Page 190 - AFAP Success Stories 2020

and yourself. It requires one to have two “boda bodas”, farmers decided to start an agro-input shop to ease access
implying double the cost (USD12). and increase the affordability of the inputs particularly
because fertilizers are quite heavy to move up the hills.

Initiative
Key Result/Insight/Interesting Fact
In this effort, Kabaale Agro-Inputs Supply in collaboration
with African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) • Because the weeding of sorghum is at a time when
undertook to improve sorghum production in Kigezi by farmers are preparing fields for other crops, they have
piloting demonstration gardens in Nyabyumba village, always ignored it in favour of other crops. This was
Katenga Parish in Kamuganguzi sub-county to test and because of sorghum’s reputation for low yields that
adapt appropriate sorghum technologies for better had developed over time despite the strong economic
production. Emphasis was put on fertilizer use in sorghum benefit attached to it. The interventions with the good
and also included other best agronomic practices like yields that were realized for both beans and sorghum
planting in rows and weed control using herbicides. have now changed the prevailing mindset more
positively.
In the demonstrations, an attempt was made to show the
impact of an appropriate sorghum-production package • Already 40% (48 farmers) of Nyabyumba United
by: sowing in rows at 50cm spacing; controlling the Farmers’ members have already invested in fertilizers
seeding rate to avoid wasteful thinning after germination; from the group even before the start of the season and
controlling weeds with metrazine herbicide; and then the chairperson expects more orders to be placed by
hand weeding, which is time consuming or never done farmers as the season draws nearer.
in time.
• All six of the host farmers have already saved with
Weeding sorghum is required at the peak of other farming the SACCO money for fertilizers, having appreciated
activities when farmers are also preparing fields for beans, the change that the fertilizer and other agronomic
potatoes and other crops. This plethora of activities delays practices yielded from such a small demonstration plot
sorghum weeding and affects its growth and probably size.
eventual yield. Weed control with herbicides, therefore, • Membership has also grown to 1800 members from
would be part of improved sorghum cultural practices 1740 members
if the benefits of fertilizer in this crop are to be realized.
The demonstrations adopted a lead-farmer approach to • Nyabyumba United Farmers also gives fertilizer loans
represent study sites for the other farmers and as sources to members and it is easy to offset from the SACCO
of information for improved sorghum production. The since the SACCO is owned by members of Nyabyumba
selected farmers were those who were willing to share United Farmers.
information with others during and after the exercise. • Sales of inputs have progressively increased; in 2017
Because of the high transport of inputs when moving total sales of inputs were USD11 448; in 2018 they were
from Kabaale town to Nyabyumba, the Nyabyumba USD27 918 of which fertilizers contributed USD22 334
(80% of sales). A projection for total sales for 2019 of

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