Plant and Health Project

DUFA’s PHCS committee supports the Plant and Health Cooperative Society in Aduku in Apac District in Northern Uganda. The committee members have together with PHCSs leadership successfully applied for and run now 5 projects funded by CISU (Civil Society in Development, a Danish Civil Society Organisation undertaking the administration of Danida’s fund for development of the Civil Society in the Global South).

The funding has been used for education of leadership and members in PHCS. During the last project they increased their knowledge and skills in the capacity to run a cooperative as a democratic farmers association, and they gained skills on how to increase the yield from their agricultural activities. They have earlier learned to prepare and sell syrup, cakes and snacks, and they have attended workshops how to prepare healthy meals, hygiene and preservation of food.

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The present projects have included strengthening of the capacity to work in groups where the members learn from each other, help each other, all family members participate, men and women cooperate on equal terms, and widows and other single women’s right to land is respected. Other important element is adaption to the climate changes by learning methods for sustainable agriculture (agro forestry), and use of radio to spread the information about such methods.

The Plants and Health Cooperative Society is a marketing cooperative. It sells soya beans on behalf of the 300 members that get a better price by bulking their produce. Each of the members are a member of a farmers’ group. The members supervise each other and receive advice from PHCS. PHCS supplies them with the seeds. It helps the farmers in this way to be able to buy good quality seeds at favourable prices.

Most of the farmer’s groups have a circle where the members save together and take loans from their saving. Some farmers’ groups have formed new cooperatives in their area. PHCS has now had membership groups in 4 districts: Kwania, Apac, Oyam and Amolatar but except the groups in Amolatar to form an independent coperative in the near future.

Men and women have equal rights in relation to the cooperative. Both men and women sign up as members, buy shares, participate in training and meetings, and sign contracts for delivery of their harvest. The cooperative acts as a leverage for women’s rights e.g. to receive the income from their work, and to inherit (the shares), while most women depend on good relations to their husbands when it comes to land for cultivation.

DUFA’s Plants and Health Committee writes project proposals, meets quarterly to discuss and approve the reports, accounts and budgets from PHCS, answer questions from PHCS and eventually give advice or revise the plans for the project. One group member acts as contact person. Beside a committee member travels to monitor the project 2 to 3 times in a project period. Such a visit often results in small adjustment of the project.

Members of Plant & Health

1. Anita Iga
2. Karen Ingrid Schultz
3. Agea Peters Go-DEOS
4. David Okwera
5. Torsten Mandal

Liva Kasch Hansen and Maja Pilgaard are incharge of arranging an annual tour with collection of wild herbs and mushrooms to be prepared on a bonfire.
If you want to contact Plant & Health Group, please write an e-mail to kareningrid@stickhill.dk

Follow this link to a presentation of the Plants and Health Cooperative.