Supporting traditional farming knowledge systems amongst small seed farmers in Uganda

Because of increased industrial farming systems, many farmer households no longer have granaries
which for centuries were traditional way of storing and preserving food to save people in times of
food shortage. AFRICE is supporting the communities of Kikarara around L.Edward and Buliisa
along L.Albert in Uganda to revive indigenous knowledge and practices for food security. With
continuous community dialogues on seed and knowledge, these two communities have revived the
traditional storage granaries.
These granaries help in the food storage and seed preservation, recuperation of indigenous seed
varieties, saving seeds for the next planting season and ecologically viable in conservation of
ecosystems that provide the materials for construction of these granaries. Saving community seeds
reduce the community dependence on hybrid seed bought from open markets and supplied by
government.
It is important to note that indigenous seeds are drought and pest resistant and therefore les chemical
pesticides are used which have drastically destroyed soils and entire biodiversity.