KACOFA improving farming in Kapchorwa

 

In Kapchorwa, East of Uganda, 27 people under the umbrella of Kapchorwa Commercial Farmers' Association (KACOFA) carried their hoes in 1992 and went to the garden to do farming on small scale. However, today, KACOFA has grown to 2500 members who do farming on large scale for both commercial and domestic use.

 

Being a temperate region with cool climate in the tropics and endowed with well drained loam soils, through KACOFA, lives of many people have been enhanced. According to David Kissa, the Executive Officer of KACOFA, the members have engaged in intensive production of barley, maize, coffee and Artemisia.

 

"However, when we talk about commercial farming, it is not the concept but it is to maximize production per acreage in the area. We deal with small farmers with about 3-5 acres of land, but instead of producing small quantities from these small pieces of land, we encourage them to produce big quantities by giving them all the necessary skills.

 

"Before this exercise started, the farmers were using the traditional ways of farming but now we are doing it in a more professional manner. It hasn't been easy moving them from the traditional ways to the modern but at least they are getting to realize the advantage," said Kissa.

 

Since the farmers are small scale producers in the villages, in order to relinquish

the traditional ways of farming, KACOFA has trained the farmers through Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in business management, pest control, group dynamics, marketing and agronomics from ground level to the apex.

 

"Through this training the farmers on spacing, pest control and others. They are now able to produce at least 3.5 metric tones up from the 0.5 metric tones before. We have also assisted our farmers to access loans from the banks through our loans committee.

 

A Kenyan delegation in a KACOFA Artemisia farm.

 

"No big security is required for the farmers to access the loans. All they use are their small pieces of land on which they cultivate. This is done mostly with maize. However, for barley, the farmers enter in contract with KACOFA that provides everything until it is sold and the profits from the sales are passed on to the farmers," said Kissa.

 

He added that to ensure that the produce is received in bulk, they have encouraged the farmers to operate in groups so that instead of one person bringing 1 tone at the cooperative, about 10 tones are delivered. This applies to mainly maize but on the crops, there is what is termed as contract farming.

 

"After delivering the produce, there is a collateral manager who issues them with receipts which they present in the bank and they receive 80% of the total value of the produce as KACOFA looks for the best market. After we have secured the market, the produce is sold and the farmers later pick the 20% of money expected out of their products. But this is after calculation are done and deductions made for whatever, KACOFA will have done," said Kissa.

 

Kissa says that KACOFA stores, treats and secures market for the maize with big organizations, like the World Food Programme (WFP) who they currently have a contract with to supply good quality maize. By doing this, the farmers have had their work reduced and their standards of living improved.

 

Asked as to whether there are some organizations they work with, Kissa said they are being assisted by DANIDA, Agriculture Ministry and Goal International among others in the production on maize, coffee and barley.

 

Kissa also said that to ensure that the farmers do not face hard times in realizing money from their produce, much is done for them like re-bagging, storage, fumigation and others. He said on contract farming that includes barley and Artemisia.

 

Under this, the farmers are given forms on which prices are clearly stated before the seeds are supplied to them. "We have already a contract with Uganda Breweries Limited to buy a kilogram of barley at shs400 and one can realise 2.5 tones from one acre of land. For Artemesia, KACOFA also entered into contract with the East African Botanical based in Kabale. It provides the seeds to KACOFA that in turn distributes it to the farmers after filling the contract form.

 

"On barley, we still have a problem here because we have only beaten the target once, therefore we need to put in much effort to ensure that the out put is increased if we are to sustain the contract," says Kissa.