Jinja Diocesan Development Coordinating Organisation
JIDDECO EXHIBITS AT THE 17TH SOURCE OF THE NILE AGRIC SHOW

Plot 38, Nile Gardens P. O. Box 868 Jinja - UGANDA
Phone: 256 434-122557 Fax: 256 434-122558 / 0772 408 378

Email: jiddeco@jiddeco.or.ug

JIDDECO is a Coordinating and facilitating agency of the Diocese of Jinja, (Busoga region) working in partnership with local organizations through training, fund raising, research, advocacy and other forms of technical support to strengthen their effectiveness in utilizing their resources to meet their basic needs for justice and well-being. SPECIAL Programme is one of the many programmes being coordinated by JIDDECO –Diocese of Jinja but funded by several external partners such as Cordaid, DKA Austria, DANIDA/Caritas Denmark.

JIDDECO’s Development Coordinator, Mr. Paul Bateeze says though the organization is catholic founded, it’s a non discriminative. Every smallholder farmer or group of people in the target villages can benefit and acquire knowledge freely, despite their cultural, religious, social, economic and political back ground. These small holder farmers and micro-service providers tell their success stories and challenges.

Mukaaga Samson aged 32, hails from Bufuta village, Bukatube subcounty in Mayuge is one of the beneficiaries of SPECIAL (CORDAID) Programme. On his 4 acres of land, he has used 2½ acres for cassava production, ½ acre for bananas growing and 1 acre for maize. He has specialized in local poultry rearing for eggs production. He keeps 50 birds and 14 cross breed goats. Mukaaga Samson collects cereals and beans from Bufuta Farmers development Association and sells them to traders in Jinja Central Market and later on distributes the sales amongst the members. He says on top of drought which has hit almost the whole country, their main problem still remains clean water for Consumption. He is worried that their area is sitting on a time bomb, that’s likely to explode anytime due water problem that is consumed by residents but drawn from ponds. Water in the area is shared between Animals and Human being. There about 230 households in Bufuta village with a total population of 789 people. The community is bitter that their area Member of Parliament has not helped them to address their needs namely Opening and grading 6 kms of Bufuta-Lukindu community road, in Mbirabira parish and provision of safe clean and safe water (protected spring). ‘As a village, a year ago we were asked by local Government authorities to contribute 40,000/- toward the construction and protection of our village source of water, which we did but to-date no tangible result has been delivered. We draw and use dirty water from the well which makes us, our animals and birds sick says Mukaaga. In the last 6 months, he has so far sold off 20 birds.

Another beneficiary of SPECIAL (CORDAID) Programme. Is Lukalango Shaban aged 47, Lwanda village, Imanyiiro sub-county, Mayuge district. He has 3 goats, 1 acre of bananas, 2 acres of cassava from which he hopes to earn Ug. Shs. 10 million this year. The other investments he has are; 1 acre of ground nuts and 2 acres of maize from which he expects to harvest 3,000 kgs and earn Ug.Shs.3 million this season. His target is to keep 1000 birds for eggs laying by the end of the year. Currently, he produces 2 trays of eggs from his 180 birds. Two sacks of maize were stolen from the garden. He says, cases of food theft on the village are on the increase because lack of adequate land for cultivation. He explains that many household members leased their land for sugarcane growing for less than Ug. shs.200,000 and have resorted to sugarcane cutting for survival. He appeals the local government authorities to work on Kyandaire-Mayuge town council road (4 miles) to enable him and other farmers to access better markets for their products.

Andrew Mawerere aged 72 are a happy couple from Buwango village. Out of his 2 ½ acres of land, he grows vegetables, one acre of ground nuts from which he harvests 10 bags of unshelled ground nuts, one re form potatoes. The remaining ½ acre is used for keeping both local and improved birds as well as 11 improved cows. He is one of the 16 members of Kyebajjatobona farmers Association. The group was initially supported with 102 chicks for eggs laying under the NAADS programme in July 2007 and only one chick died. After 5 months, they began to sell 3 trays of eggs daily. However, this stock of birds became infected with a terrible disease and it was sold off after 3 months by the group. Today, he controls and prevents birds diseases such as new castle, typhoid, malek, gombolo and fowl pox using local poultry herbs as trained by JIDDECO. Together with his wife, Fida Mawerere and Kitimbo William the eldest son, they restocked 200 chicks from which he collects about 31/2 trays of eggs daily and earn about Ug.Shs.15,000 daily. He plans mobilize other community members to take on local and improved poultry as a business.

