FarmTalk March 2010

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Before starting production, rst ndout if there are interested buyers.Do not just produce and hope you

Make farming a businessYu lve animals r plants,r bth. And maybe yu havea small piee f land andwnderin what t d with it.Waste n time. Farm prdue area majr sure f fd fr pepleand raw materials fr industries.Besides, 80% f Uandans arryut ariulture. Farmin as abusiness is a d sure finme. Maybe yu are dinfarmin as a business but yudn't knw. Find ut.

Make a simple planEvery business needs carefulplanning. List all possible enterprisesand choose the best.

Eva Nakitene, a teaher frmKasanati Muslim PS, Wakis,says after choosing what you want toproduce, make a simple plan. A planis like a road with different signposts.It helps you to see advantages,disadvantages, and how to avoidpossible dangers," she says.

A plan includes things you need andthier costs to start production such asseeds, land, tools and pesticides andworkers..

While makin a plan ask areyurself these questins:

Who else is producing what I havechosen?Who will buy?Why should they buy from me andnot from others?What equipment will I need?How many workers will I need?Will I need transport?What price will I sell my productsfor?

Whatever you choose to do, it

should be what you can manage.Measure the costs correctly and lookat the market prices before beginningthe bus iness.Dr Flrene Kabu,frm the Natinal AriulturalAdvisry Servies (NAADS)

Ader Mery, 13, VH PubliShl, Lira, grows potatoes as herenterprise. I grow potatoes. Theyare easier to cultivate than tomatoesand there is ready market. I don'tneed pesticides or watering. I getfree planting materials. I sell a basinfor sh5000.

Pupils f Dabani Bys PS in Busia weed their maize arden. They plan t press the maize intour and sell it to the school.

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

TALKMakin ari ulture reward in and fun f r pupils & teahers Vl.10 N.1 APRIL 2010

will be able to sell. You may wastetime, energy and money.

Prf Julius Zaake, MakerereUniversity, says: Finding marketis not difcult. Move from houseto house, local markets, schools,shops and restaurant. Talk topeople to nd out what they want.

Listen to radio, read newspapers for

markets and prices of goods.I rst asked owners of nearbyrestaurants if they were interestedin potatoes before I started. It hasbeen 2 years now and the businessis good. A sack fetches betweensh60,000sh100,000 and a heapgoes for sh10,000.Ininy Filda,13, P6, VH Publi Shl, Lira

How to fnd market

Market

Restuarant Shp Adero Mercy

FarmTalk March 2010.indd 1 2010-04


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Learn business basicsAfter writin yu plan yu areready t start farmin as abusiness. Use basis suh asrerd keepin and separatinpersnal mney frm that fthe business t mpete withexperienedfarmers.

Remember tffer qualityprduts.

REcoRDKEEPINgAliro Ivan, 13, P7,VH PS in Lira, rearschicken. He says: A big cock fetchessh10,000 and a hen fetches betweensh6,000 sh7,000. Record keepingis important because it help me toknow how I am doing in business.

I always write down the money Ispend on feeds and medicine. Therecords help me to know whereto reduce on the costs and makemore profts. For example, I buyseeds from nearby suppliers tosave on transport costsand time.

coSTSI grow cassava,maize and millet.I list all costs. Sobefore I sell myproduce I calculatecosts, including thehelp of family labour.Even if I use friends bicycle to takethe goods to market I include that asa cost. Other costs are market duesand spoiled produce.Awany Fidely,11, P5, Aduku Road SDA PS

SEPARATE PocKETSKeep businessmoney separatefrom personalmoney. Igrow maize. Ialways separatebusiness moneyfrom my pocketmoney. I cannot use

money from sales to buy food for thefamily. I have saved sh50,000. I planto expand my garden during the P7vacation.Katushabe Zainub, 12,P7, Lira PS

Ogwal Maxwin,14, P7, VHPS, Lira, whorears goats,says: I haveseven goats. Abig goat fetches

Take good careof your harvest.Remove dirtand prevent theharvest fromrotting. For cropsthat need drying,ensure you drythem in a cleanplace:

Build a dryingstand especiallyfor fruits.Use traditional methods of dryinglike papyrus mats, nearby rocks.Identify an area, clear it well andsmear cowdung on it. Let it dry

and use it to dry your produce.Smearing with cowdung helpsto have a clean surface withoutsand that may affect the qualityof your produce.

