The President’s Initiative on four-acre farming will be part of the country’s youth skilling centers.
The four-acre model aims for a farmer to make up to one hundred million shillings from a four-acre plot of land.
According to President Museveni’s calculations, the farmer should have a coffee plantation on one acre, fruits (citrus and mangoes, pineapples, pasture) on the second acre, pastures for cattle feeding on the third acre, and food crop growing on the fourth acre.
This model is one of the projects advocated by the Parish Development Model, which should be in its third year since its inception. Rose Kabangeni, a senior presidential advisor on agriculture in charge of The four acres model project who is currently in Northern Uganda, says it is now one of the units of youth scaling centers.
Kabangeni told URN in an interview from Gulu City that the goal is to teach youth agricultural skills in order to transform communities via farming.
The project, she revealed, was started on Wednesday 8th June 2023 from the Acholi zonal presidential youth skilling facility in Oding Village, Unyama Sub County, Gulu district.
President Yoweri Museveni’s four-acre model agricultural plan aims to eradicate food insecurity by boosting livelihood, mentality transformation, and the use of land for mass production.
Farmers are required to use four acres of land for agroforestry, livestock, fishery, and agricultural production under the project.
Kabangeni said the government has set up 60 million shillings for the scheme.
According to Samuel Oyet Agwani, Assistant Manager of Oding Youth Skilling Centre, they have begun teaching youth at the center on the project following its debut on Wednesday 8th June 2023.
However, he voiced concern that the effort would be hampered by the current dry season in the northern region.
According to Gulu district chairperson Christopher Opiyo Ateker, the effort is critical in raising productive kids.
Oding kids Skill Centre now has 249 kids undergoing training in bricklaying and concrete practice, hairdressing, tailoring and garment cutting, welding and metal fabrication, carpentry, joinery, and bakery.
The government, through the State House, has built 21 zonal industrial centres in all sub-regions of Uganda with the goal of skilling 12,600 youngsters per year.
