I promote farming to get people out of poverty
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Out of keenness to see Ugandans get ways out of poverty through agriculture, in 2003, I started by planting Nerica Upland rice to see how it would perform. I got the inspiration while on a trip to Cameroon in West Africa. I planted the initial rice seeds on less than half an acre at my farm in Lwantama-Kakiri, Wakiso District.
Growing upland rice was an experiment, that is why I started by planting the first crop in my constituency. After the successful implementation of the project in Wakiso, within five years, the crop had spread to various parts of the country to places as far as Bwambara in Rukungiri District.
Upland rice has received positive reception because it ensures food security and is a source of income to those who grow it. There is no reason why Uganda should import rice from Asia. Asia’s simplest way of making money has been through selling rice to Africa. I saw this as an opportunity to get people out of poverty and I am glad that Upland rice has spread countrywide.
