Buzika village is about 6 kms in Njeru division, Buikwe district, about 7 kms from the city of Jinja. The village of Buzika is endowed with fertile soil and large farming areas where sugarcane planters are engaged in the planting of this perennial crop. The sugarcane supplys three factories - one situated about four kms away, and one in Lugazi and Kakira which range between 14-30 kms away.
The village has a couple of orphanages run by American supported missionaries who are engaged mainly in offering a home and education to orphans and abandoned children. The village is populated and attracts foreigners to settle on the land due to its low cost of life, however, the poverty rate is very high as with the exception of a few, most of the villagers own very little land as most land has been sold to pay for children to go to school.
The effect of COVID-19 has been huge on the village as most of the villagers have had their children back at home since the introduction of the lockdown and with the added population at home, the money kept for fees has been used for buying food and now the parents are bankrupt.
With dependence on low value and long term crops such as maize, rice and cassava to generate funds, the farmers face a high risk of having their children dropping from school. Lack of a regular flow of sufficient income from the farms has already caused parents inability to support their children throughout their studies with many dropping from primary school level before completing secondary education.
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1) Due to the effect of COVID-19 on farmers in the villages, Buzika as a sample of these villages is taken to be a beneficiary of emergency response agriculture as an intervention to the struggling farmers.
2) The project will benefit 30 farmers in this poor village and create employment for students in the area to generate a small amount of funds to assist them at school.
3) The project will train farmers on the benefit of maximizing land use by planting high value crops, i.e. onions, cabbages, tomatoes, Irish potatoes, or garlic.
4) The project will train farmers on the importance of using Foundations for Farming practices to improve land and yields.
5) Proceeds will be used for purchase of seeds for farmers distribution on loan, payable after sales of their harvest.
Project Size and DurationAs a micro-project, the farm will run on two acres of land on a rental basis. This will have an acre of onions, half an acre of cabbages, quarter acre of tomatoes and 1/8 acre each for Irish potatoes and garlic.
The project will be a one year project and will be funded by the proceeds from the farm on realizing good yield and sales.
As an emergency response, the project expects to start this month, May 2020. The land is already located and it is strategically place alongside the road, very accessible and central where farmers can routinely gather for training.
The project will be managed and supervised by the Life Gospel Ministry, a duly and nationally registered NGO in Uganda.