A crash course in changing the world.
I Reinvent Cooperative Farming and the Granary in Uganda!
"Food security is not just about a one meal."
Cooperative farming is a system where farmers voluntarily come together,pool their resources in buying farm inputs,using resources (like land ,water, machinery) and market the produce and
divide the earnings.
Just like I said in: I report inadequate food access and availability in Uganda.
"Many regions in Uganda are practicing subsistence agriculture - mainly because the land is owned by private individuals in small plots; so, the
people choose what to do on their plots of land."
Because family farms in Uganda are too small, not to mention issues like poverty - which makes modern farming equipment very expensive. Cooperative farming offers farmers a machinery pool, a marketing cooperative and a credit union.
Every thing that a local Ugandan farmer needs:
Cooperative farming exists Uganda - or at least it used to, but it didn't turn out very well.
This is because:
This will help local farmers over come smallness. Production is done cooperatively providing a platform to share production land, machinery, skills and earnings.
THE GRANARY:
Scenario 1: "Our cooperative(s) has worked hard all season to produce corn or beans or whatever it is we have produced. Now, WHAT NEXT?"
A granary is a storehouse for threshed grain - helps to keep grain from rodents reach.
Granaries used to be common in many parts of East and Northern Uganda where grains like millet, corn (maize) are commonly grown.
A traditional granary is a round-shaped structure of about 8ft circ**ference, usually raised at least 3ft above the ground. It is constructed using local material such as mud and wattle and plastered
with a layer of cow dung to fill up h***s and smoothen the finishing.
What happened to the Granary?
It all goes back to subsistence farming:
Of course the granary helps with seed security. Where there is NO seed security, food security cant be possible.
Increasing food access in the community and beyond:
I encourage farmers to start up cooperatives, we have explored some of the most important advantages (take advantage of economies of scale).
In my home village farmers are already coming up with such strategies - now the only thing to do is to help them make their cooperatives work - for social and economic benefit.
The Granary is very important. At least one granary per community. This will help check famine and rural poverty. But of course a community granary wouldn't make much sense if the communities are not providing equal efforts towards food production. So, first I demand for equal commitment towards the cooperative society and once we have this spirit in place, we Reinvent Cooperative Farming and the Granary to increase and improve on farm yields while ensuring better storage measures for the seeds and yields."
Cooperative farming is a system where farmers voluntarily come together,pool their resources in buying farm inputs,using resources (like land ,water, machinery) and market the produce and
divide the earnings.
Just like I said in: I report inadequate food access and availability in Uganda.
"Many regions in Uganda are practicing subsistence agriculture - mainly because the land is owned by private individuals in small plots; so, the
people choose what to do on their plots of land."
Because family farms in Uganda are too small, not to mention issues like poverty - which makes modern farming equipment very expensive. Cooperative farming offers farmers a machinery pool, a marketing cooperative and a credit union.
Every thing that a local Ugandan farmer needs:
- a platform to share farming skills and produce together as a team
- the marketing cooperative ensures that farmers are not exploited against by the middle men.
- the credit union makes it easy for farmers to acquire the loans they need to improve on their farms.
- sell some of the small produce to provide other basic necessities (which in many cases results into food shortages). OR
- reserve all the farm yields for the family (which results into failure to provide other basic necessities)
Cooperative farming exists Uganda - or at least it used to, but it didn't turn out very well.
This is because:
- at the time demand for food was not as high as it is today,
- at the farmers didn't see the need for modern farming equipment - no need for loans
- farming on the family farms was subsistence - no need for agricultural markets or even machinery pool
This will help local farmers over come smallness. Production is done cooperatively providing a platform to share production land, machinery, skills and earnings.
THE GRANARY:
Scenario 1: "Our cooperative(s) has worked hard all season to produce corn or beans or whatever it is we have produced. Now, WHAT NEXT?"
A granary is a storehouse for threshed grain - helps to keep grain from rodents reach.
Granaries used to be common in many parts of East and Northern Uganda where grains like millet, corn (maize) are commonly grown.
A traditional granary is a round-shaped structure of about 8ft circ**ference, usually raised at least 3ft above the ground. It is constructed using local material such as mud and wattle and plastered
with a layer of cow dung to fill up h***s and smoothen the finishing.
What happened to the Granary?
It all goes back to subsistence farming:
- Because the farmers are not cautious about the state of food access in Uganda, they gave up on the granaries.
