Where are the Young Farmers?
Below are two quotes that are from USAID and the U.S. Ambassador to Uganda regarding a huge problem that Uganda is facing and highlight the need for Heart for Uganda’s mission.
“Too many young people make the mistake that work ing the land is somehow demeaning; that it is better to sell land, buy a boda boda and spend their meagre earnings betting on premier league matches and on beer or waragi as they watch the match in the evening. There is more to life than that, my friends, and I think you all understand that… Quite simply, Uganda has the potential to be a breadbasket for the Horn of Africa: the climate is ideal, the soils are fertile, water is plentiful, and perhaps most importantly it has you — a youthful and energetic workforce. You need to engage, however, and not just sit on the sidelines dreaming of boda bodas. The average age of a Ugandan farmer today is 54 years old and now, more than ever, we urgently need to inject the energy of Uganda’s youth into the agriculture sector in order to realize the potential for expanded production, and for expanded profit.” – U.S. Ambassador Scott H. DeLisi
A study by USAID said, “To maximize both emerging market opportunities and its young people’s considerable energy, Uganda will need to address the institutional and cultural barriers that frustrate its young people’s ambitions and hamper the country’s growth. These barriers include: misalignment of education with labor market needs; lack of access to skills training and enterprise development support; lack of access to land and markets; and nepotism and corruption in the labor market.”
Why are the youth frustrated? They are frustrated because of years of improper farming methods have resulted in very poor yields for very hard work. The average age of farmers in Uganda is 54, yet the average lifespan is 58 years. This presents a huge problem for Uganda!
Heart for Uganda is helping to solve these problems by teaching a program called Farming God’s Way. This program has a track record of 7-10 times yield improvements over traditional farming methods. These types of yields makes the work that must be put forth in farming to be worth the effort. Will you consider coming alongside us as we are raising funds to purchase some land to be able to take this training to more Ugandans? If so, please go to www.heartforuganda.com/land.
The last two photos represent what Heart For Uganda has been doing. The first one is of a young man standing in a maize field that was planted using the traditional Ugandan farming methods. This field is directly across the road from Heart For Uganda’s Well Watered Garden. A Well Watered Garden is planted to demonstrate that you have learned the fundamentals of the Farming God’s Way program.
The second photo is of the same young man standing in Heart For Uganda’s Well Watered Garden! Both of these fields have received the same rain and sun. What a difference! The Farming God’s Way program really does work! Please consider coming along side us as we seek to bring this wonderful way of farming to the young men of Uganda!
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