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Farming Yields More Than Food

Yes, Gollete was grateful to receive instruction in a variety of sustainable farm practices suited to the climate. Yes, her soil is more fertile and her harvests have improved. Yes, her family’s health is better. All these bring a smile to her face. But the biggest smile? That’s from the fact that there’s now a graduate in the family, thanks to the new income from her farm that paid her daughter’s tuition.

For years, Gollete had been at wits’ end about her worsening harvests despite working harder and harder all the time. Depleted soil fertility and farming practices that were inadequate to the challenges of drought resulted in low yields and unpredictable harvests. They also meant less food on the table and less money for the education she knew was so important to her children’s future.

Local partner Pentecostal Assemblies of God Kigezi-Ankole Pastorate (PAG) introduced her to modern, sustainable Conservation Agriculture techniques. These include applying manure as organic fertilizer, mulching to retain soil moisture, rotating crops, and following such good agronomic practices as proper spacing, weed control, pest and disease management, and timely planting.

Her productivity shot up and allowed her to sell a good portion of her harvest to bring in much-needed income. She focused on cultivating nutritious crops like iron-rich beans and greens such as amaranth leaves. Needless to say, a more diversified diet gave her and her family better health, and the children a greater ability to focus in school. The extra money enabled her to cover tuition for her daughter, who did well in school and recently graduated. Gollete’s experience reflects the tangible, holistic and multi-faceted benefits that sustainable agricultural practices can bring to individuals, families and communities.

Uganda Rubanda Program
Led by World Renew and Local Partner Pentecostal Assemblies of God Kigezi-Ankole Pastorate (PAG)

 

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