Spring Quarterly, Volume Ii

pring JuLY - sEPTEMBER 2009

Quarterly

Minakulu sub-county (Oyam District) officials sign and witness the land lease agreement with Apac District Farmers Association.

SPRING Facilitates

Land Agreements for Farmer Groups in Oyam District

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n July, SPRING and its land tenure and economic security partners, Center for Reparation and Rehabilitation (CRR) and Apac District Farmers Association (ADFA) met with local government officials in Oyam District to finalize the terms and conditions of a proposed public land offering for construction of three agricultural produce bulking centers and three agricultural processing facilities in the sub-counties of Minakulu, Ngai and Otwal. The facilities are

a major component of SPRING’s STABILITY Fund grant to ADFA, which aims to commercialize the production of maize, sunflower and groundnuts through collective marketing and value-addition for farmer groups. After initial discussions with the three subcounty officials, individual agreements were reached offering no-cost long-term renewable leases agreements for one and two acre plots of land with ADFA. Ngai and Otwal sub-counties agreed to a 30 year renewable lease, (See Public-Private Partnerships on page 2)

EDITION 02 Sept 09 The SPRING Quarterly is published by SPRING, a USAID-funded project.

Editorial The second edition of the SPRING Quarterly (July-September) focuses on Leveraging Local Partnerships. SPRING’s integrated approach to stabilization programming hinges on brokering partnerships between civil society, the private sector and government. This issue highlights several examples: A public-private partnership between the Apac District Farmers Association and the Oyam sub-county authorities for the lease of land, Mobilization of local government and lead farmers’ response strategies and coping mechanisms during the drought, A partnership between SPRING, through UMECS and the Ministry of Education to launch a pilot peace education and counseling curriculum. Such partnerships build sustainable trust and cooperation to better manage the transition from recovery to development. We hope you enjoy this issue.

Public-Private Partnership (continued from page 1) while Minakulu offered a 49 year renewable agreement. “The donation shall be renewable as long as the farmers and other community members are still interested in the project,” stated the LC III Chairperson of Otwal Sub County. SPRING’s legal partner, CRR, was instrumental in providing legal guidance and reviewing drafts of the agreements to ensure the property and land rights of all parties are protected. The final land agreements were signed by both parties and construction of facilities is underway. This positive outcome demonstrated that involving all relevant stakeholders is paramount for ensuring land tenure security. Furthermore, local governments in northern Uganda have a key role to play in facilitating local economic development through strategic public-private partnerships. To-date SPRING and CRR have brokered 15 land agreements out of 23 proposed agricultural storage and processing sites between its network of farmer groups, IPs and local government partners.

EDITION 02 Sept 09

NECPA, Executive Director, Helen Acham addressing questions about chili production.

SPRING and NECPA Organize Acholi-Langi

Chili Farmers Exchange Visit

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t was a spicy celebration on Friday September 25th when SPRING implementing partner North East Chili Producers Association (NECPA) organized a successful Acholi-Langi Chili Farmer’s Exchange Visit in Ngai Sub-county in Oyam District. The event, which brought together approximately 300 chili farmers from Acholi and Langi communities to share experiences and promote the successes of chili farming, exemplified SPRING’s integrated approach to economic security, peacebuilding and access to justice. Chili farming has become extremely popular in Oyam, thanks to NECPA’s ten year history in the district, making Oyam one of the largest chili producing areas in the North. Many Acholi farmers are only just now discovering the commercial benefits of chili for the first time thanks to support from the SPRING project. The event carried a strong message of reconciliation by traditional authorities. Traditional Ministers of Agriculture from Ker Kwaro Acholi and the Lango Cultural Foundation stressed the importance of healing

The SPRING Quarterly is published by SPRING, a USAID-funded project.

after the war and the need to work together to strive for sustainable peace. The meeting was concluded with a representative from SPRING’s land tenure security partner, Center for Reparations and Rehabilitation (CRR), who spoke on the importance of land tenure and suggested strategies that farmers can employ to protect themselves from land conflicts. The event was complemented by drama performances on chili production and cooperative farming as well as traditional dances and songs. While a relatively new crop in northern Uganda, there are several commercial benefits to chili farming, which include: A strong export market and high farm gate prices (3,800UGX/Kg for bird’s eye chili); the crop is more drought resistant than traditional staple crops; inputs are relatively inexpensive and the crop density is high. The SPRING and NECPA stability project is currently supporting 720 farmers (23 farmer groups) in Oyam, Lira, Kitgum and Pader districts to expand production and marketing of chili throughout the Acholi and Lango sub-regions.

SPRING staff handover the signed STABILITY Fund grant agreement to UMECS staff in front of SPRING’s Office in Gulu.

