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| Mature
garlic. |
Garlic is a high value annual
cash crop of the onion family that is used both
as a spice and for medicinal purposes. Garlic
requires fertile well-drained loamy soils for
high production and productivity.
Kabarole District covers the fertile
slopes of the Ruwenzori Mountains where population
pressure is increasingly pushing many small-scale
farmers to the edge of subsistence.
Since the year 2001 there has been agricultural
transformation in Uganda in an attempt to commercialize
Agriculture.
Producing garlic was an opportunity for small-scale
farmers in Kabarole District to have a cash crop
with quick returns that exploited the unique resources
while diversifying and increasing their sources
of incomes. The goal of this project is to contribute
towards improving welfare of small scale farmers
through garlic production and marketing. There
are several gaps that need to be filled so as
to improve the variety, production levels, storage,
processing and marketing of the crop.
KDFA in partnership with other organizations led
the implementation of the two year project from
April 2004 – March 2006 in promoting garlic
production in Kabarole District in Western Uganda.
KDFA worked with, Kawanda agricultural Research
Institute (KARI), National Agricultural Advisory
Services (NAADS), Kabarole District Local Government
(KDLG), Western Rift Valley Environment F Institute
(WREFI), Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB)
and RECO Industries.
The project was designed to benefit 800 farmers
organized into 80 groups in seven sub-counties
of Kabarole District namely: Kichwamba, Bukuuku,
Buheesi, Kisomoro, Kibiito, Mugusu and Rwimi.
The varieties available to farmers initially were
of questionable origin and improved varieties
were unaffordable to most ordinary farmers. The
project thus introduced the high yielding and
marketable Roja variety for multiplication
in the District.
In addition, the project partners promoted many
technologies to strengthen garlic production and
marketing: row planting to achieve better weed
control; water and soil conservation technology;
simple irrigation; intercropping garlic in banana
and coffee plantations; Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) to reduce on use of pesticides; constructing
cribs; garlic aging technology; deflowering garlic
plants to ensure bigger bulbs and; promoting garlic
consumption at household level.
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Farmers
sorting their garlic |
Some
achievements
<
A total of 84 special Interest groups formed and
registered against a target of 80 groups.
<
183 group facilitators were trained in garlic
production technologies and in turn spread the
technology to 976 farmers who are now cultivating
garlic.
<
A total of 15,900 kg of Roja garlic seed distributed.
<
76 demonstration sites and 329 multiplication
gardens established.
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25,495 kg garlic harvested from KDFA and farmers.
<
8 parish groups and 5 Sub County marketing associations
formed.
<
21 cribs constructed for farmer groups.
<
A total of 34 savings and credit groups formed.
There is continuous sensitization for farmers
to adopt then aging technology as an effective
method of enhancing access to garlic seed immediately
after harvest without going through long storage
or dormancy to improve seed germination. The traditional
system is not only time consuming but also costly,
as there is delayed income.
Garlic farmers in the District lacked an organized
marketing system for their garlic and were often
offered low prices by the middlemen. The project
is preparing for a one year extension to empower
the farmers on pooling, group marketing, market
linkages and processing.
For more
information please contact the project coordinator,
Joseph A Baguma
Kabarole District Farmers Association
P.O.Box 950 Fort Portal
E-mail: jbaguma24@yahoo.com
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