Miracle Behind Saemaul Undong: And the Need to be Rolled out Throughout Uganda.

Saemaul Undong (새마울운동) is translated as "New Village Movement". It's derived from three Korean words: Sae-New, Maul-Village and Undong-Movement. It’s a movement with diligence, self-help, and cooperation as the supporting pillars. Through this movement, Korea was able to transform from helplessness and Aid recipient to a donor country an achievement made possible by developing rural areas.

From helplessness and Aid recipient to a donor country

The birth of the movement.

South Korea got its independence from Japan after 35 years of colonialism on 15, August 1945. Five years after its liberation, the country was attacked by the Northern peninsula. During the war, the UN and the United States supported the South Korean government while China and the Soviet Union sided with the North Korean government. The war was a catastrophe and claimed many lives of the Koreans.

Abandoned child during the war

The war ended in July 1953. Half of the Southern peninsula’s buildings and infrastructures were destroyed leaving the people helpless without food, shelter, medication, and clothes. Over 50% of the national budget was from foreign Aid and Uganda was among the countries that donated to Korea. Moreover, Korea was ranked among the fallen nations at the time. The government of President Park Chung-Hee came up with innovations and reforms among which was Saemaul Undong. 

Saemaul Undong activities after the war

The movement’s primary role was to bridge the gap between the rural and the urban people. The development was centralized in urban centres with the rural people living in absolute poverty. It was the prerogative of the government to incorporate the rural areas in the struggle for development.

The aftermath of the movement.

The diligence, self-help, and cooperative spirit brought cohesion among the people. It became the slogan of national development even after the high-income status was attained. The successes attributed to the movement are manifold. Rural areas advanced with increased rice production which improved food security. Rural household living standards and incomes upgraded to the level of urban households.

Rice production during the movement

 In 2014, Korea trailed Australia and edged past Spain in terms of economic size, the statistical agency reported. The country's nominal gross domestic product (GDP) shot up from 47.7 billion won (US$40.9 million) in 1953, soaring to 1,485 trillion won in 2014 making it the fourth-largest economy 70 years from independence. Today, South Korea is the first in both shipbuilding and heavy industry manufacturing, second in semiconductor production and cell production, fifth in car manufacturing and sixth in steel manufacturing.  Korea’s transformation from helplessness and aid recipient to a donor country was made possible by empowering rural areas.

Among the other key factors in Korean development was the government’s land policies that gave farmers full control of the land and the produces. Additionally, mindset programs were a channel through which the government empowered its people. These programs changed people's perspective towards work hence working harmoniously to develop their country. Furthermore, the revolution in education was another key factor. In 1950, the adult illiteracy level was tallied at 77% but through different education programs, it regressed to 9% by 1990. Inability to read and write halts the use of technology, hence limiting development.

Last but not the list, there was a government reform movement where war was waged against corrupt leaders in different organs and ministries. Whoever was found guilty was charged and cast into prison. This improved the efficacy of resources leading to tremendous economic development.

A brief of my Korean Experience.

I lived in Korea for about two years. The mindset change program I practically went through superseded the primary goal of achieving a master’s degree. Much as the degree was important, it would have been a waste of breath had I risked not to embrace the Korean way of work. In my farewell speech at AICF in Jeonju, I shared the ‘slow-but-sure’ spirit of work in Uganda as opposed to the ‘ppalli ppalli’ way of the Koreans. Ppalli ppalli (빨리 빨리) translates to ‘fast fast’ and is a culture to do things very fast. They speak fast, eat fast, walk fast and work fast.

In his speech, the co-founder of Dodram company Kil Gin-Bu emphasized the need for unity. Dodram is the number one swine company in Korea an achievement made possible through cooperatives, he continued. Together with Professor Lee Hak Kyo, they believed that if only we debunked our selfish ambitions and embraced brotherhood and humility, we would be the pioneers of change in Uganda. These words were the epitome for the formation of SPODA Enterprises Ltd, a company formed to transform the livestock sector of eastern Africa through mindset change programs and modern farming technologies.

Why focus on rural areas?

Over 70% of the population in developing countries and over 90% of the poor live in rural areas. Therefore, focusing on such areas is key to eradicating poverty. “Korea is the only country in the world that has transformed itself from an aid recipient to a donor country, an achievement made possible by developing rural areas under Saemaul Undong” reported the Korea Saemaul Center. The simplicity of the model enables its quick adoption, adaption and spread. The villages list their problems and needs. Together with their leaders, the needs are prioritized, and possible solutions formulated. The government’s role is to provide support in terms of inputs and technical advice, but most of the work is done by the village members.

