EFCO-DEV SFC&SOFP-TRF PROJECT PROPOSAL FOR FUNDING

Organisation name.	Elia Foundation For Community development (EFCO-DEV)
Orgaisation contact person and title.	Bwamable Jowel (Exec. Secretary) Tel: +256-704-638150 E-mail:  efcodev@yahoo.com
Project Coordinator.	Baluku Gerald
Project title.	Soil fertility, conservation and sustainable organic farming practices training for rural Farmers. (SFC&SOFP-TRF)
Project budget.	41,366,000 UGX, US$ 17236
Project duration.	12 months

 

ORGANISATION BACKGRAOUND

Elia Foundation for Community Development (EFCO-DEV) is a registered charitable, community based, non governmental and not for profit making organization. The foundation was established in 2008 and dully registered with Kasese district local government, community development department NGO/CBO desk in the same year. Registration number is CBO/1014. The establishment of this foundation was for the purpose to address community driven constraints and empowering communities through innovative approaches focusing on enhancing community based projects in the district in areas of environmental health and education, reproductive and child health, childhood development, sustainable agricultural development, health,  education, human rights promotion, HIV/AIDS, life skills and community development with a focus on poverty alleviation and establishing a society where men, women and children live happy, healthy, educated and violent free under a conserved environment.

The foundation activities are as below;

·     Promoting and facilitating community trainings on environmental health, conservation and natural resource management.

·         Community sensitization on human rights (human rights advocacy)

·         Supporting and facilitating trainings in Life skills development and vocational education.

·  Community capacity building on Reproductive and child health education through mass-media, trainings and workshops.

·  Raising Community awareness on HIV/AIDS prevention and Domestic violence sensitization.

·         Physical, psychosocial and education support for OVC, vulnerable youth, people with disabilities (PWD) and PLWHA and the elderly people.

·         Conducting seminars and workshops on Sustainable agriculture.

·         Micro finance (credit and savings)

The foundation main target population includes; PWD, PLWHA, farmers, youth, women and children plus the elderly people who it serves.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

·        To promote childhood development, reproductive and child health education and enabling people to recorgnise the inter-relationship between health, nutrition, agriculture, income generation, human and community development.

·        To facilitate and carry on HIV/AIDS awareness of the adolescent, youth plus the entire community and  implement training programs on HIV/AIDS pediatric counselors, community care givers at the house hold level and encourage income generating activities for support and improved health

·        To advocate for human rights, awareness raising on domestic violence and working with communities on the basis of their needs, aims and objects that can cause a positive change towards community development.

·        Education support and facilitating self-income generating and life skills training initiatives that economically empowers women, OVC, and the youth for self reliance and sustainability so that they can support and care for their young siblings

·        To educate and facilitating trainings of rural farmers on better agricultural farming methods so as to improve quality and quantity output of agricultural products for nutrition and commercial purposes with a view to boost household income.

·        To train the rural population on natural resource management and conservation as a means to supplement their efforts on improving on environmental protection that enhances the welfare of the elderly persons of low income capacity to participate in economic activities.

·        To economically enhance on community development at household level through micro-financing, supporting and involeving people with disabilities in economic developmental initiatives for support, improved standards of living and health.

MISSION

To work together and empowering communities through innovative approaches in areas of health, education, agriculture, environment, human rights, childhood development, reproductive and child health, HIV/AIDS, life skills and community development.

VISION/GOAL

An economically empowered community, health, educated and violent free society where men, women and children live a happy and dignified life under a conserved environment.

For proper resource allocation and service delivery, the foundation works in partnership with both internal and international charitable organizations that are committed to the development targets and encouraging progress that facilitates towards poverty alleviation and promoting economic empowerment initiatives that are aimed at uplifting the livelihood of people among the rural population. The foundation partners includes; Biovision Foundation- Switzerland, Funds for NGOS- New-York USA and local organization who includes, Zion Friends anti Aids Club, Rwenzori Youth Initiative for Development, Rwentutu United Women Association, United women of Kyanzuki Association, Community Based Initiative-Rwenzori and Muhindi Rwenzori Community Tourism Association.

