Farmer Livelihood - Success Story

Soil and water conservation - RRHS emphasises gender equality when promoting climate change action. 

RRHS, with support from Kiima Foods NGO, implemented a project titled 'Farmer Livelihood and Resilience to Climate Change' in early January, 2023. This project is taking place in Kibohu village, Rukoki Sub-county, Kasese District, Uganda. 

This project focuses on driving transformation in agriculture and tackling the root causes of the following large issues in the targeted community:

1. Climate Change 
2. Food Insecurity
3. Nutrition Security 
4. Poor Ecosystem Health 
5. Poor Household Hygiene 
6. Unsustainable Incomes at Household Level

This project aims to increase youth employment, gender involvement, and promotion of household pets and small gardens for the purposes of nutrition. This projects involves 80 farmers as key ambassadors from 80 households, and will last eleven months until November 2023. Read below for a success story!

RRHS Executive Director visited one of the farmers that had joined this program - Mr Zibidayo - to see how he had been implementing climate-safe change in his household. While at Mr Zibidayo's house, RRHS was very pleased to discover the successful implementation of several micro-interventions, listed below. 

1. Rabbit Keeping 

Mr Zibidayo informed the RRHS team about how rabbit keeping had greatly provided ecological benefits to his garden, as rabbit droppings could be used a source of natural compost. This compost could then be used for further land rehabilitation. He added "Rabbits are a food source and a source of income for pressing family matters." This year, one of Mr Zibidayo's son's is in charge of selling rabbits to contribute to his school fees. 

Mr Zibiyao has built a hutch for keeping his rabbits in the garden. 

2.  Soil and Water Conservation 

Mr Zibidayo led the RRHS team into the garden area, where approximately eight water trenches could be seen. Mr Zibidayo told the team that he had invested his time, resources and energy in constructing the trenches because they break the natural slope of the ground, reducing the velocity of water run-off and enhancing water infiltration to prevent soil erosion. 

Water trenches seen in Mr Zibidayo's garden. 

3.  Clean Cook Stoves 

According to Mr Zibidayo, he had also invested in clean cook stoves to reduce carbon emissions from his household, as well as easing health and economic burdens which may affect his wife and children as a result of cooking. He now uses small dry branches from his planted trees for cooking. 

Mr Zibidayo told us "More than 4 million people die every year from indoor air pollution, making it a top environmental health risk, and investing in such stoves is important to reduce this number."

He continued to say "More advocacies in regard to reducing in-house pollutions are required." RRHS agrees with Mr Zibidayo and is very pleased with his work. 

Clean cook stoves installed in Mr Zibidayo's household, alongside collected dry branches. 

5.  Kitchen Gardens 

Mr Zibidayo informed us of his use of  'bottle irrigation' to sustain his garden during dry spells felt in July and January. He said "through a series of small holes that are put in the bottom of the bottle, water is slowly released to the plant's roots." This is a very creative and efficient project, and aligns with our Climate Change advocacies. 

Mr Zibidayo can be seen using the technique 'bottle irrigation'. 

6.  Community Learning 

Mr Zibidayo emphasised the need of community learning to aid climate change. He explained that "students nurses in this area often struggle to come to promote and support health and wellness. When they did come, they educated and informed communities about climate change impacts on health, and to investigate, advocate and implement sustainable policy and practices."

Student nurses in the picture below are seen informing villagers about health and wellness. The team of student nurses supplements RRHS team to confront climate change. 

Student nurses seen in a community learning session. 

If you would like to see a personal video from Mr Zibidayo explaining his actions, please visit the RRHS Facebook Page and RRHS YouTube Page. 

Please feel free to email us if you would like to donate to our projects, so we can keep promoting rural development. Email: ruralservices60@gmail.com