More maize for Ugandan farmers
Improved maize varieties are helping to boost yields for farmers in Uganda s Iganga district. Despite high demand, the quantity and quality of maize produced have long been disappointing, partly due to poor farming and post-harvest handling methods. But new maize varieties, introduced by the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), have produced impressive results. Local farmers have learned how to grow the improved varieties, Longe II and Hybrid B, using modern farming practices. One of them, Rose Kaduyu, observed, I used to plant 2 acres of local maize and get seven bags, but when I planted Hybrid B, I got 35 bags. Godfrey Magala of Kiringa village, Nawandala sub-county, planted 4 acres of Longe II maize and harvested 67 bags. I have grown maize for the whole of my life, but I had never got such a bumper harvest, he said. The scope of the NAADS initiative has been extended beyond the introduction of new varieties and farming methods. Farmers have begun selling their surplus maize, forming groups to bargain for better prices. Said Kaduyu, NAADS trained us in leadership skills, business and book-keeping. So, we do not have to rely on our husbands for survival. Farmers have also been trained in post-harvest handling, including building drying yards and cribs for maize storage. National Agricultural Advisory Services P O Box 25235 Kampala Uganda Fax: +256 41 347843 Email: info@naads.or.ug Website: http://www.naads.or.ug/
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| Format: | News Item biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
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Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
2006
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/48065 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99629 |
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