At first he didn’t think it could be done.
But with just weeks to go to his first harvest, farmer Isaeirye Bamwetwakire is confident that he is on course to reap a bumper crop of upland rice on his farm at Chinawampiri in the Namwendwa district of Kamuli.
Isaeirye is one of 12 farmer in his parish and 500 across the project area to have received upland rice seed from Self Help, as part of a campaign to diversify farming activities and promote new crops.
The campaign to introduce upland rice also has government support, and is designed to discourage traditional paddy field rice production because of the impact on Uganda’s fragile wetland eco-systems.
A traditional Ugandan maize and groundnut farmer and father of seven, Isaeirye admits that he was a little unsure when the proposal to grow upland rice was first put to him. ‘Rice is traditionally grown in swampy paddy field conditions, not in normal soil’.
‘The yields from this improved variety upland rice have been fantastic however, and from my one acre plot I am expecting upwards of 900 kg of rice – which will get a far higher price than I would get for my more traditional crops’, he said.
Isaeirye Bamwetwakire initially received 27 kgs of seed from Self Help Africa, and returned twice that amount at harvest time. ‘I understand the system of revolving the seed in this way, and know that Self Help will distribute the seed that I return to two other farmers – to allow them to enjoy the benefits which I am seeing’, he added. |
Self Help Africa in Uganda |
Self Help Africa began working in Uganda in the late 1990's, initially on a three year pilot project in Asamuk, and latterly with area based projects in Amuria and Kamuli.
A number of new area based projects have been started by the organisation in the country in recent times. |
