Farmers advised to embrace four-acre farming model
KIKUUBE, April 6, 2024 – Farmers in Kikuube district have been urged to embrace President Yoweri Museveni’s four-acre farming model to grow more crops and keep animals instead of putting all their efforts into sugarcane production.
The call was made recently by Kikuube District Woman Member of Parliament, Florence Natumanya while addressing councillors under their umbrella, Kabwoya Councillors’ Development Association in Kabwoya Sub-county.
Tatumanya explained that government programmes like the Parish Development Model [PDM], Operation Wealth Creation [OWC], and Emyooga Programme provide funds that can be invested on the four- acre farming model which president Museveni has been promoting for the last three years.
The four-acre farming model encourages diversification, with one acre dedicated to coffee cultivation, another to fruit trees, the third to staple crops for household consumption, and the fourth can be grown with pasture for livestock.
Natumanya noted that as leaders, they are worried that farmers in Kikuube district are interested in growing more sugarcane than food production, noting that this could lead to food insecurity in the district.
Cassava, banana, maize, beans, and sweet potatoes are some of the food crops grown in Kikuube district mostly on a small scale.
She encouraged farmers with land of up to five acres not to grow sugarcane but use four-acre farming model to grow more food crops on commercial basis.
“Leave the growing of sugarcane to people with big land, those with 30 to 100 acres can grow sugarcane but you with one to five acres grow food crops such as cassava, maize, beans, bananas, sweet potatoes,” she advised.
The legislator commended the councillors for promoting unity and challenged the local leaders to join hands in mobilising the local community to engage in income generating activities.
Meanwhile, Kabwoya Sub-county Chairperson, Francis Twesige Mukoto said Kabwoya Councillors’ Development Association which has 20 members, was started to mobilise financial resources to support leader’s income generating activities.
On his part, Michael Ayeranga the Bunyoro region NRM mobiliser also commended the leaders for getting organised for their social economic transformation. NRM stands for the National Resistance Movement, the ruling part in Uganda.
Ayeranga further challenged the leaders to mobilise the local communities to embrace programmes initiated by the government to fight against household poverty.
He noted that many people have not taken advantage of the government programmes such as operation wealth creation, the PDM, Youth livelihood Programme, and Emyooga Programme among others because they have not been mobilised.
“Mobilise the local people to take on these programs and move out of poverty, the programs were initiated for people to create their own jobs and wealth to join the money economy,” he said.
He also warned the leaders against engaging in politics based on tribalism, describing those doing so as enemies of development.
https://thecooperator.news/museveni-rallies-church-leaders-on-modern-agriculture/
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