Moses Dheyongera, from Butamira village, Buyengo sub-county, Jinja district produces about 2400 bunches of matooke from every 6 months from his 6 acres of banana plantation. He says there is a virgin local market for matooke which are bought at an average farm gate price of 5,000. The matooke are sold off in the court yard and prevents them from reaching his banana garden which may tempt stranger from stealing his matooke. In addition, he has cross breeds goats and he has targeted to increase his number of goats from 25 to 200 per yearn each at not less than Ug.shs.15,000. Although he has 100 birds, he has planned to stock 1000 chicks from the hatchery by the end of this month. The advantage he enjoys is that is farm is isolated in the sugarcane plantations grown by other farmers. His major challenge is access to irrigation technology to tap water from the swamp and bores to irrigate his suckers in the expanded new banana garden and sufficient capital for farm expansion. Last month, he sold 3 out of his 4 cows and stocked 8 pigs for pork production in his pig sty. These will be essential in providing the needed manure for his banana garden. He has increased his land size from 10 acre by buying 5 additional acres of land for his projects.

Margret Namulondo and her husband, Kafuko David are engaged in pig rearing from which they collect three Jericans of urine which they use to control Banana Bacteria Wilt disease. They are both members of Bwidhabwangu Busige Rural Development Association which sold about U.Shs 29200,000 from the sales of banana suckers, cassava cuttings and passion fruits last year. Within the last three months, this group with a membership of 22 has earned Ug.shs.8.2 million from the sale of 300 bags of improved cassava cuttings and potatoes vines and 10,000 banana suckers. This household has so far sold 60 birds within the price range of 7,000-10,000. 25 were cocks at 10,000each and 45 were cockerels and pullets each at U.Shs 5500. The proceeds from the farm have been used to educate their 4 children in secondary private schools. Already, one has completed a primary teaching course and she is employed under the district civil /public service. Still, with increased incomes, they were able to acquire 2 solar panels which they use for house lighting, phone charging to the community members. Besides, this has reduced the associated respiration problems with the candle and paraffin.

One of the beneficiaries of DANIDA/CARITAS Denmark programme implemented by Jiddeco in partnership with Caritas Tororo is Patrick Isiko Kairu 65, a retired teacher of Iwawu Village, Bulamagi Sub –County in Iganga district. He specializes in local poultry, although he has two heifers to supplement his living and balancing of diet for his family. Isiko, the Proprietor of Mbogo Poultry Farm has 450 one month old local birds and 550 three months’ old birds, which he keeps from day one, and is proud of mixing the feeds himself, that he says has enabled him to decrease on the expenses on the ever increasing rates of drugs and feeds. “With a thousand layers, I will be able to supply any number of local chickens in different sizes, since the demand is on the increased “says Isiko According to Mr. Paul Bateeze, the Programme Coordinator, this programme envisioned “Smallholder farmers and micro-service providers who are healthy, sustainably and justly food and income secure and can influence policy change; and the project purpose was to enhance sustainable household food and income security and equitable satisfaction of basic health, economic, social and gender needs of 4,500 households (30,000 people) in 30 villages in Iganga (20 villages) and Tororo and Manafwa (10 villages) districts in Eastern Uganda in 3 years. Furthermore, he among the many selected and trained JIDDECO target farmers supported by Government under NAADS programme.

As a lead sub-county, he was given 19 Iron sheets for roofing his formerly grass thatched poultry shed. Mr. Isiiko enthusiastically talks about how local chicken rearing is a rewarding enterprise worth undertaking. Last year, he bagged Ug. shs. 1783000 from the sale of 280 birds. “ I buy one day old chicks each at Ug.shs.1100 from Kagodo Farms Supply in Jinja town and I rear them for 2 to three months and sell them at Ug.shs.6,000 each. I was trained by JIDDECO to prepare the locally the local poultry feeds”. “In a period of 6 months, January –June 2009, he has sold 539 birds and earned Ug. Shs 3,419.000/. He added “the local poultry birds are more disease resistant and profitable compared to the improved breeds.”

In a bid to facilitate local farmers to improve on their animal/bird breeds Jiddeco employs a graduation strategy. Mr. Isiiko is one such farmer who has benefited in this context. He narrates: “I exchanged my local cow valued at Ug. Shs 330,000 for an in-calf heifer as a loan-in-kind from the SPECIAL Programme at a cost of Ug.shs.1million. I have used the income from the milk sales to pay off the loan. I applied for a second cow under the same scheme and got it.”

Mugoya David, aged 50, is one of the exemplary local council leaders who have benefited from the SPECIAL Programme funded by DKA Austria. He is a resident of Bulesa village, Namasere parish, Bulesa subcounty in Bugiri district. He has specialized in the production of eggs and cocks. About 50 cocks were ready for sale. Besides, he has one acre of cassava. He has planned to exchange his 30 local cows for the improved in-calf heifers with high milk yields. He gets only 16 litres of milk daily from 8 of local cows. His challenges to increased birds production are: scarcity of feeds and thatching grass and inadequate access to finances. After being trained in soil and water conservation measures by JIDDECO, he uses the compost manure to apply in is maize garden of one acre from which he harvests over 1600kgs per season.

