Graze School of Farming, led by Kabubbu Development Project farm manager Sulait, is involving Kabubbu’s people in growing and training. And what else does it do…? And what else does Sulait do…? Here’s some more of his story…

 

Sulait answers the question, “Yes, Graze School helps farmers choose the right seed, both maize and beans, to sow depending on the type of soil. We also seek to provide certain pesticides to restrict harmful bug infestations in maize, to stop beans rotting in their pods due to too much rain and so on. We also experiment with different types of maize seed. We have been trialing a type of maize that produces two cobs on each plant instead of one. That could double harvests at a stroke. However, it has to grow well in our environment.”

 

Does the KDP Farm grow anything else? “As well as all this the farm has pigs, cows, 300 chicken, oranges, bananas and a eucalyptus forest to provide a sustainable source of firewood and for the sale of the trunks as electricity poles.

 

And, as for everywhere, there are now difficulties in growing in Kabubbu. A concerned Sulait adds, “Climate change is making it very difficult for us. Our two rainy seasons should begin in November and April/May – but this year it has been raining almost every day since August and we aren’t yet in November. The previous ‘rainy season’ hardly happened and a lot of harvest was lost through lack of rain. When it does rain, some of our topsoil washes away and our mud roads are nearly impassable. Graze School techniques protect the soil through mulching, but seeds can still become waterlogged and rot.”

 

And finally, Sulait’s hopes for the future? Always with his heart in his community, Sulait responds, “I want every family in Kabubbu to have Graze School of Farming training so that whatever small piece of land they may have around their house can produce some food for them and their family. It is an essential programme for communities like ours to attempt to maintain enough food.”

Click back to part one & part two of Sulait’s Story

 

Watch the vision unfold in Kabubbu, Uganda