TALK

Making agriculture rewarding and fun f o r pupils & teachers Vol.10 No.1 APRIL 2010

With this Farm Talk, we send you vegetable seeds. Learn about passion fruits on p 4. They are delicious!

Make farming a business

You love animals or plants,
or both. And maybe you have
a small piece of land and
wondering what to do with it.
Waste no time. Farm produce are
a major source of food for people
and raw materials for industries.
Besides, 80% of Ugandans carry
out agriculture. Farming as a
business is a good source of
income. Maybe you are doing
farming as a business but you
don't know. Find out.

Make a simple plan

Every business needs careful
planning. List all possible enterprises
and choose the best.��

Eva Nakitenge, a teacher from

Kasangati Muslim PS, Wakiso,
says after choosing what you want to
produce, make a simple plan. “A plan
is like a road with different signposts.
It helps you to see advantages,
disadvantages, and how to avoid
possible dangers," she says.

A plan includes things you need and

thier costs to start production such as
seeds, land, tools and pesticides and
workers�. Pupils of Dabani Boys PS in Busia weed their maize garden. They plan to process the maize into
flour and sell it to the school.
While making a plan ask are

How to find market

yourself these questions:
• Who else is producing what I have
chosen?
• Who will buy?
• Why should they buy from me and Before starting production, first find will be able to sell. You may waste markets and prices of goods.”
not from others? out if there are interested buyers. time, energy and money. “I first asked owners of nearby
• What equipment will I need? Do not just produce and hope you restaurants if they were interested
• How many workers will I need? Prof Julius Zaake, Makerere in potatoes before I started. It has
• Will I need transport? University, says: “Finding market been 2 years now and the business
• What price will I sell my products is not difficult. Move from house is good. A sack fetches between
for? to house, local markets, schools, sh60,000–sh100,000 and a heap
shops and restaurant. Talk to goes for sh10,000.”� Inginy Filda,
“Whatever you choose to do, it people to find out what they want. 13, P6, VH Public School, Lira
should be what you can manage. Listen to radio, read newspapers for
Measure the costs correctly and look
at the market prices before beginning
the business.” Dr Florence Kabugo,
from the National Agricultural Market
Advisory Services (NAADS)

Adero Mercy, 13, VH Public

School, Lira, grows potatoes as her
enterprise. “I grow potatoes. They
are easier to cultivate than tomatoes
and there is ready market. I don't
need pesticides or watering. I get
free planting materials. I sell a basin
for sh5000.”

