In the minds of most youth, farming is a venture for failures. However, the turn-out of young people, eager to acquire entrepreneurship and farming skills, at a week-long camp in Kanyambeho, Fort Porta, shows that this is changing.
“For many years, young people have considered agriculture as a job for the uneducated and the unlucky ones who are unable to go to school. Supporting young people who appreciate agriculture as a business and means of livelihood is a worthy cause,” says Julius Bigabwa, the owner of Biglad Organic Training Centre.
Bigabwa is also the 2017 best farmer and second runner-up in 2022.
According to Bigabwa, through activities like farm camps, the importance of agriculture is being realised and a new kind of students who can meet the technical demand are being trained.
A total of 280 primary and university students were trained by Biglad Organic Training Centre experts early this year.
The students who did not take agriculture seriously were exposed to high-technology farming through field visits in different locations.
At the camp, students inspected different farms and did different activities at mango, bananas and vanilla farms, tea plantations, Macadamia plantations, piggery farm, mushroom house, Quails and rabbitry farms, passion fruits farm, zero grazing cows and goats, fish ponds, greenhouses among others, and later trained on how to maintain them.
After some field tours, Henry Mutegeki, an agronomist, trained the students in disease and pest management, farm mechanisation, organic farming and farm management.
He says the training was also aimed at improving the academic performance of the students while at school, have targets in their lives and also take agriculture as a business.
Mutegeki also says such trainings help the students introduce high-tech modern farming methods to their parents and be able to initiate income-generating projects like poultry and soap making among others.
“With the right guidance, our children can invest the money they save by purchasing land of their own and expanding their agricultural projects. Nothing, however, can be more powerful than youth engaging youth.
“The youthful farmers we talked to expressed the need to highlight success stories from the youth who are currently involved in agriculture and provide a platform for these youth to speak to their generation.
The youth will be more receptive and willing to follow suit if they hear their peers sharing their success,” he advises.
Agnes Karejyeya, a student at Mountains of Moon, says the camp helped her to appreciate the farming skills applied because she is becoming an expert in agriculture, though not yet practically.
“I have realised that agricultural production does not require thousands of acres to get profits, but it just needs proper utilisation of available resources and value addition to boost the income,” Karejyeya says.
Humphrey Mugisha another student in six vacation says he is now a changed person because he learnt by practising.
“I am now looking at agriculture as a business and so I shall have a starting point on return,” he says.
In general, the students say the camp changed their outlook on agriculture. They will be able to save some money from their earnings on the farms, and this will improve their lives.
Good move
One of the facilitators, Paul Araali, noted that there is a trend of the youth preferring to engage in activities where they can earn quick money.
This makes them miss out on the huge opportunities that agriculture provides.
Harriet Atugonza, a parent to one of the students who participated in the camp, applauded Biglad Organic Training Centre for the good initiative and reckoned that it will increase the passion for agriculture among the youth.
Atugonza called upon the parents to take such a chance seriously during the farm camp because agriculture is interesting.
