Ariebi United Farmer Group's story

Ariebi United Farmer Group

“If it were not for this research project, we would not have gotten this awakening that farmers can come up with solutions to control Striga and increase crop yield.”

Ariebi United Farmer Group is located in Ariebi Village, Orungo Parish, Orungo Sub-county in Amuria District. The group has 30 members, including 26 women and 4 men. Irene Akello, the group chairperson, is a 34-year-old farmer, parish councillor, wife and mother of seven children. She has chaired Ariebi United Farmer Group for the last two years. When the Cereal FRN project team came to Orungo Sub-county, they looked for active farmer groups registered with the Community Development Officer. Ariebi United Farmer Group was registered and became one of the 10 farmer groups selected to carry out the research project. Since the start of the research, the group has investigated ways of overcoming Striga weed in sorghum and millet fields. Through research agenda development, supported by FINASP staff, farmers listed and ranked their production challenges. Striga emerged as the most serious challenge. The group then identified possible control measures including farmyard manure, resistant varieties, and intercropping with green grams and cowpeas. Through the research journey, members learned better ways to manage seed use, reduce the effects of Striga, and share knowledge with other farmers. In the wider community, many farmers are now paying attention to SESO 3 because it is tolerant to Striga, gives high yields, and has a ready market. Irene personally benefited in 2020 when her household planted 8 kg of SESO 3 on one acre and harvested four bags of threshed sorghum. They sold 440 kg and earned UGX 390,000, which helped complete payment for land they were buying in instalments. The balance was used to buy onion seeds for her kitchen garden. Irene attributes the change in the community to the research project and to Ariebi United Farmer Group. She says the project awakened farmers to the fact that they can develop solutions to control Striga in millet and sorghum fields while increasing crop yields. With sorghum and millet, her household has food for Atapa, a common Teso meal prepared from cassava mixed with sorghum or millet. Irene is grateful to FINASP for the group training and to NaSARRI for improved sorghum and millet seed, saying she will never be the same again as a cereal farmer.