Spreading Organic Farming in Africa Project

Spreading Organic Farming in Africa [SOFAfrica] are passionate about Agro Ecological Regenerative Agriculture and Rural Development. Together with The Peoples Hub they see it as a viable and sustainable approach to turn around smallholder agriculture from mere subsistence farming to a more commercial enterprise. They are change-makers on how food is produced and linking the plate with the farm for a more safe and nutritious food to the ever increasing population.

They are champions and advocates of organic market enterprises and agribusinesses through value addition to create employment in the rural areas and reverse the rural to urban migration. The trainer, Simon who attended our Global Gatherings in October is experienced in Agro-ecological techniques towards social, economic and environmental conservation in Africa. 

Together with The Peoples Hub network, SOFAfrica aim to spread organic farming not just in Africa but across the world! We are in talks with our American cousins to bring about a similar project in the US and incorporating their vision in the People's Global Coalition of Food Systems.

SOFAfrica workshop in Tharaka, Kenya, student
SOFAfrica workshop in Tharaka, Kenya, student

They provide training to farmers, youths and schools, while also running youth volunteer programs.

Please do join our Global Gatherings: Social Enterprise Farming & Agriculture Worldwide and Let's Get Social to help the people of the world.

SOFAfrica usage of DI Grow organic fertilizer photograph, Kenya
Photo: SOFAfrica usage of DI Grow organic fertilizer

SOFAfrica Community Based Training Programmes

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Indigenous seed saving
  • Organic agriculture
  • Natural resources conservation
  • Rural development
  • School gardening
  • Animal welfare
  • Cleaner energy
  • Pollution reduction
  • Water and soil conservation
  • Urban gardening techniques
  • Human rights especially for the less abled
  • Nutrition, health and wellbeing
  • SOFAfrica organic coffee camps and tea production
  • Organic vaseline making Bee's wax; value addition of cassava, banana and pumpkin; solar-dried floor making and numerous school gardening projects

They have a vision to provide economic opportunity through innovation, helping rural Kenyans and other African nationals to thrive; to promote agriculture production that better nourishes Kenyans / Africans while also helping feed others throughout the world; and to preserve our Nation's natural resources through conservation, restored forests, improved watersheds, and healthy private working lands.

By engaging with local communities to promote Bamboo tree planting and organic farming methods we will create a robust Bamboo economy. This will enrich the lives of rural Kenyans / Africans, as well as improve environmental conditions in a lasting and sustainable way.

"Arid lands can become lush and green, retaining moisture for all life to thrive."

Murungi, Simon, SOFAfrica

Bamboo has a very rapid maturation process and yields many valuable products. We believe this can be the start of a movement to regreen Africa and significantly combat climate chaos.

Let's help transform some of the desert into a garden!

Spreading Organic Farming in Africa - Uganda

Participant - Muwanika Fahad, Iganga, Busoga sub - region

What experience do you have in relation to community farming?

Abilities to perform daily duties. Time management, need time to do work or operate efficiently and consistently in order to meet market. Problem solving, that's to say I often look for the best ways to raise their harvest of vegetables. Able to ensure a productive season no matter the unpredictable situations.

Vegetables can be grown in loam soil, it promotes the growth of almost all types of vegetables such as tomatoes, egg plants, cabbage. This doesn't mean you can't grow vegetables in other soil. Optimum vegetables is achieved on well drained sandy loam soil. A soil test will provide, the type of soil, the soil pH, organic matter and the levels of phosphorus.

What agricultural resources do you currently have Muwanika?

  • Land (small piece of land) we practice agriculture on small land.
  • Tools (few for work)
  • Labour (family labour)
  • Water (from wells)
  • Local seeds.
Muwanika Fahad, 2023 photograph in Uganda on The Peoples Hub
Photo of Muwanika Fahad, 2023

What resources do you need ideally to improve your school farming project?

  • Improved seeds
  • Water (irrigation machines)
  • Inputs like fertilizers, pesticides
  • Capital (money for hiring land hence to work on big piece of land).
  • Fences (to preventing animals from eating our vegetables).
  • Tools like hoe, panga, fork Joe, etc. we need more to ease the work during that time of garden farming. Machines like tractor could ease the work.
Notes from Uganda: We have to examine three different types of producers; small-scale, urban and peri urban, and large-scale commercial producers.

Almost types of vegetables and other crops and diseases affecting them hence coming up with the solution to save farming projects in Africa.                          

Participant - Kisembo Idd, Busimbi CU-Kisembo Children's Community, Mityana

Tell us about your organic farming expertise Kisembo

One of the skills I have is problem solving skills, as a farmer I have to look for the best ways to raise my harvest of my crops. When unexpected weather occurs, it can cause harvest delays as a farmer, it's important to know how to react/respond and how to make effective decisions in this type of scenario.

With problem solving skills, you are able to ensure a productive season no matter the unpredictable situations that rise.

Other skills are;

  • Time management skills
  • Hard-working
  • Perseverance
  • Patience

Can you tell us about the soil, and the vegetables that can be grown in Mityana, Uganda?

Organic material:

All vegetables need a healthy amount of organic materials in the soil they grow in.

Organic materials serves many purposes most importantly, it provides many of the nutrients that plants need to grow and thrive. Secondary, organic materials "softens" soil and makes it soft such that the roots can more easily spread through the soil.

Organic materials can come from either a compost or well rotted manure or a combination of both.

Nitrogen, Phosphorus and potassium. Preparing for vegetable garden, these three nutrients are the basic nutrients that all plants need. They are also known together as "NPK" and are the numbers you see on a bag of fertilizer e.g. (10-10-10) -Trace nutrients:

Vegetables also need a wide variety of trace minerals and nutrients to grow well. Those include boron, copper, iron, chloride, manganese, calcium, molybdenum and zinc.

Busimbi CU-Kisembo Children's Community, photographs of the children at the orphanage on The Peoples Hub
Image: Busimbi CU-Kisembo Children's Community
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