RUBIRIZI- Cattle and goat farmers in Rubirizi district have been trained on various types of pastures that can be used to help them yield much from their farms.
The message was sounded during the training organised by Rural Initiatives for Poverty Alleviation (RIPA) and Simlaw Seeds Uganda Limited at the RIPA office in Rwekyibagane Magambo Sub – county in Rubirizi district this week. Farmers were also trained on how to cater for their animals at their farms.
According to Christopher Akampurira, RIPA head of strategies and corporate affairs, their main target is to ensure that all people and families benefit from RIPA. He was representing RIPA’s director Tumusiime Vicent Bamugaya.
Akampurira says RIPA sets pillars that guide them including production, processing and marketing, Enterprise development, Strategy Alliances and partnership , Research, development and mindset change plus micro saving, credit and insurance.
He added that as a way of following and implementing their set pillars, they will give out goats to 45 and cows to 20 farmers for free in February so that the beneficiaries can get a foundation that will help them enlarge their farms and income.
Akampurira told this website that some of the objectives of RIPA are to promote zero grazing, goat rearing and livestock keeping in Rubirizi district and Uganda at large.
“Our other Ultimate goals are social, economic empowerment of rural communities, increasing household income that can help to reduce vulnerability to economic shocks and improve financial stability in the country”, he said.
With the vision of helping the community to get out of poverty, he also thinks they can eradicate hunger by supporting various projects such as dairy farming and goat rearing as it can help active but needy members who need financial boosting in the country.
“According to the research made by RIPA, 73% farmers are staying in Rural Communities while 55% live in poverty and we are targeting to help more than 180 households before the end of 2024”, he added.
Aguba Silvester, the Rubirizi district boss who was also the chief guest at the training called upon all farmers to use this opportunity to develop themselves stressing that since RIPA has already put the bread on table, it’s up to the intended beneficiaries to consume it the way they want.
We talked to Joel Kakama Guma, the chairman Magambo sub county about this project and he was thankful to RIPA for their endless efforts towards supporting the community and is hopeful that this will fight poverty in different families thus requesting community members to support it besides any differences.
