In a groundbreaking event hailed as the first of its kind in Busia District, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Treasurer, Ambassador Barbara Nekesa, graced a major agricultural expo aimed at transforming the region's farming landscape.
The event, organized by a consortium including the National Fisheries Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), and Busia district leaders, drew hundreds of local farmers eager to learn modern practices.
In her address as chief guest, Ambassador Nekesa thanked the organizers for the timely initiative, noting that such platforms are crucial for catalyzing the long-awaited transition from subsistence to commercial agriculture. She emphasized that this shift is the sustainable path to boosting both household production and income for the predominantly farming communities.
"With such expos, the farmers of Busia District are to benefit a lot," Nekesa remarked. "This event shows that local farmers will now manage to shift from subsistence farming to commercial farming, which will in turn increase their production and income."
However, amidst the optimism, the NRM Treasurer raised a red flag over a silent but rapidly escalating crisis: land fragmentation. She warned that Busia's increasingly small land ratio, now averaging less than two acres per household due to high population growth, poses a severe danger to agricultural productivity. Nekesa expressed deep concern over the prevailing practice where families subdivide their already small land holdings into even tinier, unviable plots.
"This is a dangerous thing to the locals," she cautioned. "Dividing land into small pieces reduces productivity. We must address this urgently."
She called upon Busia district leaders to spearhead vigorous community education campaigns to enlighten residents on the long-term perils of land fragmentation and to promote more sustainable land use and inheritance practices.
To counter the challenge of diminishing land sizes, Nekesa passionately urged farmers to embrace modern technology and intensive farming methods. She encouraged the adoption of irrigation systems, the use of improved seedlings and fertilizers, high-quality animal feeds, and heavy machinery, moving away from traditional, low-yield practices.
"To maximize our small plots, we must adopt new modern technology," she advised. "Use irrigation, improved seedlings, and fertilizers. In the same way, use heavy machinery for better results."
Recognizing that access to modern equipment like tractors is a major hurdle, Nekesa issued a direct appeal to financial institutions in Busia District and across Uganda. She called on banks to proactively support local farmers by providing tailored financial advice and designing accessible loan products specifically for purchasing heavy machinery and other essential farming inputs.
She concluded her address on a note of gratitude, thanking the people of Busia for their overwhelming support for President Yoweri Museveni and all NRM candidates in the previous elections. She also extended special appreciation to the President for appointing one of Busia’s own, Hon. Magada, as a minister, a move she said demonstrates the government's commitment to inclusive leadership and development for the district. The expo marks a significant step in the government's concerted effort to modernize Uganda's agriculture, with Busia poised to be a key beneficiary.
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