Rt Hon Rose Namayanja visiting model farmer Saul Kiridde at Manywa village
NAKASEKE — The Rose Namayanja Foundation has established a working partnership with Nakaseke District to support and equip Practical Training Centres (PTCs) under the Parish Development Model (PDM).
The partnership is aimed at strengthening selected model farmers to serve as hands-on learning centres where PDM beneficiaries can acquire practical farming and enterprise skills before accessing the Shs1 million revolving fund.
PTCs under the PDM are local, hands-on training hubs established at the farms of successful model entrepreneurs. They provide beneficiaries with practical knowledge and skills in agriculture, livestock rearing, enterprise development and household income generation.
On Monday, Rose Namayanja Nsereko, Executive Director of the Rose Namayanja Foundation and Deputy Secretary General of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), visited model farmers in Manywa and Bambaga villages in Kapeeka Sub-county, Nakaseke District.
During the visit, Namayanja assessed the farmers’ activities and pledged the foundation’s support to equip selected farms with the necessary tools and equipment to operate as Practical Training Centres within their respective parishes.
Namayanja said she was impressed by the farmers’ commitment to President Yoweri Museveni’s four-acre model, modern agricultural practices and the Parish Development Model.
“Through this partnership, the Foundation will equip selected farmers with the necessary tools and equipment to serve as Practical Training Centres within their parishes and become learning centres for others,” Namayanja said.
She added that strengthening the PTCs would enable farmers to gain hands-on agricultural skills, enterprise knowledge and access to practical tools that can contribute to mindset change, increased household incomes and community transformation through the Parish Development Model.
Namayanga urged farmers to seek guidance from extension workers recruited by government and other institutions.
“We have Bukalasa Agriculture College, a centre of excellence, where people can seek knowledge and acquire modern farming skills. We need to move away from subsistence farming and embrace modern, commercial agriculture if we are to transform the sector and improve livelihoods,” Namayanja said.
One of the model farmers visited was Saul Kiridde of Manywa Village, Kapeeka Sub-county, who welcomed Namayanja’s visit, saying it had motivated him to work even harder.
Kiridde keeps cattle and pigs and also grows bananas and maize. He said he harvests about 60 bananas each month, selling each bunch for between Shs15,000 and Shs20,000.
“Through farming, I have been able to look after my family and pay school fees for my children. I don’t regret choosing farming,” Kiridde said.
The foundation’s intervention is expected to strengthen the capacity of model farmers to train fellow PDM beneficiaries and promote practical, sustainable farming as a pathway to improved household incomes and economic transformation in Nakaseke.
The Rose Namayanja Foundation (RNF) is a non-profit organization committed to empowering communities through education, health, governance and leadership, and socio-economic empowerment.
The Foundation works with schools, government institutions, development partners, and local communities to create opportunities that improve lives and build an empowered, educated, and productive citizenry.
It was established by Rt Hon Rose Namayanja after she retired from elective politics and committed to serve the community through charity.
