Farmers sensitised on use of agro-chemicals, quality output

Macklean Atukuuma, a resident of Bushenyi Town bought fertilisers to use on two acres of land where she planted maize expecting to improve her yields.

She had harvested seven 100kg-sacks of maize the previous season. This meant her yields were to double since she had used fertilisers. To her surprise, the sprouts looked pale and, as a result, the yields were very poor.

Devastated by the dismal yields, Atukuuma placed the blame on input dealers.

Benson Tukundane, a village agent, was concerned and inquired about how she had applied the fertilisers.

“Her yields had been affected by the fertilisers. The amount she used was too much for her piece of land,” he says.

This was not the first case this village agent had handled. He says several farmers complain about crops that have been affected by weed and pest control chemicals.

Seek services
It is against this backdrop, officials from Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), Uganda National Farmers Federation (UNFFE), National Agriculture Research Organisation (Naro) and Usaid’s Feed The Future Crop Production and Marketing Activity (CPM) carried out sensitisation tours to farmers groups and traders in Ibanda, Masindi, Bushenyi and Kasese districts. The purpose was to educate them on proper usage of fertilisers and agro-chemicals.

Steven Tayebwa, from OWC Secretariat, urged famers to seek services of trained agriculture extension workers to avoid incurring losses resulting from excess application of fertilisers and chemicals.
“On several instances, the farmers are quick to blame seed and input suppliers without knowing that the problem could have resulted from too much fertilisers used or chemicals,” he said.

Prudence Aijuka, a policy research assistant at UNFFE, called upon farmers to channel their complaints through the district farmers’ associations.

“Do not suffer silently. Raise your complaints through the district or sub-county farmers’ associations. We cannot reach you individually but we can intervene when you raise these issues through a coordinated voice,” Aijuka urged.

Damalie Akwango, partnerships officer at Naro, urged farmers to participate in national research activities through identifying diseases and pests that attack their crops and inform agriculture officers within their locality.

“We know farmers identify diseases even before scientists discover them. But the challenge is being silent when you have discovered something unusual on your garden. Do not just lament when disease and pests are sinking your efforts,” she cautioned.

Emmanuel Kweyunga, the Kairere Green Africa Agency (Kegra) director in Bushenyi Town and Uziah Thembo, a village agriculture officer in Kasese Municipality, were dismayed by research centres that charge them when they go for study visits and the delayed reaction to their complaints.

“We visited a research centre and we were asked to pay Shs50,000 per head. That was beyond our reach. We request charges to be made public,” Kweyunga argued.

On his part, Thembo informed the officers that he complained about twig borer, whichthat has destroyed their coffee plantations but did not receive feedback from agriculturalists at either the district or sub-county.