June 22, 2012
Benson Okech is an accountant at Grameen Foundation’s Applab Uganda office. This post appeared on the Applab blog and is excerpted with a link to the full post below.
When one is traveling to the Rwenzori area, what rings in the mind of the individual are the cascading waterfalls from the peak of Mt. Rwenzori and the presence of several species of wild animals in the national parks in western Uganda. There also are other breaking stories about this area, including a group of poor farmers who are helping others like themselves improve their livelihoods by expanding access to accurate, timely information.
(left to right) Peace, from Ernst & Young; Ibrahim, a local farmer; Benson, a Grameen Foundation accountant; and Jacob, the local CKW.
Zangura Ibrahim has been a subsistence farmer for several years in his little-known village of Kanyampara 1, Kacungiro Parish, Munkunyu Sub County, in Kasese District. His passion for agriculture was boosted when he learnt of people in his area called Community Knowledge Workers, or CKWs, who are recruited and trained by Grameen Foundation to serve farmers like him within the area.
Before Ibrahim knew there was a CKW in his area, his two-acre farm was planted with matooke and tomatoes for domestic consumption. However, with the help of Wanzalha Jacob, his local CKW, Ibrahim diversified his crops. He now also grows beans and potatoes, and uses the increased income he earns by selling them for necessities like sugar, salt and medicine.