Restuarant Shop
Adero Mercy

FarmTalk March 2010.indd 1 2010-04-09 16:31

 Learn business basics
After writing you plan you are
ready to start farming as a
business. Use basics such as
record keeping and separating
personal money from that of
the business to compete with
experienced
farmers.
Remember to
offer quality
products.
Record
keeping
Aliro Ivan, 13, P7,
VH PS in Lira, rears
chicken. He says: “A big cock fetches
sh10,000 and a hen fetches between
sh6,000 – sh7,000. Record keeping
is important because it help me to
know how I am doing in business.
Post harvest handling
Take good care
of your harvest.
Remove dirt
and prevent the
harvest from
rotting. For crops
that need drying,
ensure you dry
them in a clean
place:
• Build a drying
stand especially
for fruits.
• Use traditional methods of drying
like papyrus mats, nearby rocks.
• Identify an area, clear it well and
smear cowdung on it. Let it dry
and use it to dry your produce.
Smearing with cowdung helps
to have a clean surface without
sand that may affect the quality
of your produce.
Forming a farmers' group
Forming a farmer’s group is as easy
as starting a conversation with a
neighbour.
Dr Florence Kabugo gives us tips
on how we can start groups in our
communities:
• Talk to your friends in the says.
neighbourhood to form a group
• Choose good leaders you trust
• Make laws to guide the group
Working together helps you achieve
more and get new ideas.
FarmTalk March 2010.indd 2
sh40,000 and a kid sh4000. I have a
Separate pockets bank account with Centenary Bank.
Keep business Before opening up a bank account,
money separate I used to keep my money in a piggy
I always write down the money I
from personal bank.”
spend on feeds and medicine. The
money. “I
records help me to know where
grow maize. I Customer is king
to reduce on the costs and make
always separate Kayiira David, 17,
more profits. For example, I buy
business money S4, Butawuka
seeds from nearby suppliers to
from my pocket Magezi Ntake
save on transport costs
money. I cannot use SS in Mpigi
and time.”
money from sales to buy food for the grows
family. I have saved sh50,000. I plan cassava,
Costs
to expand my garden during the P7 cabbage,
“I grow cassava,
vacation.” Katushabe Zainub, 12, carrots,
maize and millet.
P7, Lira PS maize, beans
I list all costs. So
and eggplants.
before I sell my
Ogwal Maxwin, He says: “I respect and serve my
produce I calculate
14, P7, VH customers with a smile. If they
costs, including the
PS, Lira, who complain, I listen and make sure I
help of family labour.
rears goats, address the problem immediately. I
Even if I use friend’s bicycle to take
says: “I have never shout or abuse a customer.”
the goods to market I include that as
seven goats. A
a cost. Other costs are market dues
big goat fetches
and spoiled produce. Awany Fidely,
11, P5, Aduku Road SDA PS
Add value to your
products, process them
When the harvest
levels such as rats or weevils low. this and results in pests dying of
is properly dried,
Neem leaves are also good at hunger.
store in:
controlling weevils. • Before sealing an airtight
• A clean dry room or
storage container like a pot,
granary
“For good profits in farming, you light a candle stub and make
• Use sacks made
need to ensure high quality of the sure it has room to burn without
from natural fibres,
products by sorting, drying on a clean setting fire to the grain. Seal
like sisal for storage.
surface and having good packaging. the container. As it burns, it will
Polythene or synthetic
This makes your products compete quickly use up all the oxygen,
bags make grains
on bigger markets for better prices,” killing any pests. The fire will go
‘sweat’ and encourage
Dr Jolly Kabirizi, a model out after a few minutes.
• Mix small quantities of wood ash
mould. farmer in Wakiso says.
or edible oil
• Store sacks on
Tips to prevent pests (palm oil)
locally made
during storage with beans
wooden pallets
• Turn sacks twice every before
to prevent damp.
day for the first two storage to
• Put a small
weeks. Most pests fix prevent
quantity of
onto one position to pests.
pesticides under
begin eating into a grain. Wash the
the wooden
Regular turning prevents beans
pallets or mix
before use.
with the produce to keep pest
Did you know?
Drying prevents produce like
Kia Caroline, Aduku Road SDA maize and groundnuts from
PS, Lira, grows maize. Her parents developing moulds before
joined a farmers’ group and they storage. The moulds contain
help selling her produce. “Since chemicals known as aflatoxins.
my parents joined the group, they This chemical stops children
have got more friends; farming and from growing to their full
marketing has become easier,” she potential and makes them get
diseases easily. It is also major
Kia use the money from the sales to cause of liver cancer.
pay her school fees and buy books
and pens.
Tracy Mercy Akao, 12, from
Abeko village in Lira, grows Buying equipment may be very
tomatoes, beans, peas and expensive. But with group savings,
vegetables. She says: “A group is you can buy some group equipment
good if one person finds a market, he for your own use and sometimes hire
or she informs the rest.” it out at a fee.
“My step father keeps cattle. He Other benefits
joined a group with other cattle • Work together and save produce
keepers to market their milk. from getting spoilt in the gardens
Everyday big buyers come from • You can also share ideas like A drying stand like this is safe
Kampala to buy the milk.” Kinyomo getting loans as a group for proper drying of food.
Isaac, Wampeewo Muslim PS,
Wakiso
2010-04-09 16:31
 Young Farmers' Club The Adventures of

