Strengthening Local Communities
CSRL seeks to empower local communities to address hunger and poverty. Our work in Kamuli district, Uganda, began in late 2004 and is currently focused in three of the district's subcounties. The communities identify the priorities for their work with CSRL, identify their resources, and participate in the monitoring and evaluation of the work. CSRL implements, primarily through VEDCO, activities tied to the communities' priorities.
Activities
Most small farmers involved in this work interact with VEDCO through farmer groups of 20-25 members. The strongest of these groups have voluntarily formed around common interests in specific crops or common challenges like HIV/AIDS. VEDCO provides training to strengthen the groups -- such as in group dynamics, leadership and developing a constitution -- and encourages the groups to register with the subcounty government.
There are currently 70 farmer groups with 1,430 members (1,044 women) in 60 villages of the three sub-counties in which CSRL supports work. These group members represent 800 households containing approximately 6,400 people who are benefiting from this group approach. Nine of the groups are focused on disadvantaged people (HIV/AIDS, disabilities) and one focused on youth.
VEDCO hosts annual review and feedback workshops with the farmers in order to incorporate the knowledge and experience of the farmers into the program.
Agricultural extension and integration of nutrition and health training
Farmer group members increase their agricultural and health knowledge and access quality planting materials through Rural Development Extensionists (RDEs) and Community Nutrition and Health Workers (CNHWs). Groups nominate farmer members to become volunteer RDEs and CNHWs. These volunteers are trained by VEDCO, fitted with basic tool kits, set up with demonstrations at their own homes and encouraged to train farmer group members. This farmer-to-farmer extension model, which maximizes farmer contacts, encourages sustainability after outside organizations like VEDCO and CSRL move on to new areas.
Seventy five group members have become RDEs (46) and CNHWs (29) in these three sub-counties, up from 29 RDEs and 0 CNHWs in two sub-counties in 2004. Many are developing innovations beyond their training to increase the benefits to their community.
Demonstration and multiplication gardens
RDEs and CNHWs create "demonstration gardens" and livestock structures in their own fields, to practice what they've learned, and as a model for other farmer group members. The RDEs' demonstration gardens include crops and livestock chosen by the farmer groups through participatory methods. Demonstrations at CNHWs' homes are used to teach the importance of different nutrients in diets, and are set up for micronutrient- and protein-rich crops and livestock. The gardens often serve a "multiplication" role as well - providing good quality planting materials for member farms. Surplus production is used to benefit the group members. The crops are divided among members, or sometimes sold and the proceeds invested to benefit the group by, for example, purchasing a goat.
Special Needs Households and Disadvantaged Groups
Evidence has shown that the poorest of poor ("special needs households") do not belong to groups either because they cannot afford to pay membership dues, or because they are not able to provide labor. Further, this group of farmers rarely attends public meetings; when they do, they do not get to participate actively in deliberations. Thus they are excluded when development organizations choose to work with groups. In Kamuli district there are categories of households that are considered the poorest of poor, households that are not members of any groups. VEDCO chose to work with a small number of these households directly, and results indicate that they are beginning to "open up" and attend community meetings.
In order to improve the livelihoods of disadvantaged groups (elderly, disabled, HIV/AIDS, and others), income-generating activities are be promoted among the members through training in development and management of the different enterprises. Participants also receive planting materials and other resources required for the selected activities.
Post Harvest Management
Harvest presents a challenge and an opportunity: reducing post-harvest losses and adding value to produce. Using the Review of Innovations that Makerere University conducted in 2004, VEDCO staff and local farmers will select relevant technologies to test and then implement at farmer group facilities.
Agricultural Trade
In the process of working with farmers toward achieving sustainable livelihoods, the program first addresses food security issues. Once households achieve food security, they are introduced to the concept of practicing agriculture as a business. Food secure farmer group members receive training on basic business skills and management of agricultural enterprises. The establishment of income generating activities will be cost shared by the program. Farmer groups working on agricultural trade will be linked to service providers such as buyers and input suppliers.
School Gardens
The CSRL program is working with six schools in Kamuli district because the schools are not able to provide nutritious lunches to the students, and because schools may be an important avenue of agriculture and nutrition education for the broader community. One of the schools, Namasagali Primary School, worked with the 2006 service learning project. VEDCO will work with all six schools to establish multiplication gardens that will be used as practical training fields for students and their teachers and practical demonstration of balanced school meals.
Future Plans
In order to fully develop and implement a complete model, CSRL is committed to our current project site for the first five years, and then will assess our work in order to understand how to modify our approach to make it even more effective and have broader impact.
We have been in Kamuli district for just over two years now, and our initial activities focused on food security. Now that many farmers are food secure, CSRL and VEDCO will increase effort toward strengthening farmers' ability to enter the marketplace and earn income.