When the harvestis prperly dried,stre in:A clean dry room orgranaryUse sacks madefrom natural bres,like sisal for storage.Polythene or syntheticbags make grainssweat and encourage

mould.Store sacks onlocally madewooden palletsto prevent damp.

Put a smallquantity ofpesticides underthe woodenpallets or mixwith the produce to keep pest

Did yu knw?Dryin prevents prdue likemaize and rundnuts frmdevelpin mulds befrestrae. The mulds ntainchemicals known as aatoxins.

This hemial stps hildrenfrm rwin t their fullptential and makes them et

diseases easily. It is als majrause f liver aner.

sh40,000 and a kid sh4000. I have abank account with Centenary Bank.Before opening up a bank account,I used to keep my money in a piggybank.

cUSToMER IS KINgKayiira David, 17,S4, ButawukaMagezi NtakeSS in Mpigi

growscassava,cabbage,carrots,maize, beansand eggplants.He says: I respect and serve mycustomers with a smile. If theycomplain, I listen and make sure Iaddress the problem immediately. Inever shout or abuse a customer.

Kia carline, Aduku Rad SDAPS, Lira, grows maize. Her parentsjoined a farmers group and theyhelp selling her produce. Sincemy parents joined the group, theyhave got more friends; farming andmarketing has become easier, she

says.Kia use the money from the sales topay her school fees and buy booksand pens.

Tray Mery Aka, 12, frmAbek villae in Lira, growstomatoes, beans, peas andvegetables. She says: A group isgood if one person nds a market, heor she informs the rest.

My step father keeps cattle. Hejoined a group with other cattlekeepers to market their milk.Everyday big buyers come fromKampala to buy the milk.KinymIsaa, Wampeew Muslim PS,

Wakis

Forming a farmers group is as easyas starting a conversation with aneighbour.

Dr Florence Kabugo gives us tipson how we can start groups in ourcommunities:

Talk to your friends in theneighbourhood to form a group

Choose good leaders you trust Make laws to guide the group

Working together helps you achievemore and get new ideas.

Forming a farmers' group

A drying stand like this is safefor proper drying of food.

Pst harvest handlin

levels such as rats or weevils low.Neem leaves are also good atcontrolling weevils.

For good prots in farming, youneed to ensure high quality of theproducts by sorting, drying on a cleansurface and having good packaging.This makes your products competeon bigger markets for better prices,

Dr Jolly Kabirizi, a modelfarmer in Wakiso says.Tips t prevent pestsdurin straeTurn sacks twice everyday for the rst twoweeks. Most pests xonto one position tobegin eating into a grain.Regular turning prevents

Add value t yurprduts, press them

Buying equipment may be veryexpensive. But with group savings,you can buy some group equipmentfor your own use and sometimes hireit out at a fee.

Other benefts

Work together and save producefrom getting spoilt in the gardens

You can also share ideas likegetting loans as a group

this and results in pests dying ofhunger.Before sealing an airtightstorage container like a pot,light a candle stub and makesure it has room to burn withoutsetting re to the grain. Sealthe container. As it burns, it willquickly use up all the oxygen,killing any pests. The re will goout after a few minutes.Mix small quantities of wood ash

or edible oil(palm oil)with beansbeforestorage topreventpests.Wash thebeansbefore use.



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Young Farmers' ClubYoung Farmers' ClubThis is a story of the Young Farmers' Club. Start aclub in your school and write to Farm Talkabout it.

The Adventures ofThe Adventures of

WINa FarmTalkT-ShirtDo you know anyonedoing farming asa business in yourcommunity? Write t FarmTalkabut their stries Po Bx22366, Kampala r drp yurletter at any radi statin that airsan Straiht Talk radi shw. The

first 20 letters win!

