Food Security
Livelihoods Improvement for 60 Marginalized Women
The project seeks to improve the lives of vulnerable communities to have sustainable household food production enjoying healthful meals with satisfactory income and practicing ecological farming that is resilient to climate change.
The project has 60 women direct beneficiaries participating for the three years project life. This scheme is in its second year of its life and by the end of third year it expects to achieve the following milestones;
- 45% of women beneficiaries have access to three meals eating sufficient fruits, vegetables and protein rich crops grown from their gardens
- 50% of participating households earning at least Shs 150,000 per month
- 50% beneficiaries adapt ecological farming practices including agroforestry on their farms
The project is on track of achieving its intended objectives; food security among participating households was generally stable and families managed to eat at least two basic meals of lunch and supper with some snacks in between. This progress is attributed to regular food harvests and increased food crop yields. This development also extended to beneficiaries’ income hitting at a monthly average of Shs 150,000 among 52% of the participants
Ecological farming techniques have also been taken-on as a basis of crop production with 45% of women farmers’ effectively practicing soil and water conservation, intercropping and agroforestry. The new practices have improved on health growth of food crops and boosted productivity. During this quarter, two capacity training programs were conducted for women farmers and another for project staff. Six selected community based trainers (CBTs) were trained in farmer to farmer extension and group dynamics. Four project employees had training in extension staff relationship with farmers, how farmers can be assisted in their day to day activities, accountability systems and NGO leadership.
Improving household food security
Participating women have continued to rely on subsistence farming coupled with improved ecological agricultural practices that has enhanced families’ resilience and improved food production. A variety of food crops are grown on small pieces of land with improved soil and water conservation practices which has subsequently enriched the yields. Common crops include maize, cassava, potatoes and millet. Others are Cabbages, Paw paws, leafy greens and groundnuts among others. Expansion on diversity of food crops has made it easier for families to access food with varying nutrition content through various seasons. About 15 out 40 families can sustainably grow enough and nutrition rich food crops for their family consumption. This development indicates 35% of the households with stable food security a shift from 25% (10 families) at the beginning of year two activities. By close of this quarter, fruits mainly watermelon, beetroot, Paw paws and Guava were in abundance among participants together with variety of vegetable harvests all contributed to better nutritious meals. This progress is further indicated by the increasing number of households from 10 to 20 that managed to eat at least two meals during February and March drought period. Food shocks due to climate variation have been reduced with improved yield and good storage of grains and cereals.
Income Security
Participants were trained on farming as a business and provided with financial literacy trainings to help them manage their finances which proved to be an important link to their increased ordinary earnings of beneficiaries. At least 52 % of participants reported average monthly earnings of Shs 150,000 a target that was anticipated to be archived at the end of next quarter.
With increase in crop yields, participants have found themselves with surplus harvests for sale and a portion of income to save. Most of the income about 80% is generated from gardening and as a result of better returns from their agricultural activities participants are seen as model farmers in their respective communities promoting modern farming practices to their peers.
Vegetables, Maize, beans and dried cassava have continued to be primarily the most income earning crops among participants but they also supplement it with poultry, small livestock keeping and non-farming work like small business. Improvement in incomes is also contributing to family additional food requirements, hence, making family food secure with enhanced welfare.
Empowering farmers with knowledge and skills for sustainable farming Practices
One of the greatest achievements among participating beneficiaries is their increased ability to use effectively their small pieces of land for food crop production. In this period, the majority of farmers have gained basic knowledge and skills needed for sustainable agriculture; it is upon this progress that a range of food crops are thriving in gardens. Much attention was put on establishing gardens as a key strategy for food production in order to improve on food security and avert food uncertainty among participants. Each participant has cultivated at least an acre of land and planted both seasonal and annual food crops.
At least each participant planted half an acre of maize integrated with one hundred cassava cuttings, one eighth of an acre with sweet potatoes and a couple of vegetables including cabbages, bit roots and various fruits. Maize and Sweet Potatoes are ready for harvesting, this calendar year while vegetables will be ready slightly before that. All of this is an indication of early fixing of the current family food deficits with diversity of food crops compared before this intervention where these participants relied on traditional millet that was grown once a year and failing subsequent harvests led to the current plight.
In addition to improved food planting materials provided, participants also expanded on production of traditional food staples that included millet, yams and perennial fruits mostly grafted mangoes, avocados and oranges. This further provides a strong foundation for progressing towards family food stability. The overall objective is to ensure adequate food availability to participants eating at least three nutritious meals a day from one unhealthy and ambiguous meal. The last four months of this period under review have witnessed a double production in seasonal food increase among individual participants which is a considerable development towards household food security.
Enhancing the livelihoods of Women-Led Households
The overall goal of this project is to improve household food security through climate resilient farming practices and professional development of DFK. The project has strengthened the adaptive capacity of women farmers to climate change and increase household food security through ecologically sound farm practices. The scheme ensured that women farmer groups of Bijubwe and Nyakahita parishes receive trainings in ecological agriculture practical concept. This has helped them to adopt and practice sustainable farm management, soil and water conservation, integrated pest management among others that enabled them to have adequate nutritious meals daily with additional income from farming activities.
Project staff carried out monthly community based agricultural trainings, extension visits and monitoring of progress at individual level. In addition, Community Based Trainers (CBTs) were selected and had extra trainings in farmer to farmer extension and have carried out demonstrations to the rest of the members in a proficient way. Each of the women groups were supported with one communal plant nursery and a PVC water tank. Vegetables, cassava and maize that were planted in the second quarter were ready for harvest during this period and have contributed substantially to daily meals. In general, the adoption of ecological farming practices by women is progressively transforming food production and enhanced resilience to climatic changing conditions.
Agro-ecological farming Systems
Capacity building training aimed at enhancing institutional development of Dream Farm Kyakabunga Group in community participatory approaches and strengthening internal management structures. This was done by reaching out to 20 vulnerable women headed households organized in one group through agro-ecological farming trainings to sustainably produce sufficient family food for improved nutrition. The community outreach program helped beneficiaries to improve their livelihood but DFK also had an opportunity to strengthen capacities in project management and involvement of communities in decision making and participation.
The overall goal of this initiative was to build the professional and project capacity of DFK in non- governmental organization (NGO) management, priority areas included Institutional Development, Project Management, Community participation and decision- making. Two year consultative intervention and trainings were facilitated by St. Jude family projects with support from Quaker Service Australia (QSA) which strengthened DFK institutional development and was conducted at different venues such as at the NGO premises and in the neighborhoods as part of DFK understanding community participatory approaches.
There was 25% increase in food crop and land productivity, maize yields increased by 25%, beans 30% vegetables and fruits by 20%, gardens under sustainable farming practices increased all the twenty women headed families managed two nutritious food serving per day from one uncertain meal. Soil conservation and agro forestry expanded with more composting and few tree planting. Average monthly income reached Shs 90,000 among 43% of the participants from Shs 50,000, as a result of selling crops grown.
Board selected and appointed a volunteer part time health officer as part of strengthening NGO capacity for project implementation.Beneficiaries were sensitized and trained to follow Standard Operating Procedures for COVID-19 guidelines by a new health officer as well as community sanitation and hygiene. This improved feeding on balanced diet and care for people with disabilities especially children by their caretakers.
