By Jamil Kato
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Monday 18th November, 2024 urged leaders in Teso to prioritise the fight against land fragmentation in the sub region to foster sustainable development.
Addressing a gathering today at the home of the Vice President, H.E Jessica Alupo in Katakwi District, President Museveni emphasised the need for proactive leadership to address Africa’s persistent challenges.
Earlier on, the President toured the Vice President’s model farm featuring poultry, piggery, fish farming, banana growing and dairy farming.
This is part of his regional wealth creation assessment tour in the Teso sub-region which commenced on Monday 18th November, 2024.
The President identified land fragmentation as a significant obstacle to development.
“Every time the head of a family passes away, what they built up is divided and destroyed. A rich man’s children finish everything, but that’s not how the Europeans handled it. They found a way to divide without destroying,” he narrated.
To illustrate the importance of resource management, President Museveni cited an example from Kabale.
“I told them, ‘I have five homes but only one water pot. What should I do? Should I break it and share the fragments so that everyone is happy?’ They responded, ‘No, don’t break it.’ Instead, they suggested, ‘Bring water and distribute it among the houses.’ That’s how the Europeans managed,” he said.
“When we took power, many areas had already been severely fragmented. We asked ourselves, what medicine do we give these people? That’s when we developed our manifesto in the 1960s. We promoted extensive and intensive agriculture. Extensive agriculture like maize isn’t where you make significant money. That’s why we created the four-acre model for those with small landholdings,” he said.
President Museveni also expressed optimism about the recent progress, saying that he was glad that people are waking up slowly.
“The problem of Africa is sleep. It is really amazing how people can be asleep,” he said.
President Museveni also shared a personal story to illustrate the potential for socio-economic transformation.
“Some people said that the Banyankore couldn’t change. But I told them, my mother was a traditional woman. When she joined Christianity, she became modern. She learned to boil milk, iron clothes, and knit all from the church. If my mother could change, why can’t the Banyankore change?” he added.
He further pointed to developments in Serere District as evidence of this positive change and underscored the role of local leaders in promoting sustainable practices.
“I am very happy to be here, and I want you to hear what Alupo is telling you,” He added, underscoring the importance of Teso leaders in taking action to implement his vision.
In a demonstration of commitment to President Museveni’s vision on land management, H.E Alupo shared how her family, inspired by this narrative, has been applying it to their farm.
“The land, acquired by our father and shared among nine children and our mother, has been managed with a vision of preventing land fragmentation,” H.E Alupo explained.
“I have directed that all farm income be pooled into a joint account to sustain this vision. This aligns with your [President Museveni] idea of implementing the four-acre model and embracing comprehensive agricultural practices,” she said.
Furthermore, the Vice President highlighted the significant achievements made in various agricultural enterprises aimed at combating poverty.
“The farm you have visited demonstrates the willingness of many farmers to join the fight against poverty through high-value enterprises,” she stated.
Providing insights into the farm’s productivity, H.E Alupo elaborated, “We have 4,000 layers of chicken that produce 122 trays of eggs daily. Each tray goes for sh 10,000, generating sh36m per month and an impressive sh433m annually. This is just the first month of harvesting, and we anticipate production will exceed 122 trays as the chickens reach their peak.”
The Vice President also spoke about the dairy sector, saying :“For the past nine months, we have been harvesting milk. Each litre goes for sh1,000, and our cows produce an average of 12 litres per day. One high-yield cow gives up to 35 litres. Annually, the income from dairy can reach sh30m.”
Additionally, the Vice President detailed the farm’s fish farming initiative.
“We have established three fishponds with 10,000 Nile Tilapia fingerlings and 10,000 African catfish,” she said, noting that the projected annual revenue from harvesting the tilapia alone is sh20 million.
Discussing the piggery project, she shared, “We have 10 gilts and one boar, and we expect to sell 100 piglets, generating sh 20m per cycle. With two breeding cycles a year, the income from piggery will reach Sh40 million annually.”
“Our banana plantation faced challenges with water access before we installed solar-powered irrigation. Initially, we relied on bottled water, but now we sell bananas to local restaurant owners for sh 15,000 per bunch, bringing in sh 7m monthly and sh 91m annually.”
H.E highlighted that the gross annual income from the five enterprises combined is approximately sh 333m.
“We plan to establish a hatchery and begin free training programs here. The LC5 councillors will be the first batch to participate. Commitment is crucial for success in agriculture or any enterprise.”
In attendance were the Vice President’s family members , the clergy, Resident District Commissioners, local and District Council leaders, among others.
