HOIMA, July 31, 2024 – Political, religious, and cultural leaders and civil servants in Bunyoro Subregion have been urged to embark on mobilising farmers with small land to embrace a four-acre model as being the appropriate investment for wealth creation.
President Yoweri Museveni has been promoting the four-acre model for prosperity, which can support the growing of coffee, fruits, food crops, zero grazing of dairy cattle, poultry, piggery, and fish farming.
This model encourages diversification, with one acre dedicated to coffee cultivation, another to fruit trees, the third to food crops for household consumption, and the fourth to pasture for livestock.
The call was sounded days ago by the State Minister for Works and Transport [Transport], Fred Byamuakama while addressing Resident District Commissioners [RDCs], and their juniors during a preparation meeting for the launch of the four-acre model initiative by President Museveni.
The first phase of the launch is scheduled to take place in mid-November at Kikwaya village Narweyo Sub-county in Kakumiro district, while the second phase of the event will take place in Hoima City.
The first phase of the launch of the programme will cover Kikuube, Kakumiro, Kibaale, Kagandi districts where the president will visit the successful farmers and also sensitise Bunyoro kingdom subjects on how utilise four acres of land to create wealth for themselves.
According to Byamukama, leaders have a big role to play in transforming people socially and economically, adding that people in Bunyoro have remained poor due to lack of guidance.
He noted that people of Bunyoro have fertile land but people are not putting it to use to create wealth for themselves.
He urged farmers to get interested in government programme like the Parish Development Model [PDM]and Emyooga so that they get funds to invest in the four-acre model.
The minister further urged leaders to be role models by embracing four-acre to do agriculture. I have an acre of coffee mixed with Bananas, poultry project which is giving me eggs every day, an acre of pasture for livestock. My neighbours are learning from me and they have also started making money. So you [leaders] also need to go and do something and be an example,” he told the RDCs, and other officials.
Byamukama also warned leaders against politicising the PDM programme because it is aimed at helping people to move out of poverty. “What has always killed government programmes is mixing development activities with politics,” he said.
Meanwhile, Maj. Martha Asiimwe, Head of the RDC Secretariat in Kampala urged the RDCs and their juniors to take government programmes serious and apprehend any person sabotaging the initiatives aimed at improving livelihoods.
On his part, Maj. David Matovu the RDC of Kakumiro district commended Museveni for the PDM initiative, saying that if people follow its guidelines it can be a magic bullet for the socio-economic transformation of the people of Bunyoro.
He underscored a need to have a mindset change campaign if the the four-acre model to be embraced in all parts of Bunyoro Subregion.
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