Another beneficiary of the above programme is Mugoya Muhammad living in the same locality. His local poultry target is to keep 600 layers so as to produce eggs for hatching out one day old chicks at ug.shs1100 each by the end of this year. He keeps total of 11 improved and local goats. Mugoya is about to complete a permanent house from the agricultural sales. Using the improved billy goat he cross breeds local goats. Access to safe and clean water in the zone has been a major challenge to the community members in his zone of the village. The nearest water source is isolated in a thick and hilly forest about 3kms away from the farmers.

Nabongho Stephen, 49, located in Nabinyonyi II village, Magada parish, Namutumba district is one of the progressive farmers under the three year Catechists programme funded by Missio Achaean in Germany and Stichting- Porticus Foundation in the Netherlands is a strategic development intervention designed to empower catechists so as to lead satisfied livelihoods in terms of health, food security and socio-economic emancipation. Since September 2005, there over 790 catechists in the 21 parishes of the Diocese of Jinja (Busoga Region) who have benefited from this programme. They have been trained, equipped with functional knowledge and skills through interactive workshops, practical hands-on learning, exposure visits
and provision of improved planting materials/ animal as well as poultry stocks among other strategies to get out of the vicious cycle of heavy disease burden, food and income inadequacies in their house-holds.

Capacity building takes on the form of interactive workshops, practical hands-on learning, exposure visits and facilitating catechists’ groups to access improved planting materials/ animal as well as poultry stocks, among others. Nabongo is an enterprising Farmer and religious leader (Catechist) who rose from a humble beginning of a village handcart pusher of carrying blocks for construction, and other petty jobs.

Nabinyonyi village in Busiki County, Namutumba district to a Millionaire. He says 13 years ago, was a laborer who worked hard every day on building sites, Sambas, Market place to earn a living. He began cultivation with three acres of land, on which he cultivated Tomatoes, Cabbages and Potatoes where he earned a living. ‘Life was difficult at that material time, but thanks to Jiddeco’s good heart of a helping hand to farmers, without discrimination through which I acquired knowledge that made me what Iam now, though I continue saying like Oliver Twist ‘I need more’. Nabongo says his turning point came in 2005 when JIDECCO introduced a training programme to his group, which enabled him to acquire knowledge for Modern farming. Through this the group was introduced Primary Health lessons that reduced disease infection in our society and income poverty in our homes. Today Nabongo has acquired 57 acres of land, where he has constructed 23 fish ponds, 20 are fully equipped with 1,000 star fish and Tilapia respectively.

A fish hatchery is also being built at the site. Each Fish when matures, fetches 1,000/- and each one and half a kilo of star fish goes for 5,500/-. In 6 months time, he expects to harvest 20,000 kgs and earn about Ug .Shs 60 million from just fish sales. If the weather is good and theft controlled, interestingly Villagers consume all fish produced by Nabongo. On the same land, he has cultivated 9 acres with Kisubi banana brand, known for its product Tonto popularly Omwenge omuganda. Other investments for Nabongo are 20 local cows, 60 local birds, 7 acres of Cassava, 9 acres of Maize, 5 acres of Banana which Nabongo complains, that only villagers are his customers who buy a FIA 17 huge Matooke at a take away price of 4,000/-, the other bunches are cut into clusters and sold by his children to fellow students and Pupils at 500/- ! About 30 bunches of matooke are harverted monthly from his 5 acre banana plantation.

According to one of the JIDDECO field staff, Mr. Miti Matthias, a well planned one acre of Cassava can yield an equivalent of not less than 5,000,000/- and for Nabongo’s 7 acre, he is expected to bag not less than 20,000,000/- due to bad weather. Nabongo has no kind words for Sub County extension workers, he says for the last 13 years, no Agriculture, Fisheries or Veterinary officers has ever visited his farm, save the District Agriculture officer, who was encouraged by his area district Councilor. To the Government, Nabongo cries raw deal, by the Agriculture Ministry officials who misguided him to cultivate 2 acres of Vanilla and one acre for Moringa but failed to trace any market up to now ,yet Government agents were promising good payment for above crops. But Nabongo has a humble request to the government; he needs money for procurement of a chain wire to surround his 23 fish ponds and protect them from roaming thieves at night and a mowing machine for slashing around the ponds as it is arduous to use the traditional tools. ‘As of now, my main problem is security for my 23 fish ponds, I have injected in a lot of money and my fear is theft at night for my fish, when they mature towards the beginning of December, said Nabongo.