FOOD SECURITY—is the backbone of the Upendo Foundation and affiliate projects of Kirongo and Hope for the Future. All the groups Upendo works with ranging from widows, farmers, self-help groups and people living with HIV/AIDS have the food security component as key among the activities they undertake. Each Group strives to have their households put food on their tables every day. Upendo Foundation through the projects has managed to provide seeds and fertilizers to the groups every year both in the long and the short rains. This is aimed at enhancing the crop yields per household. Maize and beans are the staple food crops but some of these groups plant other crops like sorghum, groundnuts, sweet potatoes, cassava, millet etc.
Alongside the farm inputs, Upendo provides livestock e.g., chickens, cows, sheep and goats and ploughs and oxen. Beekeeping and fish farming are some of the activities undertaken by some of the groups as a diversification of their enterprise and these generate extra income to the groups which is invested in other viable livelihood activities for sustainability of the groups.
The technical Field Officers train these groups on good agronomic practices and do regular follow ups to ensure that the groups follow instructions up to the harvest period for good crop yields. The pass on pass back of livestock concept has thrived well having members of these groups receive livestock from other groups and from members in their own group. This has seen over 50 cows distributed among the group members through the scheme.
We desire to see a food secure community and to reduce cases of malnutrition among the community members we support.
Leonard Odongo – Upendo Programme Manager