Club members successfullydo the grafting

Dear pupils,you can earnmoney fromfarming.

Plan wellbefore start.What is it youcan do to getprofits?

Considerdifferentcrops, animalsand poultry.Choose whatyou can dobest.

Find outwhat youneed: land,money, labour,equipment,market andtransport.

Calculate allthe costs andmake surethere is profit.

After 2 months

Club members considers variousfruits and they choose to growpassion fruit

Achom:Which fruitsshould wegrow for ourclub?

We haveto waitone moremonthbefore weplant.

Club patron Mr Muwawu talks about

farming as a business and grafting.

Mangoes,oranges andpawpaw aregood. Butgrafted passionfruits maturefast and givebetter yield.

Club memberslearn about grafting

Mr Muwawu: Wehave to cover thegrafted seedlingswith a polythenebag to controltranspiration. Makesure you water theplants twice a day.

Nowwe canremovethe cover.

Mr Muwawu:Todays topicis farming as abusiness. Thismeans growingcrops, keepinganimals orpoultry to earnmoney.

Nambi:Whatcan begrown forbusinessfarming?

Okello:We growthe mostdemandedcrops.

We need toconsider allthings weneed beforestarting.

Mr Muwawu:What isgrafting?

Achom: Graftingis the joining ofparts of plantsso that theycombine andgrow as oneplant.

Correct.Thingsneeded forgrafting are:stock, scion,a razor bladeand cellotape.

We use resistant localyellow passion fruit seed-lings as rootstock andthose of a good passionfruit variety as scion.

Mr Muwawu: Kanyesigye,make a clean slantingcut on the scion likeI have done on therootstock?

After we removethe leaves fromthe scion, wejoin the twotogether andtie them with acellotape.

The buyer: What agood harvest! Well-

done Farm Talkclub.

After one month... A year later

Teahers,we want t hear

frm yu! Write andwin a speial Farm

Talk prize.

And thisis purplepassionfruit scion.

This isyellowpassionfruit stock.

Stock Scion



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PupilsWe grow different crops at home. Wealso keep some animals and use theirdroppings as manure and urine aspesticide. This has helped us enjoybalanced diet. Kisakye Rahael,Mawtt Shwers f BlessinsPS, Jinja

Last term we had a practical lessonabout root tubers. Afterwardwe harvested carrots and sweetpotatoes. The teacher told us thatcarrots can improve our sight.Kirikubi Rbert, P6, NdnBaptist PS, Kasese

Robert, carrots are not root tubers.They are stem tubers. Ask yourteacher to clarify.

Farm Talk, thanks for the cabbageand eggplant seeds. I planted seedsand harvested the produce for sale.I used the money to buy clothesand scholastic materials. NyaburuInnent, Arhbishp Yna

okth Memrial PS, Trr

I always take Farm Talknewspapershome. My mother has learnt how togrow vegetables, like eggplants andcarrots. Besides the balanced dietwe are enjoying at home, she earnssome money by selling vegetables.

We have also planted fruit and nonfruit trees. obth Paul, St KizitSS, Kabwa, Kampala

Farm Talknewspapers are helpingus pass exams. Last term we wereasked to mention the food value inbeans and give reasons why a schoolgarden is important. We discussedthis in our club which made examsvery simple.Lutaaya Rnald, MutPS, Mpii

We started a farming project in 2008after receiving cabbage, eggplantsand onions seeds. We planted themand had a good harvest. We nowplan to grow cassava. Help us withplanting materials.Air Mery, P6,Padibe P7 Shl, Lamw

TeahersAfter reading the Farm Talk on howto save energy, we are saving a lotof energy. We split rewood intothin pieces, cover saucepans whilecooking and soak dry foods, likebeans before boiling them. We planto build a Rocket Lorena Stove.Khwaka Beth, Katsawa PS,Bududa

Last year, we planted sweet potatoesand harvested eight bags. We soldseven bags at 14,000 Ushs eachand pupils feed on one. We thankFarm Talk for encouraging pupils toparticipate in agriculture. BamanyaBeatrie, Ndrwa PS, Kabale

