Empowering Karamoja: Sustainable Agriculture Initiatives for Improved Crop Yield and Community Education
Our innovation in this intervention lies in the improved methods of farming. Karamoja
region being a semi-arid area has limited rains and thus requires alternatives like
irrigation. Secondly, most of the locals are smallholder farmers who use traditional
methods of farming. Our innovation involves use of state-of-the-art mechanized
farming methods using tractors, planters, combine harvesters, post-harvest food
processing among others. In addition, we shall increase on the free trainings offered to
the locals about better farming methods and mindset change for the locals especially
the youth and the women about agriculture.
We realized that buying food for distribution was not sustainable and we piloted
farming on 250 acres in Nakapiripirit district in September 2022 by growing beans and
maize to distribute to starving households.
This involved buying tractors, improved seeds, employing workers, harvesting the crops, processing, storage and distribution
of the food to households, among others and it cost us approximately USD 500,000.
In January 2023, we continued to pilot our innovation by planting 2000 acres of
sorghum in Napak district. This involved acquiring state-of-the-art farming equipment.
It also involved employing over 1,242 people at the farm, buying improved farm inputs,
improvising technologies to manage pests, fuel for the equipment, building food
storage facilities, among others. This cost us approximately USD 2.3 million (where
approximately USD1.5 million was mobilized as in-kind contributions from partners and
well-wishers).