Farmers in Rukungiri District have gained valuable skills and have been encouraged to adopt the use of loans from banks and SACCOs, which will boost their farming activities and improve household incomes.
This was achieved through a three-day training event called the “Farmers Business Game,” held at Heritage Motel in Rukungiri Municipality. The event was organized by Buyanja SACCO and facilitated and funded by the German company DSIK, alongside the Uganda Cooperative Savings and Credit Union Limited (UCSCU).
Andrew Mugumya, who represented UCSCU at the training, told reporters that while most participants had been involved in farming their entire lives, they had limited knowledge and skills in the business aspects of farming. The primary goal of the training, according to Mugumya, was to equip farmers with the necessary skills to enhance their farming practices. He also emphasized the importance of maintaining good health through the consumption of agricultural products such as milk and eggs, which could inspire younger generations to take an interest in farming.
Boony Asiimwe, representing DSIK from Germany, explained that the objective of their company is to educate farmers on treating farming as a business. She noted that many farmers lack knowledge on record-keeping, business planning, and forecasting, which hinders productivity. The training provided farmers with the tools they need to improve these areas, enabling them to treat farming more strategically and profitably.
Canon Yosiya Twirire, Chairperson of the Buyanja SACCO Board of Governors, spoke on behalf of the trainees, stating that they had learned the importance of keeping records, creating business plans, and developing strategies to guide their farming activities.
Twirire further mentioned that the farmers were taught how to effectively use loans from banks and SACCOs to generate higher profits from farming.
Olive Nayebare, General Manager of Buyanja SACCO, expressed her gratitude to the facilitators and the attendees of the training. She expressed hope that the skills acquired would improve the quality of farming in the region, enabling farmers to increase their household incomes and support their families.
Nayebare also emphasized that the trainees are committed to maintaining proper farm records to track income and expenditure, which will help them repay their loans more effectively.
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