SPRING Signs Grant Agreement Launching Peace Education and

Guidance Counseling in Secondary Schools in Northern Uganda Project

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uesday September 8th marked the launch of another exciting STABILITY Fund project with the grant signing of the one-year Peace Education and Guidance Counseling in Secondary Schools in Northern Uganda Project between SPRING and its implementing partner United Movement to End Child Soldiering (UMECS). Under the agreement UMECS will design and carry-out a one-year pilot project for

a peace education course and school guidance and psychosocial counseling program in seven schools comprising 6,630 students in Gulu, Amuru, Kitgum and Pader Districts. The pilot project also works in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Makerere University’s Institute of Continuing and Adult Education (ICAE), as well as the Unyama National Teacher’s College in Gulu. UMECS is managed by a dynamic team of education, community devel-

EDITION 02 Sept 09 The SPRING Quarterly is published by SPRING, a USAID-funded project.

opment and peace building specialists and has had partnerships with secondary schools in Northern Uganda for five years. SPRING and UMECS will report results and recommendations to the Ministry of Education so that a standardized peace education and formal guidance counseling program can be replicated, scaled up, and sustainably mainstreamed into the Ugandan education system.

SPRING Facilitates Live Radio Talk Show Addressing the Drought Situation–

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n July, the prolonged drought season, which affected vast communities in the country, including several SPRING supported farmer groups, came to a climax with deaths and increased crimes being reported.As an initiative to address the problem, SPRING facilitated a live radio talk show on Mega FM with the theme: The Drought and it’s Implication on the Recovery Process. The show featured the District Agricultural Officer (DAO) of Gulu district, the Gulu District Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) Chairman and a SPRING Lead Farmer in Gulu. The discussion focused on the causes of the drought and its impact on peace and recovery in the communities. It was noted that the drought has led to a severe water crisis, an abnormal price increase in food items, theft and asset stripping especially from the extremely vulnerable individuals (EVIs) who are still receiving monthly food supplies. “Peace can’t exist without food in a sociEDITION 02 Sept 09

ety and quick recovery can’t be made in a situation of food shortage.” The DDMC Chairman made this remark before advising communities to plant quick growing, fast maturing and drought resistant crops to mitigate further famine. Referring to a Rapid Food Security Report, the DAO urged listeners to join farmer groups, make use of the agricultural extension workers and to start up Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) to enable them engage in other businesses to complement their agriculture. This, the DDMC Chairman added, was vital in reducing vulnerability of women, who are most affected by the drought, “Several men have abandoned their families. And the women, in an effort to feed their children are resorting to prostitution, leading to broken marriages and destroyed homes.” The Gulu farmer representative concurred with the district authorities, emphasizing that the drought caused a drastic reduction in the harvest leading

The SPRING Quarterly is published by SPRING, a USAID-funded project.

to the breakage of social harmony. On an encouraging note however, he mentioned that the farmers in Lalogi subcounty are hopeful that they will harvest enough food once the rains return as predicted by the National Metrological Department. During the show, the DAO took the opportunity to announce that his office plans to construct storage facilities in all the sub-counties, to allow farmers to store food as a safety net during situations of acute food shortage. Under the current SPRING project, two such storage facilities will be built in Lakwana –sub-county. USAID and SPRING were commended on producing informative programs that addressed new challenges along the road to recovery. Also in July a similar talk show was held in Kitgum district’s Pol FM hosting key stakeholders in agriculture and disaster management in the district.

SPRING Staff Profile SPRING Delivers Second Phase of Risk Assessment and Planning (RAP) Program for USAID Implementing Partners

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uring the week of September 14th SPRING conducted trainings in Risk Assessment and Planning for USAID Implementing Partners in Gulu and Kampala. The training was the second phase of SPRING’s RAP program which aims to apply the concept of conflict sensitivity programming to the US Government’s Inter-agency Conflict Assessment Framework (ICAF), a cutting edge tool used by all US government agencies to link the context in which US government programs operate to the programs’ project cycles through analysis, planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. The trainings demonstrated how conflict sensitive planning can help USAID imple-

menting partners avoid contributing to possible vulnerable trends and instead maximize windows of opportunity to yield the greatest impact from their programs. SPRING intends to assist USAID implementing partners to link their programs to the current context in Uganda by conducting individual site visits in order to deliver recommendations for improving impact, as well as adding conflict sensitivity to monitoring and evaluation exercises. SPRING will also conduct similar exercises for US Embassy, USAID, and DoD staff to pave the way for continual context analysis and engagement with USAID implementing partners to maximize the impact of US government resources in Uganda.

Dickens Kulis Olwoch Program Officer SPRING-AVSI

Dickens Kulis Olwoch is a Program officer working with AVSI under the SPRING project. He manages Kitgum Women Bee Keepers Association (Kitwobee) and Meeting Point, a local NGO offering livelihoods support to people living with HIV/AIDS. He has been instrumental in building the capacities of these vulnerable groups in an effort to improve their livelihoods. “I really feel encouraged to see our beneficiaries implementing the knowledge learned at trainings and using the modern tools such as bee hives and harvesting kits to improve their farming activities for better livelihoods. Today, the beneficiaries boast of better health and the ability to send their children to school with basic school requirements and dues.” Professional Expertise: Trainer and Counselor Education: Dip. In Education-Unyama NTC Grade III Teachers’ CertificateKitgum PTC Grade II Teachers’ CertificateFatima PTC, Lira

SPRING consultant, Steve Archibald, facilitates RAP training for USAID IPs in Gulu

EDITION 02 Sept 09 The SPRING Quarterly is published by SPRING, a USAID-funded project.

