Agroecology: Feeding a future through local lives

Our Vision: This farming initiative aims to drive itself based on the values of agroecology applying traditional, modern and sustainable methods to deliver local employment, transformed livelihoods and contribute to food security.

My name is Genevieve Asomo and I am heading this project. I was born in Uganda and live in Omor village near Kalaki, which is in Eastern Uganda. I am now 25 years of age. It has always been an ambition of mine to have some land to farm and start an enterprise with social impact in the community. I gained some higher education qualifications in Kampala including a Diploma in Accounting and Finance. After graduating, I worked with several NGOs and charities gaining experience in handling finance, marketing, human resources, and management. Since getting to know the work of organisations like Kulika Uganda, I have committed fully to agriculture as my main livelihood.

“Agroecology: feeding the future through local livelihoods” is the slogan, which aims to improve the environmental, conservation and sustainability elements of the enterprise. This aim towards a transformation within the community allows for combining the connected, digital world including Social Media with local knowledge and cultural insights. The social impact ambition is to eliminate poverty in my community. We can contribute to poverty alleviation, livelihoods sustainability, employment for many beneficiaries and food security via this farming enterprise. ETFE has already acquired land and planted many crops. However, further help is needed for the enterprise to get off the ground. Altogether this integrated agroecology enterprise aims to combine many achievable qualities including business success, farming skills, sustainability and soil conservation, employment and livelihood enhancement and food security with poverty alleviation.

So far since April 2018, a selection of integrated farming operations have been set-up including: A Piggery – using local livestock, making use of valuable waste, enabling recycling of foodstuffs including the use of fibres from weeds and adopting careful biosecurity measures. A Citrus orchard – organic fruit, orange blossom to give scent and character for the beehives and specialist biodiversity features including intercropping. Local Honey - Beehives made from on-the-farm timber from local trees, organic honey, pollination, insect diversity and links to Fairtrade. Chickens – helping with pest-control, local indigenous, free-range, and providing eggs for nutritional benefits. Passion fruit garden – using heavy fruiting, organic juice, and making use of manure, mulching and composting. Other crops like sweet potato, cassava, maize, sesame and sunflower.

Our funding to proceed is £5,000, which includes:

• Land (£700 per acre)
• Building and construction (£2,000)
• Inputs, tools and equipment (£200)

Labour and training over 60 months (£1,100)

The Impact

While the aim is to achieve realization as a farm enterprise, the goal is nevertheless to have significant social impact by improving and sustaining local livelihoods and increasing local employment. This will be through:

•           increased local knowledge and skills in agricultural production;

•           improved levels of household income and the serving of 500 direct beneficiaries;

•           the direct training of 500 households in viable income generating activities;

•           reduced levels of household food insecurity and unemployment among the primary beneficiaries;

•           a recognized improved standard of living within Kaberamaido District.

Genevieve Asomo is collaborating with Dr Nicholas James to reach this rural development ambition to transform agrarian livelihoods in Uganda. Nicholas has taught development studies in Uganda since 2014 and researched African agriculture since 1988. He grew up in Zambia, also on a farm. You can find a very important blog entry about Asomo’s childhood experiences and other details about ETFE on the website http://etfe-ug.com