This is a story of the Young Farmers' Club. Start a

club in your school and write to Farm Talk about it.
Club patron Mr Muwawu talks about Club members considers various
farming as a business and grafting. fruits and they choose to grow
passion fruit
Dear pupils,
Mr Muwawu:
Achom:
you can earn
Today’s topic We need to money from
is farming as a consider all Which fruits
business. This things we
Okello:
We grow
should we farming.
means growing need before grow for our
Nambi: the most club?
crops, keeping starting. demanded Plan well
What
animals or
poultry to earn
can be crops. before start.
grown for What is it you
money.
business
farming? Mangoes, can do to get
oranges and profits?
pawpaw are
good. But
grafted passion Consider
fruits mature different
fast and give
better yield. crops, animals
and poultry.
Choose what
Correct.
Mr Muwawu: Club members Things We use resistant local you can do
What is
grafting?
learn about grafting needed for yellow passion fruit seed- best.
grafting are: lings as rootstock and
Achom: Grafting stock, scion, those of a good passion
is the joining of a razor blade fruit variety as scion. Find out
parts of plants and cellotape. what you
so that they
combine and This is need: land,
grow as one yellow money, labour,
passion
plant.
fruit stock.
equipment,
market and
transport.

And this Calculate all

is purple the costs and
passion make sure
Stock Scion fruit scion.
there is profit.
Club members successfully
do the grafting Mr Muwawu: We
Mr Muwawu: Kanyesigye, have to cover the
make a clean slanting grafted seedlings
cut on the scion like After we remove with a polythene Teachers,
I have done on the bag to control
the leaves from we want to hear
rootstock? the scion, we transpiration. Make
sure you water the from you! Write and
join the two win a special Farm
together and plants twice a day.
Talk prize.
tie them with a
cellotape.

WIN a Farm
After one month... A year later…
After 2 months…
We have The buyer: What a
to wait Now

Talk T-Shirt
we can good harvest! Well-
one more done Farm Talk club.
month remove
before we the cover.
plant.
Do you know anyone
doing farming as
a business in your
community? Write to Farm
Talk about their stories PO Box
22366, Kampala or drop your
letter at any radio station that airs
an Straight Talk radio show. The
first 20 letters win!

