The Growth Factor

By Godfrey Olukya

In the remote district of Amuria， 250 km east of Ugandas capital Kampala， a group of Ugandan men sit around a table watching two players at the local board game called Omweso.

They are joined by a Chinese who greets them in the local Ateso language and takes part in the game. He is clearly popular with the group judging by the way he is received.

His name is Jack Chen， an agriculture expert who has been living in Amuria for more than two years. Many of the men he greets are his “students” in modern agriculture practices.

‘”He is part of us. He teaches us how to grow rice while keeping fish at the sametime. We love him. He loves us too，” said James Tukei， one of the local elders.

South-South cooperation

Jack Chen is part of a team of 16 Chinese agriculture experts and technicians sharing modern agriculture practices with Ugandan farmers. It is a South-South cooperation project between the governments of Uganda and China， facilitated by the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization （FAO） since 1996 in an effort to eradicate hunger in the Global South.

In Uganda， the project is being coordinated by a senior officer of the Ministry of Agriculture， Animal Industry and Fisheries， James Tumwine. Tumwine said the agricultural project in cooperation includes horticulture， fruit farming， assisted reproductive techniques like artificial insemination in small animals， and aquaculture involving fish-rice farming.

It assists in all areas of agriculture such as agribusiness， value addition，agro-machinery， irrigation and renewable energy， like biogas and solar.

The first phase of the project has been completed， utilizing the skills of 31 Chinese agricultural experts who worked in districts across the country. Tumwine said the Chinese Government provided funding worth nearly $1.5 million over a two-year period for the completed phase. Supplementary funding and human resources were supplied by the Ugandan Government.

Benefits for thousands

More than 4，000 farmers have benefited from the first phase of skills transference in a country where agriculture is the biggest employment sector and integral to Ugandas future. The FAO says agriculture contributes to almost half of Ugandas total exports. The South-South cooperation project has made agribusiness a priority in Uganda because of obstacles to increased production， something the Chinese experts are helping to address. Jack Chens expertise lies in rice-fish culture. He and his team are busy with the second phase of the project which began in January and will be complete in December 2017. Rice-fish culture involves growing rice as well as rearing fish on the same piece of land. The fish pond is also used as a rice plot， where the fish feed on particles from the plants and their droppings work as fertilizer for the rice. Tumwine said six Chinese technology hubs have been established in west， east and central Uganda for horticulture， livestock， cereals and aquaculture. One of the hubs is for disciplines that cut across all the areas of training. With each phase， the funding is increasing.

Tumwine said in the new phase， the Chinese Government is providing around $1.7 million over a two-year period. The Ugandan Government is contributing at least 30 percent of the total project costs and human resources. He added that over 3，000 Uganda farmers will be taught modern agriculture practices in the second phase.

Efforts appreciated

Officiating at the launch of the second phase of training in Entebbe on March 5， Ugandas Minister of Agriculture， Animal Industry and Fisheries Tress Bucyanayandi said he appreciated Chinas efforts.

“Uganda is grateful to China for its efforts to modernize our agriculture sector，” Bucyanayandi said， adding that the friendship between the two countries had started before Ugandas independence and was growing exponentially.

The FAOs representative in Uganda， Alhaji M. Jallow， said food security plays a big role in ensuring the stability and growth of a nation.

“I thank China for promoting agriculture in Uganda. The knowledge the Chinese agricultural experts are imparting to Ugandans will go a long way in improving food security in the country，” Jallow said.

The leader of the Chinese experts， Wu Zhiping， said it is good to be helping friends in Uganda to acquire better methods of practicing agriculture.“We are committed to doing our work to the best[of our ability] so that by the time the project is over， Ugandans can produce more food through modern means，” Wu said.

Chen said he enjoys his work in Amuria and prides himself on being able to speak the local dialect. Chinese experts are encouraged to learn local languages through which they can pass on their skills to Ugandan farmers. Chen said he feels a sense of achievement as more farmers embrace rice-fish farming.

Food security

The FAO says the new technologies introduced by the Chinese team are showing rapid results. Improved food crops and increased income for farmers has enhanced trade cooperation between China and Uganda in the agriculture sector. Also， by reaching the vast number of small farmers， the Chinese training is directly impacting small farms. The World Bank says these farms - no more than 5 hectares each - supply 94 percent of Ugandas agricultural output.

Philip Opolot is one of the small farm owners who have benefited from the training. In fact， he was taught by Chen.

“I am now a successful farmer because of the skill I acquired from Jack Chen. I grow rice and also keep fish. People in my home eat well and I sell the surplus and get money. Life is now better than before，” Opolot said.

According to the FAO， unlike many South-South cooperation host countries， Uganda is food secure， meaning that most people have a varied diet and enough to eat.

Faced with a rapidly rising population and climate change， however， it has become important for Ugandan farmers to learn new approaches to agribusiness in order to deal with these challenges.