 

With support from the above listed organizations, the foundation has conducted a number of projects and government programmes to reach the underserved grass root population towards poverty alleviation and fostering the economic sustainability of the underserved population more especially in the rural areas at both individual, household and community levels. Currently the foundation is working with Rwenzori Youth Initiative for Development (RWEYIDA) with support from Japan Embassy to improve on the economic standards of child mothers through training in sustainable life supporting skills in Bugoye sub-county. And raising awareness in partnership with Zion Friends anti Aids Club (ZFAAC) on moringa aloivera as a medicinal plant. This project has fostered many in the district to plant moringa trees for nutrition, improved health and commercial purposes.

 

The proposed project mentioned as in the project title above if supported, the foundation will ensure the necessary training to the rural farmers who are its target population for purposes to increase soil productivity and conserving the environment which will hence forth increase quantitative and qualitative production of agricultural products that will contribute towards high investment returns in the rural agricultural sector, reduce on food prices and increasing government revenue.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

As in the project title, this foundation intends to improve on the economic standards of the rural farming population by diversifying the rural farming system through training the rural farmers in organic sustainable farming parctices that will invove soil fertility and conservation methodologies, making of organic manures and pests control measures. This project intends to benefit 240 rural farmers who will recieve skills training and the opportunity of self-employment in the project areas. Beneficiary farmers will be selected among six (6) sub-counties in Kasese district western Uganda from which 40 model farmers will be selected from each of the target sub-counties and these includes; Kitholhu, Karambi, Nyakiyumbu, Kyondo, Mahango and Bugoye Sub-counties.

The purpose of this project is to enhance on the efforts  of the rural farmers towards poverty alleviation, improved economic standards of living at household level, improved health and community development. Skills training will be on how to make and use of organic farming supplements in compact with sustainable organic farming methodologies that facilitates towards enhancing on the capacity of soil to support plants growth, aiming at increased quantity and quality nutritional food for domestic and commercial purposes. Direct beneficiary farmers will work as community based facilitators (CBFs) and community peer educators and trainers under the foundation facilitation to educate their fellow farmers in their respective locations and the entire Kasese community. Training shall involve community leaders both at parih and sub-county levels who shall play a critical role to deliver, encourage and further point out the importance of organic farming in their localities. This project will involve holding a mass-media sensitisation programme for two months in order to reach a wider community.

PROJECT CONTEXT

This project has grown out of the increasing environmental degradation in the district with rapid deforestation, extensive soil erosion, declining agricultural products and human suffering. Its identification as a priority was jointly carried out with the local community. The above factors noted, have contributed to soil degradation as soil has gone on lossing its capacity to support crops growth. This is invedenced when certain crop species are dieying off like “ekikene – yam like” due to poor soil quality. This therefore has resulted to a dramatic  fall in agric-food output as many today in the project area are producing for domestic use resulting into putting ephasis on inorganic farming practices that has contributed to food and economic crisis in the agricultural sector and global hunger reveals the UN’S Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). According to Pesticide Action Net-work Europ research analysis on inorganic farming agriculture, reveals that inorganic farming supplements have direct harmful effects to human health, air, water and the entire environment despite of their good impacts. As ealier noted therefore, this project seeks to avail the rural farmers with better  and sustainable organic farming practicle skills through training that will contribute to soil fertility and conservation thus soil productivity. This will therefore contribute to rural population sustainable livelihood and improved quality and quantity food production for nutrion and commercial purposes.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Due to lack of proctical sustainable farming agricultural skills by rural farmers and prevelance of dependece on inorganic farming practices has resulted to soil defertilization and being non conservative to soil nutrients that supports plants growth. This has resulted to multiple constraints and setting humans health and environment at risk. Report analysis by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) USA on use of inorganic fertilizers despite of their good impact on food production increase, they lead to surface and under ground water  pollution, soil degradation and human health hazards. Over utilisation of chemical fertilisers cause algae blooms in surface water that kills aquatic life hence high risks to human health and other micro-living organisms that are essential for good yielding crops. Excess nitrogen that enters water supply, causes blue baby syndrome (methamoglobinemia) in infants and pregnant mothers states the EPA-USA report on inorganic fertilizers. Soil degradation as a result of chemical fertlizers, affects soil capacity, top soil depth, acidity, porocity and soil biomass which are facilitated by soil erosion,  nutrient deplation, compaction, salinisation and acidification (accumulation of harmfull components) plus organic matter reduction as effects of soil degradation. As aresult, this has contributed to a number of serious economic constraints that fosters prevalence of poverty among the rural population in the district and the country at large.  These includes the following.

