Categories
Livelihoods

Smallholder farming in Uganda

How can we give Ugandan farmers information they can use to improve their livelihoods?

Twenty years ago, there was very little information available for small-holder farmers in rural Uganda. You might find a book on agriculture dating back twenty years, hundreds of pages long, with tiny text, dog-eared and locked in a drawer, of the Agriculture Extension Officer at the sub-county head-quarters.

By 1997, Universal Primary Education had already created demand for learning materials from the newly literate population in rural Uganda.

At the time, the only written materials you would find in rural areas were posters about HIV, or adverts for Coke and beer.

But simple techniques – using fuel saving stoves, making a pesticide from from chillies and garlic, using compost as a fertilizer can save money and increase income.

How to make a fuel saving stove? Poster for Ugandan farmers
How to make a Fuel-Saving or Rocket Lorena Stove

In 2004, we began creating posters targeting Ugandan farmers with NGOs like NOGAMU, Kulika, Send a Cow, Caritas and the government.

We showed them that together, we could create something to support their existing programmes that was better quality and (when mass-produced) cheaper than what they were using already. The concept work was created by Ben Tunstall, and final artwork by Baingana Andrew, Sam Rich and Okudi Deogratius.

The poster set below costs about $6.50. By printing over 2000 sets at a time the costs comes down to $3.50. Editions in French and Kiswahili are also available, and some were adapted for use in Bangaladesh.

The posters covered basic topics on organic agriculture:

  1. How to make Compost
  2. How to make a Kitchen Garden/ Keyhole Garden
  3. How to make a Sack Mound/ Bag garden
  4. How to make Liquid Manure
  5. How to make Plant “Tea”
  6. How to make a Natural Pesticide
  7. How to Mulch
  8. How to Stop Soil Erosion

And on livelihoods and health:

  1. How to make a Fuel Saving Stove/ Rocket Lorena Stove
  2. How to make a Tip Tap
  3. How to Eat a Healthy Food

How to make Compost

How to make Compost - poster for Ugandan farmers
How to make Compost | French | Swahili

How to make a Kitchen / Keyhole / Mandala Garden

How to make a Kitchen/ Keyhole/ Mandala Garden -poster for Ugandan farmers
How to make a Keyhole/ Kitchen/ Mandala Garden | French | Swahili

How to make a Sack Mound/ Bag Garden

How to make a sack mound
French | Swahili

How to make Liquid Manure

How to make liquid manure - poster for Ugandan farmers
How to make Liquid Manure | French | Swahili

How to make “Plant Tea”

How to make plant tea - poster for Ugandan farmers
How to make “Plant Tea” | French | Swahili

How to make Natural Pesticide

How to make a natural pesticide? Poster for Ugandan farmers
How to make a Natural Pesticide | French | Swahili

Why Mulch?

Why mulch? Poster for Ugandan farmers
Why Mulch? | French | Swahili

How to Stop Soil Erosion

How to stop soil erosion - poster for Ugandan farmers
How to Stop Soil Erosion | French | Swahili

How to make a Fuel Saving Stove/ Rocket Lorena Stove

How to make a fuel saving stove? Poster for Ugandan farmers
How to make a Fuel Saving/ Rocket Lorena Stove | French | Swahili

How to make a Tip Tap

How to make a tip tap? Poster for Ugandan farmers
How to make a Tip Tap | French | Swahili

How to eat Healthy Food

How to eat healthy food - poster for Ugandan farmers
How to eat Healthy Food | French | Swahili

Welcome to your Poster Pack

This is your poster pack - poster for Ugandan farmers
Welcome to Your Poster Pack

If you’re interested in organising bulk orders in your country, or if you’ve got new ideas for posters, email me at: sam@fourthway.co.uk

Translations

Livelihoods Projects