Aid in Action
Better Agricultural Practices Improve Livelihoods in Uganda
Planting improved varieties of staple crops and vegetables helps a family become self-reliant.
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Friday, December 01, 2006
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Food For Peace
A young boy transports Food Aid rations to his home. FFP combines direct assistance programs with activities that help households become less vulnerable.
Resty Nassozi, a Ugandan widow, heads a household of eight orphan grandchildren. During 2005, Resty’s household received corn soya blend and vegetable oil monthly through FFP. This was often the only food consumed by the household since cultivation of beans, cassava and maize yielded little and her homemade crafts business was unprofitable.
Luckily for Resty, CEDO, an ACDI/VOCA agricultural grantee, stepped in. The organization began working with Resty to cultivate improved seed and to improve her farming practices. In the next planting season she planted 15 kilograms of maize seed, which yielded 1.5 MTs. She also planted one acre of mosaic resistant cassava, a quarter acre of orange-fleshed sweet potato and half an acre of beans on rented land. She now rears ten local birds and her kitchen garden contains four varieties of vegetables. Resty is no longer reliant on Title II to support her family, and her children are visibly healthier due to their improved circumstances.