Kibiito residents rehabilitate the Kabarungi road in Bunyangabu. Korean aid approach Saemaul Undong is touching minds, changing lives across Uganda. PHOTO | MORGAN MBABAZI | NATION 

In Uganda, Saemaul Undong was conceptualized over five years ago and its successes are manifold. With the National Farmers Leadership Center (NFLC) in Mpigi district as the epicentre for the movement, it has extended to other regions across the country. However, there is still more need to spread to all parts of the country. With the current impact of COVID-19 on food security, the model would help in quick recovery from the economic shock.

During the multi-stakeholder consultative workshop for the formulation of the National Rural Development Strategy in November 2018,  the Korean Ambassador to Uganda, Kim You-Churl stressed the need to put into consideration new challenges and opportunities faced by rural regions in the country that Korea did not face in the past. Such challenges include a more demanding competitive international environment and less room for government intervention, rapidly growing rural populations, increased pressure on limited environmental sources and climate change.

With the registered successes in all the parts of the country where Saemaul Undong has been piloted, it is hire time we spread the movement to other parts of the country. We are the change were are looking for. The Curfew, lockdown and the closure of Ugandan borders should be an eye-opener to us. We have most of the resources we need. We have the visionary leaders we can look to. What we ONLY need is A NEW MINDSET.

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Breeding Systems in Commercial Swine Farming

What is breeding?

Animal breeding is the selective breeding of domestic animals with the intent to improve desirable and heritable qualities in the next generation.

Common breeds of pigs in Uganda. Click for additional information 

·         Yorkshire/Large White.

·         Duroc.

·         Landrace.



·         Large white.

·         Hampshire

What to consider before choosing a breed?

Each breed has a unique trait over the other. Most commercial farmers mate different breeds to benefit from the heterotic potential of the offsprings. This is because the offspring have qualities of both parents.

For example:

Duroc has faster growth ability, Yorkshire has good mothering traits and Hampshire exhibits good muscling traits. A breeding program involving Yorkshire, Duroc and Hampshire produces offsprings with growth ability, good mothering and muscling traits.

There are companies specialized in breeding, however, many farmers carry out breeding programs on their farms.

In today’s article, we shall discuss the different breeding systems and programs you should follow to improve your herd.

In general, there are two main systems of breeding i.e.

· Straight breeding.

· Crossbreeding.

1. STRAIGHTBREEDING.

This breeding system involves mating animals of the same breed. It is classified into:

· Inbreeding  

· Outcrossing   

· Grading up and 

· Purebred breeding.

a.Inbreeding.

Inbreeding is the mating of individuals that are related. It is further subdivided into:

· Closebreeding: Closely related animals are mated e.g. a backcross between a parent and an offspring.

· Linebreeding: Involves mating individuals that are more distantly related for example a cross between halfsiblings.

     b. Outcrossing.

This is the mating of animals of the same breed, but which have no closer relationship than at least 4-6 generations. This is intended to introduce desirable traits into the breeding program.

 c. Grading up.

Is the mating of purebred sires to grade the females with the aim of quickly changing from one breed to another. Sires of the desired breed are continually backcrossed to the females from the previous generation the end of the F5, the offsprings fully resemble the desired parental breed.

 d. Purebred breeding:

A purebred animal is an animal of a breed, which has the characteristics of the breed of the parents. Purebred animals are homozygous i.e. have identical genes for a particular trait and do not have heterotic potential over their parents.

In pigs and poultry, purebred lines are used to produce crossbreeds for the market.

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Housing Measurements and Stocking Density of Layers in a Deep Litter System.

Factors to consider before venturing into poultry farming.

In the previous article, we discussed measures to consider before choosing the housing system for your chickens. In the cost-benefit analysis, we saw that a deep litter house should be considered for small scale producers and commercial farmers who are conscious of the welfare of the birds.

Today, we’re going to go through the housing requirements for a deep litter house. 
Consider the following before investing in any poultry enterprise:

1. Business plan: Failure to plan simply means planning to fail. Set up your business goals during this phase. List down the items you need and come up with a comprehensive budget. Consult from experts and farmers already in the business.

2. Choose a sector of interest: This depends on your reconnaissance study about the demand for the product in the intended area. It can also depend on what you desire as a person. The sectors include.

 Layers

 Broilers

 Hatchery

 Feed

 Veterinary services.

3. Housing system: Now that you’re certain about the type of the birds and sector of interest, choose the housing system. Click on the link for guidelines while choosing a housing system

4. Location: Water and power are the major utilities to consider, however, security and accessibility to the farm is also very important.