·    Low investment returns in the rural agricultural sector which has promoted rural-urban migration in search for good paying jobs. This has cotributed to human conjetion in urban centers which has facilitated out break of unfriendly diseases and other related problems hence increasing government expenditures on addressing and overcoming such problems. In addition, failure to attain employment in urban centers, most woment and female youth resort to commercial sex business as a means of income generation which thereafter, fosters HIV/AIDS spread. Male youth resort to drug abuse, forming gang groups thereafter becoming a threat the entire community. They end up conflicting with the law which ends most of them in death.

·         Increased need for farmine relief and high food prices which are not contained by the rural poor of the poor earning capacity.

·         Increased sedmentation of dams due to soil erosion.

The need identification  was by the participartion of 30 project target beneficiaries, agriculture advisory services committee at the district and the foundation out reach field staff who after critical research analysis in the project area on limitations as described above that has resulted to poor  quatitative and qualitative output of agricultural products, has pushed this foundation for the need to address and initiate this project for the purpose to curb acertainities that contributes to low quality and quantity output of  agricultural products.

Its therefore, very important for this foundation to participate and contribute to the well being of the project target population in addressing the above stated problems collectively towads improving soil productivity and hence crop productivity that fosters rural agricultural development and self eployment among the project targe population. Paticipation by this foundation is to enable the rural population to achieve their capabilities and fostering quality and increased crops productivity for nutrition and income generation purposes plus quality and empowerment characteristics that are fundamental to sustainable human development.

PROJECT RATIONALE

The under lying reason for this project is that the foundation and its stake holders has a need to tackle challenges headon that limit or results into low output of agricultural products in Kasese district western uganda. The project zone (kasese district) is a mountainious area covered with mount rwenzori and queen elizabeth national parks. The gazetted area covers almost a half of the total area hence limiting the majority to subsistence farming agriculture. The population lives on fragmented picies of land. According to Uganda Population and Housing Sensus research analysis, reveals that Kasese is with the highest fertlity rate in Uganda meaning that the population grows at a tremendous rate who therefore has the need to be tought  to respect their invoronment and wisely utilise the natural resources around them. 90% of the population in kasese district depends on subsistence farming agriculture which is their surviving strategy and a means of income realisation. This therefore forces the majority to practice inorganic farming agriculture as a strategy to increase agricultural output with a provision of market surplus. However, the end results are unrealistic to such farmers.

As ealier noted, UN’S Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and Pesticide Action Net-work Europ reveals the harmfull imapcts of relying on inorganic farming agriculture. Over utilisation of inorganic/chemical pesticides and fertizers cause pollution of beneficail soil micro-organisms to decline leading to poor root hair developement, shoot yellowing and reduced plant growth. In humans, pesticides like DDT and its breakdown product DDE, disturb estrogenic activity and possibly lead to breast cancer. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may continue to poison non-target organisms in the environment and increase risks to humans by disruption in the endocrine, reproductive and immune systems leading to cancer and neuro-behavioral disorder. According to UN’S Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reveals that ephasis or over dependence on inorganic farming supplements by many countries has contibuted to global hunger.