Work Experience: Program Officer, AVSI- 2005-present; Kitgum PTC, Coordinating Center Tutor- 1998-2004; Head Teacher, Pader1986-1997; Deputy Head Teacher, Pader- 1983-1985; Education Assistant, Pader- 1977-1982. Home: Kitgum/Gangdyang Hobbies: Watching movies, participating in church, Music, dance and drama.

Notes from the Field SPRING and its land tenure security partner, Center Repartrations and Rehabilitation (CRR) have been helping farmer groups secure legally binding land offer agreements for the land upon which SPRING storage facilities are being constructed. These agreements were signed at all locations where land had been informally donated. The farmer groups greatly appreciated the formalization of the land offer, because it guaranteed protection of the land for decades in the future, and in some cases permanently. It also helped them fend crop storage and procession of fraudulent claims to the land by other family members. According to a group member in Attiak:

“The signed agreement gave us the certainty of ownership of the land as a group.”

Sub-county officials and local authorities have also appreciated their inclusion in the process, because it helped keep them informed of the happenings within their area. Their participation also helped them understand the importance of land agreements and the contribution SPRING Farmer Groups were making to the economy of the area. At locations where the sub counties donated the land, local government expressed satisfaction that this donation was for the benefit of not only the farmer groups but

SPRING IP Profile Kitgum Women Bee Keepers

Association (Kitwobee)

also for the community as a whole. One sub-county official in Lakwana stated: “This store will help Lakwana recover and prosper.” The land owners were equally happy, because they felt they were taking part in the development of their community. A land owner in Pacilo asserted: “I am very happy to offer my land to promote the development of my region. My family and I do so willingly, freely and permanently.” Indeed, SPRING and CRR also made sure that entire families, neighbors, local officials and elders were all a part of the land agreement signings. According to the Project officer of Lira District Farmers Association: “The formalized land agreement shall protect the interest of both the land offerers and offerees against each other and the community.”

During the last week of August 40 lead farmers from Lalogi and Lakwana subcounties in Gulu District participated in a four-day study tour to Kapchorwa District in Eastern Uganda, organized by SPRING’s economic security partner, Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR), as part of their implementation of the Strengthening Economic Recovery and Reconciliation in Gulu District Project. The trip exposed farmers to a number of enterprises and new technologies in areas such as commercial horticulture, i.e. vegetables and fruit, and dairy farming. Lead Farmers were also introduced to the way Kapchorwa farmer groups work together collectively to harvest and market their production. Kapchorwa farmers encouraged the Gulu farmers to maximize the use of their new agricultural warehouse facilities, currently approaching completion; these are considered to be major productive assets by many groups in Eastern Uganda. At the end of the exposure visit, Gulu lead farmers unanimously agreed to spread the skills learned in order to build the capacity of their group members in their respective sub counties. The level of cooperation demonstrated by farmers in Kapchorwa made a strong impression on the group.

A land owner and SPRING staff look on as KSWVO representative sign an agreement in Pabbo.

Date of Establishment: 1995 Location: Kitgum District Coverage:

Orom and Namukora sub-counties Number of Staff: 3

Mission Statement:

To strengthen apiculture farmer groups’ organizational and technical capacity in apiary management and colony multiplication to increase production of hive products.

SPRING Project:

Improving household livelihoods in post conflict Kitgum through increased honey production for 139 beneficiaries.

Project Highlight:

In recognition of the commendable work implemented in Kitgum district, the Commission of Beekeeping for Rural DevelopHead Office: Plot 1GA Samuel Doe Road P.O.Box 36 Gulu, UGANDA Tel: +256 (0) 471 433506, Website: www.springuganda.com Email: [email protected] EDITION 02 Sept 09

Gulu Lead Farmers Participate in Kapchorwa Study Tour

ment seconded Kitwobee to take part in the Apimodia Congress in France. The Apimodia Congress is a forum in which beekeepers, scientists, honey traders and legislators from over 100 countries interact with one another. In September 2009, Kitwobee was duly represented at the conference by Simon Peter Ochola, the Project Officer and Margaret Rose Ogaba, the chairperson, who presented a paper Beekeeping, an Integrated Approach to Shea Tree Conversion in Uganda. The paper pointed out the importance of the Shea tree to honey production and livelihoods of the rural communities.

SPRING Project Manager:

Dickens Kulis Olwoch Program Officer -SPRING-AVSI

[email protected]

SPRING Implementing Team;

EMG, AVSI, STF and Cardno Agrisystems

The SPRING Quarterly is published by SPRING, a USAID-funded project.