Kadaga launches Busoga livestock project to bolster incomes

The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has launched the Busoga Livestock Transformation Project of the Kasolwe Stock Farm in the eastern district of Kamuli.

Presiding at the launch on Wednesday, 30 October 2019, Kadaga said that the project was timely and would teach the indigenous people how to practice farming as a business so as to improve their livelihoods.

"It is time our people stop looking at farming as something casual and embrace it as a money making venture; we can become rich from livestock farming if we do it with a business sense," she noted, adding that it was unacceptable to see mud and wattle huts lined up at the beginning of the territorial boundary into Busoga.

Through the theme, "Revolutionalising of Livestock farming in the greater Busoga Region Project" the project will use the government owned farm to train local farmers in modern techniques of livestock farming and for them to access better animal breeds.

The Kasolwe farm is being managed by the National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC). The animals bred at the farm include chickens, pigs, goats and cattle.

The NAGRC Executive Director, Dr Charles Lagu, said that the project will mitigate the high poverty levels, food and nutrition insecurity, life household incomes using livestock as an alternative tool.

"This project is the brainchild of the Speaker and with her support, we were able to secure Shs12 billion from the government to set in motion the project," he said.

Lagu added that the facility is going to be expanded for the pigs and goats and a training facility is going to be set up targeting farmers in the sub-region.

"We are going to teach farmers about sustainable crop farming methods and breeding techniques to improve quality and quantity of output from their livestock and crop yeild," Lagu added.

The goal of the project, added Dr Lagu, is to increase productivity of small holder farmers in the greater Busoga region with the revitalisation of Kasolwe Stock Farm to serve as a centre of excellence for animal resources business incubation, breeding and innovation.

Speaker Kadaga also broke ground for a modern cow shed that will have a capacity of 200 animals and a feed mill to be used to produce feeds for fish, poultry, pigs and cattle.