Friday, May 25, 2018

Why you need to attend Farm Clinic today

Why you need to attend Farm Clinic today
In the region the number of farmers engaged in growing banana mainly the East African Highland banana known as Matooke is estimated to be 65.5 per cent. FILE PHOTO 
By Lominda Afedraru
Farming in Uganda is becoming a lucrative business enterprise particularly for those embracing it at commercial level.

In order for farmers countrywide to realize the benefits of farming be it dairy farming, crop production, poultry mention it, it is important for a farmer to look at it as a business enterprise compared to subsistence farming.
This is what farmers preparing to attend today’s Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic at Mbarara Zonal Agricultural Research and Development institute (MBAZARDI) should expect to learn from experts.
There are number of farm products to learn about in the upcoming farm clinic and this include Dairy farming looking at nutrition, breeds, hygiene and dairy health plus farming crops such as banana, passion fruits, mangoes, maize and beans.
Focusing on the theme Climate Smart Farming experts will take farmers through on topics such as the good seed varieties to plant, post-harvest handling, value addition, sustainable land management, irrigation and water harvesting for continued farming during times of prolonged drought and how to practice farming amidst challenges caused by climate change.
Dr Halid Kirunda, the director at MBAZARDI says farmers should expect a full package of the various products which are important to the people living in south western part of the country.
Dairy farming
In as far as dairy farming is concerned, farmers will be taken through animal breeds, types of pastures and formulated feed ratio.
Concerning pastures, farmers will be expected to learn about the new pasture varieties namely Naro Napier 1, 2 and 3 and Kakamega varieties which have attributes of resisting Napier stunt disease, how it gives a lot of biomass good enough for farmers practicing both zero grazing and free range animal husbandry.
Other types of pasture are Brachiaria Mulato and Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) which withstand trampling from animal hoofs; it produces good biomass and has a good regeneration capacity good for making hay and silage.
Farmers will learn about the hybrid heifers which have been bred using synchronised insemination out of elite genetic improvement from high grade semen obtained from USA.
The scientists will exhibit bulls produced by hybrid cow whose breed are a result of the cross breed generation from the semen obtained from USA.
Farmers will learn about the importance of dry ratio animal feed through a demonstration that farmers who fail to feed their animals on the same will lose income worth Sh9.7 million per cattle per year in terms of milk loss. A farmer who uses one acre of Rhodes grass, two acres of Brachiaria Mulato and one and half acres of Napier grass to make hay will be in position to feed eight cows in 183 days thereby raising his or her income.
Other lessons to learn include good practices for controlling resistant ticks in order to reduce loses faced from acaricide resistance. If farmers fail to control ticks 39 per cent of the 4.4 million exotic and cross bred animals in the country will suffer from East Coast fever in two years.
The idea is to increase the number of dairy farmers in the region from the current 61 per cent.
Fingerlings
Farmers must come ready to purchase juvenile fish feed which the scientists have processed using fortified enzymes obtained from Kitagata hot spring free from aflatoxin and tolerant to heat stress.
It is capable of improving digestion in young fish species since it contains improved nutrition.
Beans
There are 34 improved bean varieties released by Naro scientists over time but Dr Kirunda and team are promoting those that are performing well in the region. They include varieties with high content of zinc and iron which are good for pregnant mothers and children.
Farmers will be sensitized on growing these varieties namely Narobean 1, 2, and 3 which are bush bean and climbing bean varieties namely Narobean 4C and 5C.
Farmers are expected to grow them in addition to the Nabe series. They will be sensitized in good agronomy practices and post-harvest handling.
It is estimated that the number of household farmers in South Western Uganda growing beans is 83 per cent and currently they are producing 600kg per acre which needs to rise to about 1,200 kilogrammes per acre.
Maize
Dr Halid and team are introducing maize varieties which are high yielding, tolerant to drought and early maturing. These are Longe 9H, 10H and 11H. Others are the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) maize series known as drought tego varieties.
Farmers will be sensitised to grow these varieties using conservation agriculture practices following the right agronomy in order to get bumper harvest.
Previously farmers in the region were harvesting 600 kilogrammes of maize per acre but those who adhered to the advice of the scientists are now reaping 2,170 kilogrammes per acre. More work needs to be done to increase the current household rate engaged in growing maize from 25.5 per cent to much more than the current number.
Banana
In the region the number of farmers engaged in growing banana mainly the East African Highland banana known as Matooke is estimated to be 65.5 per cent. They are growing all sorts of banana varieties but scientists are targeting to sensitize them to embrace the newly released hybrid varieties namely the Nabio varieties which include M9 and M23 which are high yielding, resistant to Banana Bacterial Wilt and other banana diseases and damages caused by pests as well as rich in vitamin A.
Farmers will be encouraged to grow them alongside the traditional varieties Mpologoma, Bwazirume and Nakitembe. Those who are already growing these varieties and practicing the right agronomy have been able to improve their income by Shs800,000 per acre in a period of three months and this has to be doubled.
Cassava
The South Western region of Uganda used to be considered as cassava growing region but this has dwindled because of invasion of Cassava Brown Streak Virus (CBSV) and Cassava Mosaic Virus (CMV) in the area which led to farmers abandoning growing of the crop.
But scientists are rejuvenating this trend. They have planted 22 varieties in allocated sites for performance review some of which will be uprooted on this day for farmers to decide on best performing varieties for onward distribution. The attributes to be looked at is the sweetness and high yield.
The intention is to increase the number of farmer households growing the crop from the current 5.7 per cent to the previous 47 per cent.
Passion fruits and mangoes
These are perennial plants regarded as high value plants. It is important in human diet to have fruits and farmers across the country are encouraged to grow them.
Farmers will learn how to graft mango seedlings which they can take on as a business enterprise for sale to fellow farmers.
They will be sensitised on which varieties of both fruits are good for growing and the best agronomy practice to get good yields.
It is important for farmers to know that these plants can grow all year round and there it can be a source of income during times of off season for the main crops.
Dr Kirunda encourages farmers to come with pens and notebooks for taking notes as well as gumboots ready to learn on farm.

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