 As per this project, United States Department of Agricultures (USDA’s) points out the need for organic farming agriculture. It states, by integrating cultural, biological and mechanical practices that fosters cycling of local resoucres promotes ecological balance and conserved biodiversity. On that note therefore, in order for the local communities in the district mainly in the projcet target location to address and development programmes in the project area with emphasis on managing natural resources and conserving the environment focusing at soil prodctivity, developing and managing resources locally will mean that other grass root NGO’s and CBO’s who are of the project focus will have a greater dependence to carry out long-term programmes. This will enable in being self reliant among the project target population (rural farmers) which is an improtant gradient to development. And if resources are raised and managed locally, there will be greater emphasis on accountability and local communities will be involved in the decision making process as well as monitoring and evaluation.

PROJECT GOALS

• Increased soil fertility and crops productivity.
• Reduced effects of heavey utilization of inorganic farming suppliments over the rural farming community, human health and environment at large.
• Reduced reliance on inorganic farming suppliments.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

• To strengthen the capacities of rural  communities to assess local needs, and to plan, implement and evaluate activities for rural resources mobilisation and management with a view to improve on the rural agriculture for purposes of food security, nutrition and income generation.
• To increase understanding and raising awareness among rural farmers on the hazards that result out of over utilization of inorganic farming supplements plus skills on how to make and usage of organic fertlizers and pesticides.
• Enhancing on crops productivity trough training of rural farmers on natural resources development and management with emphasis on usage of organic supplements with a view to coserve and improve on soil fertility.
•  Enhancing on and imparting rural farmers with better organic sustainable farming skills that contributes to soil fertility, environmental conservation and increased agricultural output for support, nutrition and commercial purposes.
• Supplementing on rural farmers efforts towards sustainable organic farming agricultural practices that enhances on poverty alleviation and rural livelihood, improved standards of living and health, economic stability of rural farmers at individual and household levels that fosters community development

PROJECT STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

Elia Foundation For Community Development (EFCO-DEV) will carry out a 12 months rural farmers training as in the project title above. The programme will target the rural farming community in six (6) sub-counties as earlier mentioned in kasese district western Uganda. A group of 40 model farmers will be mobilised form each of  the beneficiary sub-counties. These will be trained in natural resource development and management, approaches and methodoligies  that are susutainable to improving soil fertility and conservation that contributes to sustainable food production. On that note therefore, below are strategies /approaches and activities for successful project implementation towards achieving the project ultimate goal and a means towards achieving the foundation objectives and goal

• Intergrated nutrient management. Actions to improving soil productivity will involve application of some inputs with much emphasis on organic supplements which will involve ways of comparting nutrient deplation that is a result of soil degradation. Its an opproach to soil fertlity management that combines organic and mineral methods of soil fertilisation with physical, natural or biological measures for soil and water conservation. Here, farmers will be trained in sustainable agricultural practices that promotes soil conservation and fertlity with emphasis on Low Extarnal Input Agriculture (LEIA) focusing on cover crops, usage of animal manure plus organic manure from plants and improved fallows to maintain the pontetial capacity of soil to support crops growth.

Under this strategy, farmers will be trained on how to make and usage of organic fertilizers, crop rotation as ameans of soil fertlity and conservation that will increase nutritional food quality and quantity production which will foster increased rural farmers purchsing power.

• Consevartion tillage system. This strategy aims at decreasing soil erosion, water lose and dependence on inorganic fertilisers. It enhances decreased water pollution and saves fossil fuel energy hence decreasing carbon-dioxide emission. According to natural Resources Service (NRS) terms this system as reduced management which conserves soil, water, energy, and protects water quality. It further reduces heavey use of insectcides since it controls insects by exposing them to birds, weather and controls weeds directely by burring their seeds since many weed seeds are stumulated by exposure to light.

Under this strategy, activities to be conducted will be training rural farmers in soil conservation methods which includes; contouring, terracing, strip cropping, mulching and shelter belts that facilitates soil eriosion control and water conservation. To curb negative effects that may raise a result of this approach, farmers will be encouraged to put much emphasis on crop rotation which decreases the need for inogarnic supplements.

