soil protection

Soil protection is the goal for this Ugandan village

Agroecology is a production system that considers the interaction between plants and animals, diversifies crops on farms, regenerates soils, and uses organic fertilizers in food systems.
Agroecology is a production system that considers the interaction between plants and animals, diversifies crops on farms, regenerates soils, and uses organic fertilizers in food systems.

In the last few years, Henry Kalumba, a smallholder farmer in Kkanya village, located in Central Uganda’s Mityana District, began noticing a change of color in his farm’s soil.

Instead of its usual dark brown, the soil had become yellowish, an indicator of low nutrients. The texture was slowly becoming cracked, dry, and dusty. With every month, more farms in the community saw the same decline.

Implementing agroecology in Kkanya

Having no other option but to adapt, Kalumba and other community members joined forces to integrate agroecological practices into their farms. This method aids in soil protection and prevents soils from turning into a desert, a process fueled by climate change.

Agroecology is a production system that considers the interaction between plants and animals, diversifies crops on farms, regenerates soils, and uses organic fertilizers in food systems.

So far, around 30 household smallholder farms in Kkanya have adapted their production to agroecology, as it has proven to be efficient, cost-effective, and affordable for farmers. “We are now growing and maintaining food forests, not gardens’’ says Kalumba.

soil protection
Image courtesy of Colline Saabwe

Fighting a changing climate

Kkanya is located in Uganda’s cattle corridor, which covers approximately 40% of Uganda’s land surface and highly depends on agriculture. However, climate change and other human disturbances have posed a significant threat to local communities.

“In the recent past, we have observed high soil erosion and decreased soil fertility and productivity. The available options of using fertilizers and other highly commercial practices did not help,” explains Kalumba.

The corridor exhibits serious land and resource degradation driven by overgrazing, inappropriate agriculture practices, and charcoal production leading to deforestation, according to a 2016 report by the United Nations Development Programme in Uganda.

“We are working on maintaining moisture and carbon in our soils, and we are moving from chemically intensive agriculture to what our forefathers did, and we are getting better yields,” says Sarah Nangendo, a farmer and teacher in the region.

Changing their ways

The village was a beneficiary of a program implemented by the Ministry of Local Government in Uganda. The initiative organized seminars and workshops for the farmers to learn agroecology, including how to mulch, intercrop legumes with grains, and merge sustainable methods into their agriculture and livestock practices.

Through these workshops, the community learned about organic fertilization, reduced tillage, irrigation, biological pest control, and cultivar choice. However, the agroecological methods are not new to them, as Indigenous communities have long used some of these techniques. Many were abandoned in favor of monoculture production.

“When we were growing up, our grandparents and parents used to manage their own seeds and practiced mulching and intercropping. We had a mix of food items on our menu, including fruits, vegetables, and grains, and nutrition was good,” says Ms. Ikhanza, a resident of Kiwamirembe, also located in Mityana.

Kalumba and the rest of the community decided to incorporate these ideas into their farms, which has helped them to revitalize the soil’s health, encourage soil protection, and improve agriculture production and resilience.

“I am now happy because since we started agroecology, our yields have improved, and my family is able to have enough food and income throughout the year. We now spend time on nourishing our soil, so it is able to feed us,” the farmer added.

Hope for Uganda through soil protection

To prevent the country from increasing hunger and poverty due to declining soil fertility, Uganda should scale up efforts to help farmers adopt regenerative systems in agriculture, many experts say.

Miriam Talwisa of the Climate Forum Uganda, a local NGO working with communities to adapt to climate change, asserts that small-scale farming communities have the potential to resist climate impacts by switching to agroecological systems. She adds that the most significant barriers are access to information, knowledge about agroecology practices, how to implement them at the local level, and financing.

“Significant financial and technical resources need to be allocated to scale up agroecological practices through building stronger movements, favorable policies, and building capacity on climate-resilient agro-ecological farming techniques,” concludes Talwisa.

Agriculture is the backbone of the Ugandan economy, with over 70% of the population involved in a certain aspect of the value chain. Rather than falling victim to the climate crisis, local communities like Kkanya are stepping up to create a paradigm shift in how they farm and interact with nature. They hope the method will spread to other growers throughout the region.

