ohh the possibilities...

Today I am writing to you on behalf of my community here in Uganda.  We are currently dealing with food security in our village, there is not always enough food to go around. In fact for the past 6 days we have been eating porridge at noon and one serving of posho for the “meal”, for the entire day. This problem is due to the rising cost of food in Uganda, as well as a drop in monetary funding from various supporters. Although this may seem to be sad news, these circumstances are pushing us to look into alternative solutions that empower the community in a sustainable way. I believe in a “hand-up” not a “hand-out”.

“Well let’s just plant a garden then!”  It’s not quite that simple….the seasons here are getting worse; extreme droughts followed by too much water when the rains come. These factors make farming very difficult and crop production unreliable.  Therefore we are turning to a widely used, age-old strategy used in countries around the world, such as Kuwait, Israel, and Philippines: greenhouse technology.

Balton Greenhouses is a local company whose goal is “improving food security and livelihoods for small scale farmers in Uganda”. The effects of constructing a greenhouse on our property would enhance numerous aspects of the welfare of our village and the surrounding community.

We will be able to grow continually throughout the year, making the crop yield up to 10-12 times larger (depending on the crop). We will be able to incorporate farming education into our schools curriculum, providing knowledge not only to our community but to the surrounding communities via the students that attend our school from outside. The most important benefit is the food security that it will provide. We will be able to sell off the excess vegetables and fruits to provide income for the staple foods, rice, posho and beans.

The total cost for this project is $3,710.42 USD. This includes EVERYTHING; Construction materials, seeds, irrigation tanks and drip lines, gardening tools and four people to be trained properly in this gardening technique. If you ask me, that’s a bargain for not only what we will be getting, but for what we will be able to give this vulnerable community.

I ask you to prayerfully consider giving to this project today. Donating is easy, just click on the yellow “donate” button on the right side of this page and please note it is for the greenhouse. If you would like an alternative method to give, please contact me. The greenhouse can be constructed as soon as we can pay the company, hopefully before I leave in May.  

I have more information about this greenhouse than you want to read about on here, including a PowerPoint and project proposal.  If you would like any more explanation about any aspect of this project please ask! Either via comment on this blog or email: arielleferrell@gmail.com