• Rural farmers capacity building on intergrated pest management.

This will be enhance through conducting famers senstisation and training workshops and radion talk shows (mass-media senstisation) in oredr to reach a wider community on ways and measures that fosters pest control and deseases which involves;.

-          Environmental/ cultural pest control. This involves increasing crop diversity through inter-cropping method which makes harder for insects to find their hosts and enhances diversity of plants, which habers more diversity of critters that are antagonistic to pests. According to Dr. Chris Mundt in OSU’s Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, states that, planting mixtures of variety of crops in a given field rather than one variety reduces greatly the rate of deseases spread and the lose to desease. Therefore, farmers will be senstised and increase their knowledge on pest control technics under this method such as inter-cropping and crop rotation.

-          Organic petsicides control. Farmers will be senstised and trained in the making and usage of locally made agricultural organic pesticides from a number of palnts/crops to help in controlling pests and deseases. This method is aimed at reducing reliance on chemical/inorganic pesticides that are accompaned with a number of hazards to the environment at large and human health states Pesticide Action Net-work Europ. This will involve preparation of demostration gardens in the target sub-counties in the district on which effectiveness of locally made agro-inputs (organic pesticides) will be determined

• Farm agro-forestry. Farmers will be introduced to agro-foretsry for purposes of enhancing on soil fertility and natural resources conservation. Under this, farmers will be trained and senstised on the  benefits of  using vegetatative covers and emphasising them to plant nitrogyen-fixing trees for the purpose to improve on soil productivity. This will be enhanced through rural farmers-responsive advisory service plan that will be under the implemetation of the project services advisory committee from the district with support from the project partners  whcih will involve seminars, guidelines offering technical support, consultation plus utility of principles of participatory planning that are aimed at soil productivity, conservation and environmental management.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND TIME FRAME

The project designing was entirely based on research analysis of the community constraints in the project areas identified. The need identification was by the participation of the community, the foundation out reach field staff and national agruculture advisory services personnels from the beneficiary sub-counties. On that note therefore, farmers will have full partication in the project implementation process since they are the soul priority in achieving the project goals, objectives and thus fostering the project sustainability. In order to meet the project objectives, training will be conducted in phases and each phase will taking 2 months for intensive training. Selected beneficiary farmers will be trained in their respective sub-counties.  On that note, this project is on a year basis as the plan table below indicates

IMPLEMENTATION WORK PLAN

NO.

ACTIVITY

MONTHS OF THE YEAR

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

1

Recrutment of trainers

x

2

Mobilisation of farmers

Bugoye subcounty

X

Mahango  subcounty

X

Munkunyu subcounty

X

Nyakiyumbu sub-county

X

Karambi sub-county

X

Kitholhu sub-county

X

3

Procurement of training material and equipments

Purchasing and transport

x

4

Training of rural farmers in soil fertlity and conservation methods that are sustainable to organic farming practices and in making of organic manures (fertlizers) and pesticides

Bugoye subcounty

X

X

Mahango  subcounty

X

X

Munkunyu subcounty

X

X

Nyakiyumbu sub-county

X

X

Karambi subcounty

X

X

Kitholhu subcounty

X

X

5

Monitoring and evaluation of the project ctivities

Monitoring

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

evaluation

X

X

X

X

X

x

x

6

Compilling reports to the donor

X

X

PROJECT EXPECTED RESULTS

Training of rural farmers in soil fertlity and conservation skills and methods towards sustainable organic farming agriculture, will increase farmers participation towards enhancing on the capacity of soil to support plants/crops growth (soil productivity). This will foster increased agricultural output both qualitative and quantitative hence increased farmers’ household income and investment returns in the rural agricultural sector.

The rural population of the project target will take charge and control of their development processes in the project areas and their will be improved livelihood of both direct and indirect beneficiaries.

40 rural model farmers from each of the target six (6) beneficiary sub-counties will under go training in the project areas and will have greater understanding on methodologies and strategies of sustainable organic farming agriculture that facilitaes towards soil ferility and conservation at the end of this project. They will realise the importance of practicing orgnaic farming agriculture and be aware of the hazards that results out of over dependence on inorganic agricultural supplements.

