For many years the economy in the north has been propped up by unsustainable and destructive industries such as the chopping of lumber for charcoal. The Ochan Self-Help Alliance has a strong
focus on reversing deforestation while bringing productive industry back to the area. The alliance therefore encourages villagers returning to their land to engage in profitable renewable industries. The Ochan Self-Help Alliance is inspired by the villagers’ efforts so far in Green Commerce through donations made to their local organization, Ocan Agenne Family Self-Help Community. Their successes are detailed below.
Our mission in this area is to strengthen the rural economy by making such initiatives available on a much larger scale in the village with ongoing education in green methods such as biointensive farming, efficient tools, and effective transportation to distant markets. This focus is a strong component of our contribution to bringing peace back home to this village. See below Ochan Self-Help Alliance’s first major contributions to this effort, our “Seeds and Trees Co-cultivation Project,” since receiving approval as a tax-exempt public charity. More pictures can be found on our blog.
Co-cultivation of Trees and Seeds
Ochan distributed 2kg sunflower seeds and 15 pine seedlings to each of 200 women in the Women's Opac Resettlement Group.
In April 2009 at the start of the rainy season, Ochan distributed 2kg sunflower seeds and 15 pine seedlings to each of 200 women in the Opac Women’s Resettlement Group. Pine seedlings planted in acreage along with sunflower crop seeds help prevent soil erosion and aid water retention. They also serve to demarcate boundaries thereby reducing disputes over land tenure.
Production of Organic Crops
Febe and Lily clear rotten crops from their cotton harvest.
Febe (right) harvested nearly 850 kg of organic cotton (worth $500) in early 2008. Febe says that she has not handled such healthy income in a long time. For donation of seeds, she thanks kind donors, employees at Standard Chartered Bank (Uganda), to her village organization, Ocan Agenne Family Self-Help Community. Febe’s friend, Lily, joined her today to help clear the rotten crops from the heap so that Febe can bargain for a better price.
Dairy Farming
Milking cows in the village
Judith’s cow, donated by Ocan Agenne Family Self-Help Community to her, in early 2007, now earns her about $30/month in milk sales. Judith expects to save half of the income to buy an additional cow by end of 2008. Quite often milk is the only source of protein available in her child’s diet.
Poultry Farming
Ekol rides his new bicycle with chickens.
Ekol and two other youths received 200 chicks in 2007 through a donation from Ocan Agenne Family Self-Help Community. The trio is now in their 3rd cycle of stocking chicks for sale of eggs and live chickens. Income from early sales went toward the cost of a bike for transporting the products to market.