5. Financing: The capital investment depends on the sector, housing system and the size of the farm. The capital might be in terms of cash, assets or human resource. Ensure that before you venture into production, you have the necessary capital for operation.

6. Feed: This covers over 60% of the cost of production. Depending on the size of the farm, a farmer might mix their own feed or buy a pre-mixed ration. So, a farmer should be crystal clear on the source of feed before starting the production process.

7. Hire professionals: the number one killer of starting businesses is lack of technical know-how. A farmer should consider consulting an expert during the planning and in the entire production chain.

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Impact of COVID-19 on food security in Uganda.

Background:

As Uganda is trying to recover from the aftermath of the desert locusts, it is now hit by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Photo from Nile Post

The pandemic originated from Wuhan, Hubei province of China to the rest of the world. In Africa, Egypt confirmed the first case on 14^th February and since then, there has been a tremendous importation of disease to other African countries. In Uganda, the first case was confirmed on 21^st March and at present, the disease has been confirmed in over 40 patients. It's important to note that the importation and spread of the disease heavily depend on the country's preparedness and its healthy capacity. Hence, Uganda has set standards to help in curbing down the spread of the epidemic. 

Food security is critical to every aspect of people's well-being. It influences health, education and other necessities of life. This article, therefore, intends to address the impact COVID-19 has on food security in Uganda. Food security can be defined as the state of having reliable access to enough quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

Uganda’s Food Security Before the Pandemic. 

According to the UN-report, the number of hungry people stood at 820 million globally by July 2019 mostly from Africa and countries where economic growth is lagging.

Uganda produces more food than it consumes, Yet, poverty still limits people's access to nutritious food, especially in the north and east of the country, the World Food Program reported. A fast-growing population and the presence of the world's third-largest refugee population pose a further challenge to the country's ability to achieve Sustainable Development Goal on Zero Hunger, the report added. Moreover, in 2018 the number of malnourished people stood at 17.6 million. 

Much as we are a few days into the curfew, the effect is as if the country has been shut down for months. I can only imagine the aftermath in the next months or years to come. The Ministry of Finance estimates that an additional 2.6 million Ugandans will go into poverty in case of a steep rise of COVID-19 cases in Uganda. This will put almost half of the country’ population under the threat of food insecurity.

Projected food insecurity after the pandemic:

In many developing countries, millions of families already spend upwards of half of their income on food in normal circumstances. Most of these families’ survival entirely dependents on daily active income. With this I mean, the “No work-No food majority”. I would like you to bend backwards, pose a second and think! What do you think the “No work-No food majority” are going through? That's food for thought!

 Initially, we had increasing unemployment rates and with the current tragedy, I expect more layoffs as companies and businesses try to recover from the economic shock. Secondary, an increase in food production shortfalls will increase the proportion of refugees and natives relying entirely on humanitarian food assistance especially in Northern and Eastern Uganda. Market prices are determined by demand and supply. Delayed planting due to sicknesses and breakdown in the non-food supply chains will ultimately lead to a decrease in the amount of food produced hence upsurge in food prices.

Moreover, the World Food Program report noted that the Ebola outbreak in 2014, for example, led to dramatic increases in the prices of staple foods in countries impacted in West Africa. Furthermore, the food price-spikes of 2007/8 demonstrate that export restrictions, market speculation and panic behaviour were, in part, responsible for the dramatic increase in global food prices in that period—measures we are not protected against today.

Remedies to the Anticipated Food Insecurity.

The novel coronavirus continues to spread drastically, and it is hard to determine when it would be contained. If all the responsible sectors do not contain and curtail the rise of the pandemic as early as possible, the impact might be for years. As the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Matia Kasaija said: "To deal with this economic shock, both fiscal and monetary policy adjustments would be required,". This implies that holistic approaches are needed at both global and country-level, hence, the government, financial institutions and all private sectors should be involved.

First and foremost, the financial sector needs to devise means to support the faster recovery of people especially those involved in commercial production. This could be through extending financial assistance in the form of affordable loans.

Secondary, rising food prices should be checked. The government needs to put checks and balances to ensure stable affordable food prices in local markets. One of the ways through which the government achieves this is by releasing food from food banks (if we’ve any). It’s supplied at a cheaper price to buffer the market prices.

Last but not the list, agricultural inputs’ prices should be lowered and extended to village levels. This will make them accessible and affordable to farmers. Additionally, there is a need for more extension services to help farmers improve their farming skills especially to reduce post-harvest losses.

For God and My Country.

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