Farmers Acquire New Skills From Farm Clinic

Posted by: Kyeyune Andrew Jonathan in Uganda news August 6, 2022

Last Saturday, a number of farmers acquired new skills from a farm clinic courtesy of Seeds of Gold at Kachwekano ZARDI grounds.

The event commenced a few minutes after 8:00am and hundreds of farmers as well as farming enthusiasts were in attendance.

Many of these arrived as early as 7:00am, braving the morning chill coming from Lake Bunyonyi.

They arrived from different areas including Mbarara, Rukunjiri, Rubanda, Bushenyi, Kisoro and of course from the larger Kigezi region all eager to interact with experts.

Experts came from Kachwekano Zonal Research and Development institute (KaZARDI), Bank of Uganda, Stanbic Bank, Zoetis and Naro, among others. They came ready to impart knowledge into the farmers.

The questions from farmers also varied since not all of them delt in the same crops. One apple farmer, Erik Mbarara, walked into the apple training tent with his grandson.

“I farm apples; I have more than 300 trees, but pests and diseases are pulling me back,” he told, an agronomist at KaZARDI.

The experts informed him that various pests and diseases were attacking his plantation some of which are root-knot nematodes, fungal mould and brown spot.

They told him that besides using pesticides, he needed to practice crop rotation, test his soil before planting and observe hygiene on the farm.

Another livestock farmer from Kigezi, Daniel Bazooba, said his cow shocked him when it went on heat months after he thought is was pregnant. Dr Silver Tukamushaba however, told him that the cow could have lost the foetus before development.

The loss of a foetus can be caused by heat stress, toxic agents, severe trauma, diseases such as bovine viral diarrhoea. Additionally, an abrupt change in the cows feeding and nutrition habits are possible causes.

The farmers received new skills in goat management and proper agronomy of mushroom farming among others.

Maj. Gen Timothy Mutebile and his colleague Lt. Gen Jim Owoyesigire were among the knowledge seeking farmers that graced the 26th edition of the Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic.

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