Let’s turn Africa around
2015 will be the year that Africa grows out of extreme poverty. At least: a start will be made. In many places, for example in Uganda where small farmers pull themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. It’s possible. They do it themselves. But with a little help, the possibilities will be there for many of them.
Farming Africa wishes everybody a beautiful 2015. With lots of economic opportunities in Africa. Opportunities which are in first place profitable for African citizens in rural Africa.
Because it is possible. Hunger and extreme poverty can be brought to an end.
More and more people, organizations and companies believe in it and there are more and more possibilities to work towards it.
Knowledge
What’s needed is knowledge about good agricultural practices. With decent knowledge, smallholder familyfarmers are able to increase, even multiply their production, says Pablo Tittonell. All hunger is solved by then.
Let’s take a look, for example, at the ‘Uganda Community Farm’. This initiative strives to create a new precedent for ending hunger and extreme poverty in Africa.
It’s a small non-profit community agribusiness initiative in Buyende, one of the remotest parts of Uganda. Almost unknown to anyone.
The Uganda Community Farm aims to equip Uganda’s Rural Poor to work and act and pull themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty, in a self-sufficient way. By providing knowledge on two levels: skills and market access.
By equipping rural smallholder farmers with hands-on skills on organic horticulture systems, production goes up. And through collective marketing they will gain a more valuable market share.
Crowdsourcing
The goal of the The Uganda Community Farm is to set a precedent for Africa’s rural poor to take a lead on their own exit from hunger and extreme poverty, in a self-sufficient manner.
To set their vision off the ground, they currently are running a one-off crowdsourcing campaign, entitled ‘Let’s #TurnAfricaAround’ to raise support and awareness for the Uganda Community Farm.
Self-sufficient
The farm produces fresh green vegetable and various other species of horticulture , as well as rhizomes and root crops, such as carrots and ginger.
Those products will be marketed both through a model of community supported agriculture as well as a local organic farmers market, which will be created in Kamuli, near the Uganda Community Farm.
The goal however; taking a lead on their own exit from hunger and extreme poverty, in a self-sufficient manner, is big. Bigger than their capabilities.
They currently work on 2 hectare. What they need is 40 hectare. Plus farming equipment, irrigation solutions and other means. For this, they started a campaign. A campaign that gives the project a boost.
Support
Without this money, they sure will reach their goal. But it will take a lot of time. With a little bit of support, many farmers will be able to escape from hunger and extreme poverty.
So let’s go to the campaign of The Uganda Community Farm. For example. Or to one of the many other initiatives that support small scaled farmers to take a lead and pull themselves out of poverty. Go there, support them and Let’s turn Africa around.
© Marc van der Sterren