By Mike Rwothomio and Ofoymungu Lee
Some years back, Spending the whole day on an empty stomach or one meal per day due to food shortage was a common practice amongst thousands of farmers in Paidha Sub-County Zombo District in the west-nile Sub-region.
Food availability is not a limiting factor in most regions of Uganda except in Karamoja, East Central and West Nile where production and productivity, frequent dry spells and lack of extension services affect production.
However, in Paidha Sub-County, The rooted poverty occasioned by climate change and traditional farming practices, illiteracy, and negative attitude towards modern farming practices were to blame for the challenges farmers encountered for ages in the area.
Poverty for years has had a great negative impact, especially on the lives of children who become weak and malnourished and fail to access education notwithstanding the vast
lands in the area.
In 2017, Nebbi Diocese church of Uganda launched a project named, The One Village Transformed (O.V.T)project. The church-powered project funded by World Concern, a non-governmental organization was directed to Goli Central Archdeaconry with its headquarters in Pagisi church of Uganda situated in Paidha Sub-county.
Objectives
– The four core objectives of the One Village Transformed (O.V.T) project are to champion climate-smart agriculture through which farmers are provided with farm inputs, trained on food security, modern farming practices, and climate change amongst others.
– To champion gender equality by directly addressing the rooted practice of gender-based violence in homes
– To promote sanitation in homes and improve farmer’s income through village savings
Over the years, farmers under different groups in the Paidha Sub-county where the project implementation is ongoing have witnessed some transformation.
Last week, Many farmers made a life-changing confession when Nebbi Church of Uganda commemorated World Food Day in Olyeko Pambu Village, Paidha Sub-County Zombo District with the theme “Water is life, let’s not leave anyone behind”.
What the beneficiaries are saying.
Fauzia Rwinya believed to be in her 70s and also a gender champion is one of the beneficiaries currently taking care of four of her grandchildren alone. She confessed to facing the challenge of food shortage five years ago due to a combination of factors.
Rwinya said, ” I received training on modern farming skills, can produce short-term crops and keep some, this has addressed the hunger crisis in my home”.
She revealed that she now feeds the kids three meals per day, something that was more of a dream for an elderly person like her and finally said ” Thank you so much our people from OVT, I got exposed to modern farming practices when you took me to Adraka farm, I can take care of chickens, Pigs amongst others.”
Gilbert Wedunga, another beneficiary wouldn’t hide his experience of over drinking and wasting much time on unproductive activities.
Wedunga confessed to receiving the training and benefiting from Modern farming practices and village savings brought by the Church Project in the area.
” I would drink and never mind garden work yet my wife was working alone, Food was not enough, at times we would depend on one meal a day, This drastically changed after we joined a savings group and started receiving training on modern farming skills. Now we have adopted the new farming skills and we constantly have food at home” Wedunga told the whispereye news last week.
Dhone Peter Dokcen, A lead farmer in the Olyeko community Paidha Sub-County said apart from increased food production, other initiatives like free farm inputs and tree seedling distribution to farmers under the O.V.T project are a major factor to reckon with.
He added, “Some of the tree seedlings planted are fruits like apples, that has also become a source of revenue and even food for us”.
The project in the years to come is projected to have a whole area transformed and turn into a major food and cash crop producing sub-county in the District given the determination of farmers who have embraced it.
Leaders speak out
The rural Paidha Sub-county which is said to be the second largest lower local government unit in Zombo District has more than 5000 farmers most of whom are peasant farmers.
Dorothi Acirocan, The Sub-County Production officer commended the Church of Uganda for the extension of the life-changing venture in the area.
Acirocan who revealed a shocking revelation about the existence of diseases like kwashiorkor in the Sub-County added that ” as government, sometimes our hands are tied on addressing the challenge of over 5000 farmers we have here, we commend you for this project and we call for more Non-governmental organizations to come in and support”
The Zombo District agriculture Officer Patrick Anenuiw equally commended the Church of Uganda for the extension of the project in the District adding that addressing food security, and climate change amongst others should be a shared responsibility since its a cross-cutting issue.
The farmers grouped under Pagisi and Olyeko communities have been urged to take the issue of climate change since the dry spell is approaching.
The Agric Facilitator for the O.V.T Project Molly Kwiocwiny Bright, expressed happiness about the changes the project has so far made in the lives of farmers.
She said before the project was launched, basic research was Carried out that depicted the real crisis of ” depending on one meal a day” yet they have enough land.
Kwiocwiny also narrated a terrible experience of witnessing farmers feeding on porridge for lunch and super added that ” seeing our farmers feeding on three meals per day is a big step and a plus for us going forward ”
Sunday Jalar, The project coordinator expressed optimism saying their set objectives shall have remarkable progress in the lives of farmers. He called for unity and cooperation amongst the groups for the programs to serve their intended purpose.
Jalar added that some of the progress in food security can be seen in the health of children in the area which to him is a self testimony.
Though food is largely available, food access and utilization are major limiting factors in three regions in Uganda and minor limiting factors in other regions. This has been attributed to low levels of income, storage, inadequate nutritional awareness, cultural food preferences, poor sanitary and food preparation practices and wastage of food during harvest periods due to festivities according to the Food and Agricultural Organization FAO Uganda.
Other Nebbi Diocese church of Uganda projects like the Kucwiny Integrated Food Security Project, Compassion amongst others have equally witnessed communities giving living testimonies of their transformed lives.
