I received fantastic news today: my grant for the IMO piggery and poultry project has been approved! FSD will be giving me a further $842 to use to execute this project! I've copied the executive summary and a background of IMO technology from my proposal to explain a bit about what I will be implementing:
Executive Summary
Like many communities in rural Uganda, Kyango
Bigavu faces critical issues of food security related to a lack of access to,
and understanding of modern, sustainable agriculture techniques coupled with
persistent soil infertility. In an effort to provide community members with
knowledge regarding such techniques in regards to animal production, the
proposed project will set up a piggery and poultry house on the Community
Demonstration Farm (CDF) located in the village. Using indigenous micro-organism
(IMO) technology, this project will demonstrate modern and effective animal
rearing and caretaking methods from which farmers can observe, take part in,
and learn in order to begin similar projects at their own homesteads. Animal
production using IMO technology requires less land area, rears healthier and
happier animals, and significantly reduces the labour required for caretaking.
Promoting animal rearing in conjunction with training and sensitization will
increase food security among participating farmers. The resulting animals and
animal products can be used for personal consumption or can be sold in markets
for additional income. Furthermore, through careful breeding, stocks will be
easily maintained, guaranteeing sustainability. With FSD funding, this project
can commence in February 2014 and will continue for a training period of two
months and a monitoring period of six months. The construction and training
period will ensure that participants are aware of the time and labour requirements,
as well as effective practices for rearing pigs and poultry. The ensuing
monitoring period will ensure that they have successfully internalized and
implemented what they have learned and observed, and are using their new skills
to increase their household income and improve their food security.
Background
of IMO Technology
Indigenous Micro-Organism (IMO) technology
was first introduced in Uganda at Makerere University in 2011 by Hong Yo Lee.
Throughout that year, agriculture students at the university implemented his
innovation and found that IMOs are very successful at creating effective
fertilizers and acting as pathogen-killing agents. This organic method to
farming and animal-rearing is preferable to the common practice of using
herbicides, pesticides, and other non-organic fertilizing agents because there
are no adverse affects to human health. In regards to animals, the agriculture
students found that the IMOs, when applied in the pig pens, can be used to
feed, de-worm, and boost the immune systems of the animals to increase growth
and improve animal well-being.
IMOs are cultured from existing organic material
found locally and the culturing process is simple and requires little work and
inexpensive materials. In both the piggery and poultry house, the cultured
organisms are sprinkled over the fecal matter and sawdust that comprise the pen
floor. In the piggery, the saw dust provides cellulose which the organisms feed
upon and break down into basic nutrients that the pigs can feed on. In
addition, the IMOs break down the animals’ fecal matter into its basic protein,
which can again be fed on by the pigs. Because of this provision of nutrients,
feeding costs are reduced by 30% and pigs are kept happier as they can be
constantly digging through the sawdust. Because the fecal matter is broken
down, the smell is also almost completely neutralized, lessening the number of
flies and other pests that may be present in a traditional piggery. During the
fermentation process of the protein breakdown, heat is produced to such a
temperature that disease-causing organisms are killed.
This technology was chosen because during the
baseline survey, it was discovered that the village of Kyango Bigavu suffers
from soil infertility. Utilizing IMOs in a piggery and poultry house will
produce organic, effective manure that can be used as fertilizer for crops. In
addition, other IMO concoctions can be cultivated to improve growth rates, pest
control, and improve size. By utilizing existing manure, it will be both
sustainable and cost-effective while at the same time, minimizing time waste.
In addition, the income and products from the animals will encourage greater
food security both in the farmers’ ability to purchase food stuffs, and use the
products their animals produce to feed themselves and their families.
In other news, this past Monday, Hanifah, the farmers, and I completed our three nursery beds and they look fantastic! The farmers all thought it was quite funny that the muzungu knew how to use a hammer!
A friend is visiting me next week so I will be away at Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kampala from February 10-17th. Hanifah will begin planting seeds in the nursery bed next Monday and hopefully they are able to purchase the bulk of the materials for the piggery and poultry house so that once I return, we can get to work! I'm running out of time and will be very busy right up until I leave!
