Dream Team Expansion to Uganda

PlantVillage has established the Dream Team model in Uganda in partnership with World Bank and Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (Uganda). In an effort to curb food insecurity and climate change, PlantVillage has recruited 11 young graduates from different Universities in Uganda with an education background in Agriculture. This partnership will aid in development and piloting of pest and diseases surveillance tools for Uganda especially on crops such as rice, beans, maize, cassava and coffee.

As we begin 2022, the Uganda Dream Team have travelled to Busia in Kenya for an intensive 2-weeks training. The training sessions is facilitated by Dr. John Chelal, PlantVillage Country Director, Dr. John Ilukor, an Economist in the Development Data group of the World Bank and the County Leads (Kenya) including Winnie Onyango (Associate Country Director), Donna Saringi (Field Extension Officer), Bismarck Plimo (Busia County Lead), John Mayieka (Agroforestry Lead) and Lawrence Ombwayo (Regional Lead).

These youths will be equipped with tools, knowledge and skills to enable them collect data using mobile platforms. As part of the training, they will join the teams in western Kenya for on-farm trainings with farmers.

The Uganda Dream Team will then begin this pilot project in 5 districts (Iganga, Bugiri, Namutumba, Soroti and Serere) for the first year. The objective of this project is to pilot pest outbreak detection and monitoring system in Uganda. The team will be led by James Mugo, an Associate Director for PlantVillage Uganda.

What the team expects after the training in Busia

“I expects to learn the A.I led approach to delivering extension services to farmers that will hopefully reduce on the human component distribution to farmer education in all things agriculture,” says Samuel Olaboro from Soroti Uganda.

Amanya Anxious from Ntugamo in Uganda expects to know more about the PlantVillage Organization such that she can positively impact her farmers.

 

Wriiten By;Mercyline Tata