Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon Anita Among has urged Ugandans to embrace farming as a sustainable strategy for wealth creation.
Speaking to journalists at her country home farm in Ayereyere village, Kamutur Sub-county in Bukedea District on Saturday, August 12, 2023, Ms Among, who is also the Bukedea District Woman representative, also appealed to young people to stop undermining agriculture, saying it is Uganda’s gold mine.
“My encouragement to the young people is that humility is very important; you need to be down to earth. I have it all but I can still come down here to look after my cows,” Ms Among said.
She also advised young people to start with the little that they have and diligently grow to greater heights.
She also advised young people to start with the little capital that they have and diligently grow to greater heights.
“You should be able to get something for yourself, even if it is chicken. When I was growing up, you would find somebody having a chicken and after 2 or 3 months, they have bought a goat and after a goat, they have bought cows…You need to do something and keep growing,” she said.
Ms Among said that she got the inspiration to do farming when she visited President Yoweri Museveni’s farm in Kisozi, Gomba District, and has since then, never looked back.
“I want to encourage everyone, including my honourable colleagues, that agriculture is the only way to go; it can never let you down. When my farm becomes big, I give out cows to the women [in the constituency] so that they also develop themselves. This area is for farming, so we use cow dung as fertilizers and the community also takes the milk,” she said.
Government statistics indicate that at least 70 percentage of Uganda’s population is engaged in agriculture. However, most of it is subsistence-based.
“You should be able to get something for yourself, even if it is chicken. When I was growing up, you would find somebody having a chicken and after 2 or 3 months, they have bought a goat and after a goat, they have bought cows
Through the Parish Development Model, government is working to commercialise agriculture so as to enable increased production.
