Better Farming, Better Me

Do you know how a smoker’s body would look like after a short period of smoking? Well, here is something that will shock you. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that five million people die globally each year due to tobacco consumption.

courtsey of google images

   In Uganda tobacco is one of the top ten revenue resources and it is estimated that there are 75,000 tobacco farmers in the country.
   This crop that is widely grown in Arua, Kanungu, Koboko, Kiryandongo  Masindi and other districts in the country claims lives of about 13,500 Ugandans annually as reported by Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA). 

  

courtsey of daily monitor

 As an approach to this Dr. Possy Mugyenyi the manager of CTCA together with Ms. Jennifer Kalule-Musamba Technical Advisor, Communication and Advocacy specialist at CTCA an organisation established in July 2011 to provide technical and institutional support in Africa in the areas of policy formulation, legislation and enforcement of tobacco control, as well as building and sustaining institutional capacity for tobacco control developed the project Better Farming, Better Me.

This is one of the seven projects which was selected for The Resilience Innovation Challenge 4 Adverse Climate Effects (RIC4ACE) Grant Awards during the launch of The RAN’s first State of African Resilience Report .

This project (Better Farming, Better Me) that received a grant of $43,729 from RIC4ACE competition is aimed at weaning households from tobacco-dependent mono-cropping to mixed food crop and poultry farming as a more fulfilling alternative that leads to better livelihoods and food security.

At the project level Dr. Mugyenyi is the Principle Investigator and Ms. Kalule-Musamba is in charge of Mobilisation, communication and Documentation.

Ms.Jennifer Kalule-Musamba

Mr.Possy Mugyenyi

The amazing duo believes this project will solve the problem of exploitation of the farmers by the tobacco industries. They argue that tobacco growing has kept farmers in a vicious cycle of poverty where they are paid less for their efforts by the tobacco industries.

“This project involves introduction of other crops like maize and also poultry which will entice the farmers to shift from tobacco without being forced,” says Ms. Kalule-Musamba.

 The team believes that this wonderful project that has not been applied elsewhere will diversify the income of the farmers since they will be able to earn from maize which has ready market seasonally and occasionally from poultry unlike tobacco that can only be harvested once a year. The poultry wastes can also be used as manure by the farmers.

The innovators say that this project that is to use Experiential Learning Model in which farmers use experience to change their lives has no health and environmental hazards, it is less labour intensive, and above all it will enable farmers to earn more income.

“We plan on using this model because it will attract farmers to willingly shift from tobacco farming and enjoy the benefits. In many countries like Turkey, Bangladesh, and Brazil the government has used monetary incentives to stop tobacco growing but once these incentives are stopped farmers relapse,” says Dr. Mugyenyi.

In partnership with Leisure farm who have been working on poultry and maize project in other communities, the innovators believe it will help in strengthening and giving farmers support throughout. It will also help farmers in getting market for their produce by working together with the farmers and commercial private firms to design market for the alternative products.

As with any change tool, the brilliant innovators point out tobacco industries as their major challenge since they talk to the farmers against this project so as to stay in business. They also look at limited market for alternative products as another challenge.

Before designing this intervention Dr. Mugyenyi and Ms. Kalule- Musamba took into consideration the challenges that is why they believe that this amazing  project will be a success. They look forward to replicating it to other countries like Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Malawi which are the top tobacco growing countries upon its success in Uganda. 


Compiled by Communications and Engagement Department ResilientAfrica Network(RAN)
(Achiro Jennifer, Byomuhangi Owen,Musisi Henry, Nalunga Winnie and Nuwagaba Kenneth )