Empowering women at the start of 2010 planting season
In the same heavy rains that tragically brought down the side of a mountain in eastern Uganda, burying and displacing thousands of people in mudslides, women of Opac in northern Uganda strive to prepare their fields for planting. The rainy season has started prematurely so they want to plant soon. After the drought of 2009 destroyed their sunflower cash crop and hopes for economic recovery, they are eager to begin again the agricultural work that provides food, medicine, and clothing for their families.
One March morning after hoeing, the farmers of Ocan Resettlement Women’s Group gather under the shade of a mango tree to meet with OCHAN’s president, William, and the leaders of their umbrella community organization, Ocan Agenne. Last summer at a meeting with the farmers, OCHAN learned that the women wanted to begin their 2010 farming season by planting soybeans for home consumption, for sale, and for enrichment of the soil for the subsequent planting of hybrid sunflower crop. If the soybean seed germinates within two weeks, it can withstand dry spells along the way to a healthy harvest.
OCHAN’s mission is to help these women succeed in their farming efforts. Through the generosity of our donors, 200 women will each receive an acre’s worth of soybeans (@$6.00 per acre.) The Director for Crop and Tree farming, Mr. Jimmy Ogwang, elected by Ocan Agenne as the liaison to the women’s farming group, is pictured here receiving a check from OCHAN to purchase the soybean seeds.
A church in U.S. donated funds to provide two important communication ‘tools’ for farmers to stay in touch with each other, with Mr. Ogwang, and with latest market prices.
Here Lily Ochola, the over all leader of the women farmers, receives a bicycle to ride to all the farms as needed.
Estella Elem, a centrally located leader, is pictured receiving a mobile phone. OCHAN hopes that such attention to developing the infrastructure of the women’s group will improve their communication, cohesion, and success along the road to self-sustainable living.