Letters

Pupils f St Andrew Matale Hill PS,Rakai weed their bean arden

Farm Talkisproduced by Straight TalkFoundation and funded byDanida Agriculture Sector

Programme Support. FarmTalksupports the primary agriculturalsyllabus of the Ministry of Educationand encourages the creation of fencedschool gardens, one acre in size,intensively cultivated, and acting aliving laboratory. It also addresses

the nutritional needs of orphans andvulnerable children. Illustrators: MangoTree Designer: M. eB Kalanzi,Writer: F. Ouma, Editors: T Agutu,Contributors: R Muwawu, J Kisakye,Arnold Birungi ; Reviewer: JamesAfrica Byekwaso

Passin fruits are nstantmmdities in any fdmarket. They are deliiusand nutritius.

Several varieties exist. Thepurple passion fruit grows wellin higher altitudes. The yellowone grow best in hot, low-lyingareas. This has larger fruitsand higher yields but a moreacid taste.

grwin: Passion fruit ischeap and easy to grow. Visita local market and selectgood fruits to get seeds from.Continue to experiment withdifferent varieties. Tryout grafting.

Raisin seedlins:Seedlings can begrown in open beds but

grow better in smallcontainers, like plastictubes or milk cartons.The container shouldbe 10cm in diameter and20cm long. Fill it withgood soil and plant severalfresh seeds in each. Waterregularly and cover withmulch until germination.Allow two or threeseedlings to grow in eachcontainer. Plant out when810 weeks old.

graftin: Use strong yellow passionfruit stock and high yielding purplepassion scion. Learn more aboutgrafting on page 3.

Plantin in themain arden: Plant 3m apart with2m between the rows. Allow twostrong shoots to grow and removeother shoots regularly.While the plants are growing, build

the trellis or poles for them to climb.

Once the leader shoots reachthe wires they are allowed togrow along them. More shootswill form and hang down,forming curtains of shoots.

Cut off shoots before theyreach the ground to preventdiseases. Regularly cut outweaker or diseased shoots forproper spacing. Also, cut backshoots which have nishedproducing fruit.

Buildin trellis: Use good,strong poles which are termite-resistant or treated with

chemicals. Use poleswhich are 20cm indiameter and 2.6-2.8min length. Drive them60cm into the groundand fasten fencingwire to them. Spacethe poles every 6mwith two leader shootsbetween them.

Maturity: The plantswill begin to producefruit 820 months afterplanting out. Fruit isproduced throughoutthe year, usually for 36years. It is best to letripe fruit fall off. Picking

the fruit before falling reduces thesweetness, and may damage theplant, leading to disease.

Many of you responded to the

quiz. Thank you. You all WIN.These are what some of youanswered.

Misanya Lynette, Busia Trust SS,said: "Plant population is thenumber of crops in a garden.

Nalumu Aisha, Karambi PS,Kabarole, said: "Activities carriedout to ensure a correct plantpopulation are: Spacing Number of seedsplanted per hole (seed rate)."

Vemy Sobic, Lumino HS, Busia,said: "Steps for preparing anursery bed: Select the site Measure the plot Plough deep

Make the soil ne (harrowing) Raise the seedbed Sterilize thesoil Apply manure Construct ashade."

Otim Emma, Agwata SS, Dokolo,said: "Activities carried out in anursery bed: watering weeding removingseedlings from the nursery bed pest and disease control."

Transplanting is the transfer ofseedlings from the nursery bed tothe seedbed or the main garden,where seedlings grow into matureplants. Seedlings are transplantedby a tool called a trowel/shovel.

Washole Jackson, Buyaga PS,BusabuloFruit seeds drying Fruit nursery beds Grafting

Main garden trellis This is wrong This is OK

Growing delicious passion fruits

We get many letters fromyou asking for seeds. Doyou already have ways ofcollecting seeds. Tell us

stories of what you do to getseeds from your environment. Also tells

us about qualities of good seeds.Write t Farm TalkPo Bx 22366,Kampala r drp yur letter at any

radi statin that airsan Straiht.

Quiz ANSWERSquiz

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FarmTalk March 2010