- Increased levels of poverty - farmers want to sell off the surplus of their yields because thats the only way of earning to cater for other basic necessities (like school fee for the children and health care)
- farmers produce enough for their families - hence nothing to keep in the granaries.
Of course the granary helps with seed security. Where there is NO seed security, food security cant be possible.
Increasing food access in the community and beyond:
I encourage farmers to start up cooperatives, we have explored some of the most important advantages (take advantage of economies of scale).
In my home village farmers are already coming up with such strategies - now the only thing to do is to help them make their cooperatives work - for social and economic benefit.
The Granary is very important. At least one granary per community. This will help check famine and rural poverty. But of course a community granary wouldn't make much sense if the communities are not providing equal efforts towards food production. So, first I demand for equal commitment towards the cooperative society and once we have this spirit in place, we Reinvent Cooperative Farming and the Granary to increase and improve on farm yields while ensuring better storage measures for the seeds and yields."
Views: 20
Tags: ACT2
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Comment by Nick Heyming on March 19, 2010 at 10:26pm -
I really like where you're going with this. It seems like such a basic idea, but sometimes we need to revisit old ideas and make them new and appropriate for our age...
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Comment by Agent H on March 20, 2010 at 8:09pm -
Hey Ssozi, Did you know that you lead the network for Vision? Just for that, I gave you another +1 for vision. Thanks for this blog, and also the links at the bottom of the page.
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Comment by Ssozi Javie on March 21, 2010 at 8:38am -
@Agent Nick, today we are faced with problems with solutions worth millions of dollars (that we DONT have and we are not ready for the debts) on the other hand we are CREATIVE human being capable of improvising local solutions to solve the same problems only with INNOVATION, COLLABORATION and COMMITMENT! - I concur with your comment
@Agent Lee, thanks looking forward to reading your posts too. :)
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Comment by Megan Whaley on March 22, 2010 at 1:03pm -
Ssozi, This is great! This is a wonderful idea.
What I noticed first and foremost about farming cooperatives is that a basis of trust and cohesion is necessary for the groups to survive. Not only that but effective, honest, compassionate, and visionary leadership of each group. Leadership found themselves over time and with training (like us =D). The groups developed trust and cohesion over time and with patience (I heard once that beginnings are a delicate time and must be left to develop like precious embryos- with careful attention and balance) and especially through achieving relevant successes together. There were several Grandmothers' Self-Help groups that suffered incredibly because of leadership that saw their own interests in exploiting the group. Of course, every member is supposed to exploit the benefits of the group but the question is how much, how far, and what the true intentions of the member are.
The women put together constitutions for their groups which dictated what kinds of behavior were appropriate while at meetings and what kinds of conduct the women should in engage in throughout their lives as responsible elders of the community. In that sense, the groups became lifestyles- they encompassed meaning throughout the women's lives. The groups formed farming cooperatives but they also met to save, work on community development projects, counsel and cope with one another, and learn life skills. Those women who only participated in the groups once or twice a month and considered the groups a side obligation did not reap the full benefits and certainly the group suffered. To keep people that engaged the groups need to service the members as more than just a farming cooperative. The meeting spot has to become a common social spot for discussing farming topics (and social issues). The men and women should meet for other purposes such as to petition a rich farmer who is buying up poor farmer's land by offering enticingly high rates. Farming isn't what these men and women do. It's their lives.
Thank you so much Ssozi! I've learned a lot from you. I wish I could go back to Uganda soon. Nyaka is in Kanungu District- quite a hike. Where are you?
-Agent MW
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Comment by Ssozi Javie on March 22, 2010 at 4:29pm
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Agent Megan,
thank you for this comment - adds more detail to my post. :)
I am work in Kampala, but my home village is in Masaka. I have not been to Kanungu - but I have been to many other districts in the West and South Western Uganda.
Actually cooperatives give the women a chance to discuss their social affairs away from the men. As they weed their plantations, they discuss their issues. :) One stone hits TWO birds! Even more...
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Comment by Omri or something on March 22, 2010 at 4:46pm -
I love the way you put these two ideas together. None can really work without the other and it seems so easy to overlook. There is such a difference in the way these two parts of the world see such problems, that we need to pay attention to every detail.
Regardless, your Blog put one more subject into perspective for me and for that I thank you.
Great Post.
Comment
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