Serere – The National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute has trained rural women in practical agro-based hands-on skills, to enable them to start smallholder ventures and sustain them for household incomes.
The training which also included field studies was conducted at the Institute in Serere, where over 40 women were selected from seven sub counties in Serere District.
With mentorship sessions, the initiative paid more attention to starting agro-based linkages among the community, capacity building in smallholder business management, and affordable agro-based skills that can sustain families.
The training, anchored by the National Women’s League at the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development is geared towards empowering rural women, and preparing them for government programs like the Parish Development Model, which would pay more focus on communities engaged in agriculture and agro-processing as well as agribusiness.
The Program Coordinator at the Nation Women’s League Ritah Atuhwere says this was coined timely to empower rural women, give them sustainable linkages, and access the knowledge needed to be competitive in the new era.
“We want our rural mothers to be skilled, and quite knowledgeable about some programs so that they can stand to benefit from the government projects.” She says.
She adds that mothers are the engines that run the family, and skilling them would be a great addition to changing the lives of communities in a positive trend.
The Director NaSARRI Dr Michael Ugen argued that trained women to always practice what they have been taught to enable them achieve food security in their families and ensure business sustainability.
“Do not make a mistake to abandon what you have learnt, it is important to put this into real practice and produce food for your families but also sell some for an income,” He says.
He also urged them to always use the Institute as a reference point for more knowledge and practical experience as well as contact linkage in case they need any service.
The program is meant to access knowledge and skills to rural women under the Ministry of Gender Labor and Social Development, driven by the National Women’s League, as a way to empower them.
This would also give them capacity in planning and sustaining collectional business ventures in groups as well as position them to benefit from government programs.
The women were selected from the seven sub-counties in Serere District including Kyere, Kateta, Bugondo, Kidetok, Kadungulu, Ochapa, and Labor.
