Ssozi is a citizen journalist and he runs a blog “The African Timer” where he writes about the link between Technology, Education and Development. He is very enthusiastic about ICT for Education, Development and the youth. Through his work with Women of Uganda Network he has closely worked with rural communities, trained women entrepreneurs, farmers, the youth, citizen journalist and women organisations on the role ICT for Development.

Ssozi is also the Founder and Project leader of Rural Farming for Development a project which aims at “Improving food access, income and general livelihood for rural farmers in Uganda.

Ssozi is a member of World SPEED (Students Platform for Engineering Education Development). SPEED supports tomorrow’s leaders in improving their own training to answer the demands placed on graduating engineers.

Story by Sanyu Ly’amaka farmers Group and Ssozi Javie.

By Aimable Twahirwa

KIGALI, Aug 16, 2010 (IPS) – Joelle Nsamira Kajuga, a female agricultural researcher has a ready answer to describe which modified crop will produce a higher yield, which will be resistant to bacteria, and which will ensure food security and generate a higher turnover for poor small-scale farmers in different regions in Rwanda.

Kajuga’s extensive knowledge of crops comes after a year of researching various modified seed. And now she hopes to implement her scientific findings to improve the lives of rural small-scale farmers in her country.

Read more…

We have: Irish potatoes, matooke (green bananas cooked and mingled), noodles (my friend sent me by post from the US), beans, beef, with a little bit of french beans and salad.
My wife and sister are doing a good job to prepare healthy meals for our family. Food is becoming more and more expensive in Uganda. The population is growing every other day. The competition for food in the growing cities and town has attracted market for food there making food prices go high everywhere in the country.
The meal is very tasty and we grow most of the food in our home garden except for the NOODLES.

With brilliant ideas/ researches like:

• Garden in Sack

• Food Security, Mobile Garden on a Cart

• Solidarities humanitarian work in Kenya – Sack Gardens – prototype for a global paradigm shift?

• Agriculture = Food Security

• Abalimi Bezekhaya – “The Planters work at home” – South Africa

• Innovation due to constraint, and using pre-existing materials

• Food Shortage

Now urban families can produce their own food improvising the limited space. At least each family has a sack where they grow vegetables to supplement on the food. At my home I have a big garden with lettuce, carrots, french beans, matooke (bananas), beans and fruit trees. We have shared skills and people now know that what food security means.

Thank God for EVOKE – in 2010 myself together with several other agents we wrote a big proposal to improve on food access for both the rural and urban poor in developing countries. We have worked so hard year in year out to make this happen. I must say, these have not been the easiest years of our lives but most definitely the most successful.

Last week EVOKE marked her 10th Anniversary – All the Agents together with Heads of States and representatives from all around the world gathered in Mogadishu. Over the years the war in Somalia has made Food security in the area impossible. Now that the war has ended, EVOKE has done a great job in rebuilding the country through inventing food security, water security, access to education, health care and also participated in the peace building process. On March 3, 2020 we not only celebrate EVOKE, we celebrated so much more – SUCCESS beyond boarders. A lot of the worlds success today is a tribute to EVOKE to us!!!

To all of you – we made it happen. Remember, it was not because of a single effort, everyone of you contributed. Today my family and I are celebrating You – Your Courage, Commitment, Teamwork, Resilience and Success.

PS: I you have any link that I have not mentioned please share the link in the comments. Sorry I couldnt add all of your brilliant ideas.

Read Original Post Here

Comments:

Comment by Josh Judkins on March 9, 2010 at 6:40pm: Great post, Ssozi! I see what you mean about how providing technology can actually be dis-empowering, whereas providing the skills to solve a problem can really build & empower a community.

Comment by John Kwasna on March 9, 2010 at 10:34pm: It is very important to ensure the skills required to sustain technology, After all what good are words if you cant read / keyboards if you cant type / cars if you cant drive. Implementing the teaching of skillfull crafts such as farming or educating people in areas of neccesity like the use of Math and Reading, can be more beneficial than disreguarding the individuals incompetance and reading or adding for them. We need more great teachers.

Comment by Karen L. on March 12, 2010 at 8:24am: Good post. You make a good point. Good luck with your missions.

Comment by Maria Pedro Miala on March 18, 2010 at 11:05am: Great post Ssozi, I completely agree with you. Most of the times people in Africa have to find solutions on their own to survive anyway so why not starting by sharing skills to to help them?

Comment by Adam Sunman on March 18, 2010 at 11:17am: I agree, although often this is hard to do as the ‘experts’ often provide a useful external mediator. Many areas stricken by poverty, especially in the Global south are dominated by crime and war lords, often monopolizing local culture and community, and many of these take aid packaged and charity resources and sell them/ use them as a tool for power.

While I agree that they should be able to decide their own fate, there needs to be a way for this to be done without the interference of somebody who falsely claims to represent the people of the community being helped. – Perhaps through a secret ballot, or through a community forum. I’m in no way advocating violence, but those with false claims of power need to be driven out through the power of unity and community solidarity.

Comment by Christian Brumm on April 30, 2010 at 9:56pm: Good point! Providing education and knowledge is much better than burning a “straw fire” by providing some complete product or “solution”. Such a solution might not even be one, as it might lack the necessary local insight.