Ezron has had his hard grow from 2 goats to now 12 goats. Nyakikora group had their herd to grow from 2 to 12 goats. Horticulture The district started a horticulture programme – pineapples, mangoes and oranges and has since procured and supplied the following quantities:
NAADS/ Other partnerships in Horticulture - There are two partners: Bukonzo Mixed Farmers Ltd and NASECO. Under the partnership strategy, the NAADS secretariat has implemented the following:
FISHERIES
FORESTRY Two hundred twenty hectares of the district bare hills have been planted with trees. It is also reported that the tree cover in the Rwenzori Mountain National Park has increased by 5% according to satellite images of 1995 and 2005 PRODUCTION AND MARKETING DEPARTMENT There are three main sources of livelihood in Kasese; crop farming, cattle keeping and fishing. Other economic activities include trade in commodities (especially at the border), manufacturing industries and mining. The district has also been zoned to guide developments in agriculture. National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), 2005/06 to date Under NAADS, enterprises being promoted following the zoning of the district are: piggery, poultry, goat keeping, cattle, coffee, horticulture, maize, cassava and sweet potatoes. Farmer institutional development · A total of 1400 groups have been identified/ formed and registered at sub-county level. Advisory services
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