Sustainable Agriculture
Kasese district has over 80% small scale farmers producing on averagely 1-2.5 acres, these farmers are not educated and use local mechanisms of agricultural production and live both on the hard to reach mountains and slopes of the Rwenzori mountain(FAO Report 2018). These farmers are only dependent on agriculture yet they continue to sink in poverty despite their hard work on farms to generate income.
Anasi Farmers Association has therefore continuously engaged these farmers through providing trainings on organic agriculture like maize growing, soya bean growing, and vegetables to increase their yields and boost their income so they can manage their daily needs and see themselves out of poverty. The Association also has a revolving goats project that reaches out to vulnerable women especially widows for milk and income, since 2020 we have given 50 goats to 50 widows in Kisinga sub county.
We emphasize food security and emphasize best agricultural practices as a means of changing societies and enabling women to be drivers of change in our target community. We empower rural women through livestock farming as an alternative means of earning income as well as benefitting from the farm yard manure the animals produce.
Economic Empowerment
Poverty and poor living conditions eat up our communities everyday yet the solutions towards changing our households and communities is in our hands. Women are the foundation of a community yet carry the burden of poverty, performing 75% of the community’s unpaid work. Our team partners with women to dream and develop creative ideas for generating income. With hands-on trainings we build capacities of women to create viable products and participate in local markets. We train women in producing tie and dye fabric products in different designs that are highly marketable to increase employability hence improve livelihoods among rural women. We increase their knowledge and confidence so that they can raise their voices and meaningfully participate in economic decision-making at the household and community level.
Environmental Protection.
The program focuses on tree planting, environmental conservation, and energy saving practices. This includes establishment of nursery beds for raising seedlings, growing different tree species, controlled harvesting,mulching, recycling of wastes, making of energy saving cook stoves and usage of heat retention baskets. The program targets women and girls who are most affected by the challenges of climate change. Through practicing regenerative agriculture we focus on supportingthe ecosystem and enabling soil restoration. We use holistic farming practices that aim to improve soil health and reverse climate change by expanding biodiversity, improving the water cycle and increasing organic matter in soil structure.
Health and nutrition program
This program involves changing mindset and increasing information, skills and knowledge of rural women farmers to having healthy lives. It focuses on improving household nutrition, and integration of HIV/AIDS prevention and menstrual hygiene management for women and girls.
HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS continues to be an important issue in the area. Through persistent advocacy campaigns towards the prevention of HIV/AIDS among rural communities, we support women to minimize the spread of HIV/AIDS and also carry out guidance and counselling services to minimize stigma among positive living women and youth.
Nutrition:
In Kasese district, almost 80% of households grow food for a living, yet nearly 50% of children are stunted, resulting in irreversible and devastating effects on children’s mental and physical development. Covid-19 has only worsened the situation — a nationwide study revealed that Kasese is one of the districts worst affected by hunger during the lockdown.
We partner with communities to create a long lasting impact towards ending nutritional challenges by emphasizing kitchen and sack mound gardening with diverse, nutritious vegetables. We have a family approach, providing training, supplies, and support to parents and caregivers to plant and manage high-yielding vegetable gardens using sustainable methods. A home vegetable garden both expands the family’s access to healthy food and increases their income when they sell the surplus at the local market. We also train families on proper dieting and feeding practices (what to eat and when to eat), with a focus on expectant mothers and mothers with malnourished or at-risk children. We also teach post-harvest management and preservation of vegetables to help families prepare for the dry moths when hunger is highest. In 2021, we trained 80 women all round on proper dieting and child feeding practices, including supplying them with training and seed packets to cultivate vegetables. Through building abilities and capabilities of women, we believe that every day can be a master piece in transforming our own community.