FarmTalk March 2010.indd 3 2010-04-09 16:32

 Letters
Pupils
We grow different crops at home. We
also keep some animals and use their
droppings as manure and urine as
pesticide. This has helped us enjoy
balanced diet. Kisakye Rachael,
Mawotto Showers of Blessings
PS, Jinja
Last term we had a practical lesson
about root tubers. Afterward
we harvested carrots and sweet
potatoes. The teacher told us that
carrots can improve our sight.
Kirikubi Robert, P6, Ndongo
Baptist PS, Kasese
Robert, carrots are not root tubers.
They are stem tubers. Ask your
teacher to clarify.
Farm Talk, thanks for the cabbage
and eggplant seeds. I planted seeds
and harvested the produce for sale.
I used the money to buy clothes
and scholastic materials. Nyaburu
Innocent, Archbishop Yona
Okoth Memorial PS, Tororo
I always take Farm Talk newspapers
home. My mother has learnt how to
grow vegetables, like eggplants and
carrots. Besides the balanced diet
we are enjoying at home, she earns
some money by selling vegetables.
Growing delicious passion fruits
Passion fruits are constant
commodities in any food
market. They are delicious
and nutritious.
Several varieties exist. The
purple passion fruit grows well
in higher altitudes. The yellow
one grow best in hot, low-lying
areas. This has larger fruits
and higher yields but a more
acid taste.
Growing: Passion fruit is
cheap and easy to grow. Visit
a local market and select
good fruits to get seeds from.
Continue to experiment with
different varieties. Try
out grafting.
Raising seedlings:
Seedlings can be
grown in open beds but
grow better in small
containers, like plastic
Fruit seeds drying
tubes or milk cartons.
The container should
be 10cm in diameter and
20cm long. Fill it with
good soil and plant several
fresh seeds in each. Water
regularly and cover with
mulch until germination.
Allow two or three
Main garden trellis
seedlings to grow in each
container. Plant out when
8–10 weeks old.
Grafting: Use strong yellow passion
fruit stock and high yielding purple
passion scion. Learn more about
grafting on page 3.
FarmTalk March 2010.indd 4
We have also planted fruit and non
fruit trees. Oboth Paul, St Kizito
SS, Kabowa, Kampala
Farm Talk newspapers are helping
us pass exams. Last term we were
asked to mention the food value in
beans and give reasons why a school
garden is important. We discussed
this in our club which made exams
very simple. Lutaaya Ronald, Muto
PS, Mpigi
We started a farming project in 2008
after receiving cabbage, eggplants
and onions seeds. We planted them
and had a good harvest. We now
plan to grow cassava. Help us with
planting materials. Aciro Mercy, P6,
Padibe P7 School, Lamwo
Teachers
After reading the Farm Talk on how
to save energy, we are saving a lot
of energy. We split firewood into
thin pieces, cover saucepans while
cooking and soak dry foods, like
beans before boiling them. We plan
to build a Rocket Lorena Stove.
Khwaka Beth, Katsawa PS,
Bududa
Last year, we planted sweet potatoes
and harvested eight bags. We sold
seven bags at 14,000 Ushs each
and pupils feed on one. We thank
Farm Talk for encouraging pupils to
participate in agriculture. Bamanya
Beatrice, Ndorwa PS, Kabale
Fruit nursery beds
This is wrong
Planting in the
main garden: Plant 3m apart with
2m between the rows. Allow two
strong shoots to grow and remove
other shoots regularly.
While the plants are growing, build
the trellis or poles for them to climb.
Pupils of St Andrew Matale Hill PS,
Rakai weed their bean garden
Quiz
We get many letters from
you asking for seeds. Do
you already have ways of
collecting seeds. Tell us
stories of what you do to get
seeds from your environment. Also tells
us about qualities of good seeds.
Write to Farm Talk PO Box 22366,
Kampala or drop your letter at any
radio station that airs
an Straight.
Once the leader shoots reach
the wires they are allowed to
grow along them. More shoots
will form and hang down,
forming curtains of shoots.
Cut off shoots before they
reach the ground to prevent
diseases. Regularly cut out
weaker or diseased shoots for
proper spacing. Also, cut back
shoots which have finished
producing fruit.
Building trellis: Use good,
strong poles which are termite-
resistant or treated with
chemicals. Use poles
which are 20cm in
diameter and 2.6-2.8m
in length. Drive them
60cm into the ground
and fasten fencing
wire to them. Space
the poles every 6m
Grafting
with two leader shoots
between them.
Maturity: The plants
will begin to produce
fruit 8–20 months after
planting out. Fruit is
produced throughout
the year, usually for 3–6
This is OK years. It is best to let
ripe fruit fall off. Picking
the fruit before falling reduces the
sweetness, and may damage the
plant, leading to disease.
Answers
quiz
Vol. 3
Many of you responded to the
quiz. Thank you. You all WIN.
These are what some of you
answered.
Misanya Lynette, Busia Trust SS,
said: "Plant population is the
number of crops in a garden.
Nalumu Aisha, Karambi PS,
Kabarole, said: "Activities carried
out to ensure a correct plant
population are:
• Spacing • Number of seeds
planted per hole (seed rate)."
Vemy Sobic, Lumino HS, Busia,
said: "Steps for preparing a
nursery bed: • Select the site •
Measure the plot • Plough deep •
Make the soil fine (harrowing) •
Raise the seedbed • Sterilize the
soil • Apply manure • Construct a
shade."
Otim Emma, Agwata SS, Dokolo,
said: "Activities carried out in a
nursery bed:
• watering • weeding • removing
seedlings from the nursery bed •
pest and disease control."
Transplanting is the transfer of
seedlings from the nursery bed to
the seedbed or the main garden,
where seedlings grow into mature
plants. Seedlings are transplanted
by a tool called a trowel/shovel.
Washole Jackson, Buyaga PS,
Busabulo
Farm Talk is
produced by Straight Talk
Foundation and funded by
Danida Agriculture Sector
Programme Support. Farm
Talk supports the primary agricultural
syllabus of the Ministry of Education
and encourages the creation of fenced
school gardens, one acre in size,
intensively cultivated, and acting a
living laboratory. It also addresses
the nutritional needs of orphans and
vulnerable children. Illustrators: Mango
Tree Designer: M. eB Kalanzi,
Writer: F. Ouma, Editors: T Agutu,
Contributors: R Muwawu, J Kisakye,
Arnold Birungi ; Reviewer: James
Africa Byekwaso
2010-04-09 16:32