Women fighting Climate Change through Agroecology

In August 2025, we established organic agriculture demonstration gardens with the aim to enhance soil health and agricultural sustainability, provide practical training on sustainable farming to local smallholder farmers of Kitoba-Hoima, improve food security and foster community collaboration. The initiative is supported by Rich Earth Institute and Earth Raising Foundation. We set up 4 demonstration gardens in 4 different places; Bujwahya, Kyakataba, Kiraira, and Mbaraara.

Key activities include site preparation, input acquisition, planting a variety of crops (beans and maize), and conducting farmer training sessions.

Land preparation. The following activities were done under land preparation,

• Bush clearing. This was done locally by use of hand slashers and hoes. 
• Land cultivation. This was done in two ways; primary and secondary cultivation. Primary cultivation was done by use of hand hoes and forked hoes. It involved deep uprooting of weeds and small trees to ensure clean gardens however land was left into ploughs. Then secondary cultivation was done later after 2 weeks where tillage was cultivated into tilth to make soils suitable for crop planting. 

Demarcation of gardens.  The gardens were raised into manageable plots in all the 4 sites/gardens. Each site consists of 21 plots of 4 meters by 2 meters and 3 lines of blocks. Spacing between plots is 0.5 meters and 1 meter between blocks.

Planting and Management: Organic seeds for maize and beans were acquired and planted following recommended procedures and spacing requirements. Activities included watering, weeding, pest management, and thinning. We applied 7 treatments; control, biochar, urine, compost, biochar+urine, biochar+compost and compost+urine and each treatment were applied in 3 plots in each garden.

Outcomes

• Established Garden: A fully functional demonstration garden was established, showcasing 2 types of crops.
• Skill Acquisition: Participants gained practical skills in various agronomy stages, from seedbed preparation to plantation. Our plants are still in the gardens but our participants will still be involved in harvesting and post-harvest management of the yields.

Future Plans

After 2 seasons, we will compile a report for results and provide training to small holder farmers in organic farming for sustainable agriculture.