UGANDA: PLANT VILLAGE THROUGH BIOCHAR EMPOWERS SMALLHOLDER FARMERS ON SMART CLIMATE ADAPTATION.

Gulu University Trade Shows open a new gate on climate mitigation, as global warming affects rainfall patterns in the South of Sarah Sub Region.

GULU CITY-SUNDAY July 21, 2024

Okumu Livingstone Langol (The Guardian News UK)

It was Thursday afternoon; the aura was silly as a drop of rain fell disrupted clients to have a free time to view the Agricultural Mechanization tool equipment, the likes of Tractors, Water Irrigation pipes, Processing Trucks at Gulu University Trade shows.

Promuse Owamaani, 27 years old. Is a field Assistant Extension Officer Working was a busy man conducting interviews with customers who paid visits to their stool at Gulu University trade shows.

His explanations draw the attention to onlooker to turn their interest to study life experiment on use of Parasitoids to control fall armyworm, stack with fresh maize leave dangling fall armyworm egg parasitoid, a wasp that completes its larval development inside fall armyworm eggs eventually killing it, as Owamaani narrates.

He further narrates to his customers that Biochar empowers smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change through the use of Biochar with enriched fertilizer.

“As Plant village, we have a mobile application APP that helps in disorganizing pests and disease on crops and giving addresses on what to do on 16 farms. It gives daily weather updates, it’s an application which is connected to the satellite centre” Owamaani advises.

The Agricultural Field Extension, Owamaani argues that other things they do, we give extension services to farmers, and says currently we are based in Central, Eastern and South-west of Uganda.

We also make Biochar organic waste from Maize cops, Cocoa pod, groundnut cell and all organic waste, where we burn them and we come up with Biochar. We trust it to become small artificial to become charge-Biochar, and this can be applied to all crops.

Advantage of Biochar for smart climate mitigation

The advantage of Biochar maintain soil moisture in the soil, it support growth of micro organism, it reduces use of pesticides that are harmful, it is specific to the target pest related pest, it safe to farmers and the environment, no effect on be edificial organism (Bees) and prevent  the pest from reaching the destructive larva or Caterpillar stage.

How it works

Female parasitoid lays eggs inside fall army worm eggs, the parasitoid egg hatches inside the fall army worm egg and the resulting larvae feeds on the developing fall army worm embryo and eventually kills it.

The adult wasp emerges mates and looks for fresh fall armyworm eggs to kill.

Fall armyworm (FAW) management  

Amanya Anxious, 27 years old. A field officer from Plant Village also moves the audience, a small as she is, says we are doing much protection to control fall army worms in Maize plantation, “through its biological control.” Amanya explained.

“We are trying to reduce chemical residual effects on the soil, living organisms, Human beings, water and soil. Fall army worms that attack Maize, for us we are mass protecting parasitoids.” Amanya pressed her customers

How to use Plant village App     

Amanya says through a mobile phone application that uses artificial intelligence to diagnose pest and disease damage by scanning the leaves for systems, at this step the application works without internet connection, in case the area is covered by network active.

“You can click surveys at the bottom of your screen and click on one of the options above depending on your crop.” Amanya explored.