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Short description
Hunger is a daily struggle in Uganda’s western region. Drought means few crops flourish, and rain means those few crops might wash away. In both scenarios malnutrition is a very real threat. We intend to fight against hunger through advanced farming.
The problem we aim to solve
Micronutrient deficiencies occur when intake and absorption of vitamins and minerals are too low to sustain good health and development. Factors that contribute to micronutrient deficiencies include poor diet, increased micronutrient needs during certain life stages, such as pregnancy and lactation, and health problems such as diseases, infections, or parasites, its effects can be devastating, leading to mental impairment, poor health, low productivity, and even death.
Our solution
We are focusing on increasing productivity of staple crops in order to reduce malnutrition. We started as young students by creating a small fish pond of about 600 fingerling on our parents land with 300 pineapples and 100 mango trees which we collect and supply to babies homes and malnourished children in the villages around western Uganda (Isingiro). This has so far taken us a year and we see hope ahead of us. We intend to make it a training center in future for the community to study from how to use their little lands to fight hunger. That is if we can get support to expand the farm.
The innovativeness of our approach
The innovation is the young members starting from a small scale to grow crops and raising fish to fight malnutrition in their home country to save lives of mothers dying every day during pregnancy and to avoid the loss of our siblings who are dying due to malnutrition. As well as to motivate the people in knowing that it is possible for them to plant these crops on their own not buying from only the town markets since they believe fish and pineapples are foods for the rich who can afford to buy from the market which is not the case.
Technologies and Methods
This project does not require a lot of Technologies, it only requires an excavator to excavate the fish pond which we hired from our partners, a tractor for ploughing the land and hoes for planting pineapples and Mangoes.
We also fish nets for trapping fish and fish feeds from Fisheries Uganda to feed fish. We also hire a vehicle in the time of harvest to transport the fruits to schools for fish we haven’t harvested yet.
Potential Partners
Our project intends to work in partnership with NARO Uganda to support us with the seedlings for mangoes and pineapples and providing us with in the farming and maintenance process guidelines where needed since this is an Agricultural sector that specializes in farming in Uganda. Another partner is Fisheries Uganda, this will help us with the different fish species that may be needed in the fish ponds, through adding another fish pond, fish feeds and any other assistance
Voting ends on June 24, 2018, 11:59 pm (CEST).
| Team: | Juliana Tumuramye |