Beneficiary project participants (rural farmers) under the facilitaion of this foundation (EFCO-DEV), will further go to communities to carry out policy advocacy in favour of rural agricultural development aiming at improving on soil conservation and fertility as per this project so as to reach a wider community focusing at improved quality and quantity crops productivity.

PROJECT MONITORING AND EVALUATION

Soil fertility, conservation and sustainable organic farming practices training for rural farmers. This project will be monitored and evaluated based on the expected results as earlier outlined above. There will continuos monitoring of the project activities and they will be evaluated at the end of every implementaion phase. On that note therefore, indicators and methods have been identified for measurement which will provide signs of progress. Reports shall be made to the donor at the end of the project implementation time lag.

At each implementaion phase and as a part of the evaluation process, all participants will be asked to respond to aquestionaire evaluating them of what they learnt during the project. The information noted herein, thereafter will be used for a broader evaluation of how the project is meeting its overall objective and goals.

Monitoring and evaluation will involve stakeholders, project managemnet committee (PMC) including several farmers and agriculture advisory services officer in the district, advisory personel from sub-county levels of the project target. However, thereis in palce a project committee that does evaluation evey year. This means that the project team as above will work together with the foundation project committee to ensure proper monitring and evaluation process of the project. The fund recieved are hundled by the financial committee that does all the accountability, hundles foundation finances, finacial reports and budget. All organisation funds recieved are handled and managed hrough the foundation bank account.

PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY

The foundation (EFCO-DEV) is an organisation with a four year history and has strong connection with local and international organisations that are committed to the development targets towards improving on both social, economic and living conditions of people in the developing communities with much emphasis on the rural population. The rural beneficiary farmers who will involve 35% women farmers as per this project in many ways are committed to sharing their skills in future. However, the project sustainability shall depend on our community trained resource persons (direct beneficiary rural farmers) and community local leadrs who will be invloved the project. These will work in facilitation by the foundation (EFCO-DEV) as community based facilitors (CBFs) in conduciting the monitoring work after the project period at every planting season to find out wheather the trained farmers are putting in practice the skills trained and applying organic farming supplements. The results and resources developed will be used as the basis and measurement of the sustainability of this project.

The foundation has evaluated pontential risks this project may face both internal to the fundation and external and believes that the strong community support will ensure that the foundation and the project are successful. The foundation revenue towards the sustainability of its progammes and projects is derived from local fundraising events conducted, its income generating activities, membership plus subscription and from generious community members contributions together with support from donor community who involves local government, individuals, internal and international donor agencies, organisationa and foundations.

The foundation as earlier mention, has in place a financila committtee that handles and manages all its funds recieved through its bank account  and that its responsible for budget, accountability, and audting as well as compilling both financial reports and statements which is the foundation strategy laid towards the successfulness of its activities/programmes and the sustainablity of its projects.  On that note therefore, this project will cause sustainability in the following areas as highlighted below.

• Environmental sustainability. The integration of peripheral crops on farms can be expected to have a number of beneficial effects on the environment. Among these are reduction of soil lose, rentention of rain water in the soil, creation of micro-environments with reduced evapo-transpiration, increase in organinc matter (with some spicies) fixing of nitrogen in the soil.
• Financial sustainability. Its envisaged  that the target beneficiary farmers and their families will attain knowledge and skills to enable them raise their own resources locally and externally.
• Technical sustainability. Target communities will (after the end of the project) raise their own technical inputs in form of trained man power.
• Managerial sustainability. Leadership skills and team building caurse will equip target beneficiaries with knowledge and skills that will help them to manage their own projects and organise for expanded and new activities. The project target sub-counties as earlier mentioned will have the strenght, abilities and opportunities to develop their own organisations, resources and activities in the project areas that are aimed at sustainable rural livelihood through participatory approach focusing at sustainable agriculture and food security.