Colline Saabwe
Colline is a a climate enthusiast, activist, farmer and communicator. Through the Climate Action Network Uganda space, he has been generating and contributing content to influence the local national policy space through an innovative and accelerated process combining audio-visual stories, dialogue and knowledge exchange that brings together the civil society and decision-makers.
slot maxwin slot ovo starlight princess live casino slot zeus pg soft slot olympus ibcbet maxwin slot thailand slot pgsoft slot slot mahjong zeus slot digmaan slot mania slot pulsa jdb slot slot777 slot shopee slot spade gaming slot thailand slot thailand slot thailand slot gacor slot mahjong roulette habanero sv388 joker123 fafaslot pgsoft mahjong wins jdb slot slot thailand slot gacor slot mahjong slot gatotkaca pg soft pragmatic play slot bank bsi slot bank jago lucky neko spaceman slot olympus slot88 starlight princess slot dana digmaan joker123 zeus slot slot mania slot habanero idnslot slot pulsa jdb slot slot hoki fafaslot nolimit city slot princess fafaslot fafa slot slot princess slot 77 slot pulsa slot bri slot ovo slot gopay slot jepang slot 777 slot88 slot ovo slot gopay slot jepang slot 88 slot receh slot 123 joker123 slot princess slot kamboja roulette online baccarat online idn poker dragon tiger nolimit city slot dana thailand slot slot gacor slot thailand slot mahjong mahjong ways slot88 slot dana joker123 slot maxwin slot88 slot dana joker123 slot maxwin slot mahjong slot gacor slot thailand slot mahjong slot gopay slot88 slot thailand slot zeus sbobet slot toto slot server thailand slot thailand slot77 slot gacor slot thailand slot server thailand slot thailand akun gacor slot maxwin slot gacor slot thailand slot kakek zeus Pg Soft Maxbet Ibcbet Starlight Princess Slot Ovo Joker123 Mahjong Ways 2 Sv388 Sbobet Slot Dana Slot Thailand Slot Thailand Digmaan Sv388 Joker123 Mahjong Ways 2 Slot Dana Slot Gacor Slot Anti Rungkat baccarat roulette sicbo casino online sv388 tembak ikan online sbobet slot macau slot thailand slot thailand slot maxwin slot88 slot88 slot deposit ovo situs slot wwg slot slot thailand wm casino tembak ikan slot thailand slot wala meron slot nolimit city slot pg slot gacor slot88 slot50000 slot mahjong slot thailand 66k bet slot daftar judi slot online indonesia slot mahjong ways slot thailand mahjong ways slot gacor slot mawin slot gacor slot gacor slot gacor slot thailand slot thailand slot gacor slot ovo slot gacor slot gopay slot gacor slot gacor slot thailand slot gacor judi slot slot thailand slot thailand slot thailand slot mahjong ways 2 slot pragmatic slot demo pragmatic slot demo pg soft demo slot pragmatic slot gacor 4d slot pg soft pgslot pgsoft pgsoft sv388 slot88 pgsoft slot thailand slot88 slot thailand slot gacor slot ovo slot dana fafaslot slot ovo slot jepang judi slot gacor slot rusia Situs Daftar Judi Slot Mahjong Ways 1 dan 2 PG Soft Online PG Soft : Daftar Situs Judi Slot Online Gacor Slot Kakek Zeus RTP Slot > Daftar Situs Judi Slot Gacor Mahjong Ways 2 PG Soft : Daftar Situs Judi Slot Online Gacor Terbaik Situs Slot Online Gacor Dan Agen Slot Pragmatic Play Terpercaya Slot Gacor: Situs Slot Online Pragmatic Play & Bocoran Pola Slot Situs Slot Online Terbaik Terpercaya dan Terbesar di Indonesia Slot Kakek Zeus Daftar Link Slot Olympus Terbaru Slot Dana Daftar Judi Slot Online Indonesia Paling Gacor di Indonesia Sabung Ayam Online Sv388 Daftar Situs Judi Slot Online SLOT88 SLOT PG SOFT GACOR Bandar Slot Daftar Situs Judi Online Terbaik & Terpercaya Gacor power gaming sv388 lucky neko slot gacor slot gacor slot88 slot kakek slot pg slot kakek zeus slot dana slot maxwin slot server luar negeri slot thailand Link Daftar Situs Judi Slot Deposit Dana 20RB Tanpa Potongan Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Link Daftar Situs Judi Slot Deposit Dana 20RB Tanpa Potongan Slot Pragmatic - Link Alternatif Judi Slot Online Gacor Kakek Zeus Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Daftar Slot Dana Daftar Slot Dana Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play lucky Neko Daftar & Login Slot PG Judi Slot 88 Online Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Slot Mahjong Ways 2 Mudah Jackpot Paus di PG Soft Hari ini 2023 Lucky Neko Situs Slot Gacor Pgsoft Hari Ini Slot Pragmatic - Link Alternatif Judi Slot Online Gacor Kakek Zeus SITUS SABUNG AYAM SV388 ONLINE DAFTAR LINK LOGIN APK AGEN SV388 Daftar Judi Slot Online Indonesia Paling Gacor di Indonesia SBOBET Login Agen Judi Bola Sbobet Mahjong Ways | Slot PG | Slot Mahjong Ways 2 | Slot PGsoft | Daftar Slot Mahjong Situs Joker123 | Joker123 | Joker Gaming | Daftar Slot Joker Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Agen Daftar Situs Judi Slot Online Terpercaya Slot Kakek Zeus : Daftar RTP Judi Slot Online Gacor Gampang Menang Joker123 Game Slot Gacor Joker Gaming Casino Online Indonesia Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play slot mahjong pg soft slot gacor slot thailand slot maxwin slot spaceman pg slot