CELAC knowledge Fair in luweero !

Several farmers from various Districts participated in the one-day event named ‘CELAC knowledge fair’ in Luweero at New Eden primary school Wobulenzi.

This year’s theme was the role mobile telephony to grass root farmers in rural Uganda .The Key objective was to enable farmers explore new market opportunities for their products, expose them to alternative ICT methods used by CELAC project and also enable them have face to face discussions with fellow farmers from other districts and be able to relate thereafter.
The other objective was to encourage farmers to have a sense of competition to realize better quality and more produce.

The CELAC knowledge Fair was organized by BROSDI in close collaboration with the CELAC Luweero Agricultural Network.
A broad range of activities where covered which included an exhibition with face to face interaction with farmers, learning sessions and discussions with farmers, buyers and several guests who attended the fair.
Other activities included debate, mock radio program and a knowledge-sharing forum where participation and management was mainly by farmers.

The event brought together farmers from the districts of Luweero, Masaka, Bushenyi, kabale, Tororo, Apac, Sironko ,Manafwa, Kasese, Pallisa Mayunge and lira, involved in farming bananas, orange fleshed sweet potatoes, cassava, tomatoes, millet ,beans ,groundnuts ,maize, Irish potatoes ,onions ,green pepper ,chicken ,turkey, ducks ,guinea fowl, pigs. Sheep and bees.

Farmers started off with a debate that was mainy derived from the day's theme and the topic was how the mobile phone has improved the lives of the rural grassroot farmers.
Many farmers appreciated the use of the mobile phone especially in helping to provide current market prices through sms that they recieve through CELAC,though it was noted that this mobile phone technology is a cause of family breakdowns and disputes as farmer' s also use it as a tool to ease communication in their other relationships.

Later the farmers where ushered into a radio mock program where they had to agree or diagree whether the grassroot farmer was mean't to remain poor and later into a knowledge sharing forum.

The major attraction of the day was the exhibition where these farmers had carefully arranged their stalls and here, they clearly explained the process and demostrated how to grow a given crop up to the time it is harvested.
There was also plenty of information about rearing various poultry and animals.

I came accross the stall which had the orange fleshed sweet potatoes which contain vitamin A and besides it were various products that had been made out of these sweet potatoes such as the herbal soap and Vaseline and also various baked products such cakes ,doughnuts etc .

On the side, there was another farmer from luweero who was encouraging farmers to use traditional /local medicine to treat poultry instead of the modern ones.

The farmers appreciated the role of CELAC project which has helped them achieve their dreams through relayed market prices on their mobile phones via sms messages.
‘Through the mobile phone message I can be able to sell my produce at a reasonable price since I have the prevailing market price.’ say Mrs. Kambuggu a farmer from Masaka.
They also appreciated the role of radio programmes and the literature given to them in form of how to guides from CELAC project.

Most of them expressed their hatred for middlemen who buy their produce at a very low price and later selling it in other Markets instantly at a higher price.
'The middlemen take advantage of our situations such as the urgent need to pay school fees, lack of transport and buy our produce at a very low price,we have no option but to sell to them in order to fulfill our demands.’say's Evelyn a farmer from Apac.

They expressed their need to form more stronger farmer associations that can help find markets for their produce instead of losing out to middlemen.

This exhibition was summed up with a price awarding ceremony and the best exhibitors where the farmers from Masaka,then Bushenyi farmers happened to take the second place and Luweero came third.

It was really an excellent opportunity where farmers expressed their views on various issues that affected them and looked forward to the next knowledge fair.