![\"Bishop](\"http:\/\/www.oaic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Bishop-Dtsheko-Enole-inteviewing-Charles-Babiga.jpg\" "\\"Bishop")
<\/a>Charles Babiga, a core member of the SACCO states that it started as an initiative of some church members after attending a workshop organized by a church.<\/p>\n
\u201cChurches have increasingly realized the importance of empowering their congregations not only by ensuring that their spiritual nourishment is taken care of but also through capacity building in various ways. The SACCO is one such initiative that was started after a participatory rural appraisal workshop which at was organized by the Centre for Evangelism church at Busalamu with support from the OAIC,\u201d stated Mr. Babiga.<\/p>\n
They started by mobilizing the community with an aim of empowering them. The church identified participants from the community based organizations, faith based organizations and opinion leaders, farmers among others after realizing that they could impact their various communities with the skills they had acquired after the workshop.<\/p>\n
He says that the SACCO has been able to lobby for credits for its farmers as well as resource mobilization. \u00a0As of 31st<\/sup> August 2012, the SACCO\u2019s assets were worth UGShs. 220, 806,639 which is approximately USD 88,322. Currently, the SACCO has 2422 members with 1673 males, 638 females, 19 institutions and 92 community groups.<\/p>\n \u201cThe SACCO enables farmers to create economies of scale as they are able to bargain with the banks and other financial institutions on behalf of farmers. The low-income family households who had been locked out by the big banks have been able to save and take loans that have enabled them to pay school fees for their children and improve their livelihoods generally. Recently, the SACCO \u00a0partnered with the Stanbic bank to buy a tractor for the farmers Association at the sub county level and this has contributed to the development of the<\/p>\n local economy through the horizontal and vertical linkages in relation to the community and government,\u201d stated Babiga.<\/p>\n John Amisi, the Programmes Coordinator at AYODEF Awareness Youth Development Foundation \u2013 Kenya – stated that he had been able to convince the youths that agriculture was important and they were beginning to appreciate it.<\/p>\n Formed in 1998 to address issues to do with unemployment, curb rural-urban migration as well as ensuring that many people have access to agricultural information and technology, AYODEF has done well for itself.<\/p>\n Currently, it has over 2,000 networks and linkages with Research Institutions like Kenya Forestry Research institute \u2013 KEFRI \u2013 World Agro forestry Centre \u2013 ICRAF \u2013 KENYA Agricultural Research Institute \u2013 KARI – .<\/p>\n \u201cFood security has been key in our organization as we have been able to plant nutritional foods some of which we have started to process. I have led the members to help build synergies and break the cycle of malnutrition which has been done through our links with research institutions that monitor our soil fertility and advise us accordingly. We have nutritional gardens where crops like the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are grown, bananas, avocadoes, pawpaw, pigeon peas as well as the famous Muringa tree are grown,\u201d stated Amisi.<\/p>\n Bishop\u00a0 Dtsheko Enole while interviewing Amisi noted that farmers ought to be empowered to ensure that they are key in policy making as well as during the implementation process in order to develop the agricultural sector in Africa.<\/p>\n \u201cThe young people have realised that life in the urban areas is not very rosy. What they can do with Shs 5,00o in the city may not be sufficient compared to the rural areas. They have thus begun to appreciate and change their mindsets with regards to farming. They also want to be involved in activities that have quick returns thus the chicken – rearing business is one of the endeavours that we are involving them in. There is something known as serial hatching where we take a specially prepared egg that is used for hatching. After the 21 days, that egg is also used immediately for the same purpose and it could be used up to 3 times within 63 days. This technology has motivated the young people in the region as it is profitable,\u201d stated Amisi.<\/p>\n Reverend Marie Nizigiyimana from Burundi \u00a0stated the consultation on food security was an eye opener for her as she did not know how best to approach such issues in a church context.<\/p>\n \u201cI was very pleased to see the young agronomists taking up the challenge of food security in the continent. The youths in Burundi don\u2019t appreciate faming but I am encouraged to see the young people taking up the challenge. I am going to encourage the youths in Burundi as well as the women and churches to be in the forefront of ensuring that food security is part of their everyday conversations. I would also like to urge the OAIC think of incorporating French and Swahili on the website so that even the French speaking countries can benefit from the content,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n Hloibsile Nxumalo from Swaziland stated that she was going to engage with the church leaders in her country to ensure that they understand the importance of indulging their congregations on matters to do with agriculture.<\/p>\n Bishop Dtsheko Enole he was grateful for the insights that he had been able to gather at the Consultations forum as they were priceless and that he was going to take action and start the food security conversations in his country.<\/p>\n Professor Molobi from South Africa stated that it was a high time for everyone present to ensure that they impact their families, churches and communities when they go back home.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should open our eyes to the resources available within us to ensure that we generate income and alleviate poverty and hunger in Africa. We don\u2019t need people from outside Africa to come and show us what we can do with our resources. I would rather attend a food conference in Nairobi than in New York because I know that is where the real solutions are. It is possible to eradicate poverty, the future belongs to the organised,\u201d stated Professor Molobi.<\/p>\n Reverend Nicta noted that transforming relationships in the society should be key in any development agenda.<\/p>\n \u201cThe current relationships are not right. The elected representatives are the political patrons. You find that religious institutions, community organisations have taken\u00a0 up the role of being<\/p>\n brokers and they are used by the politicians to get through to the communities at the expense of the members of the community. We should ask ourselves, as we stand here, are we prophets or brokers? Hunger has ensured that people have submitted and this can be manipulated by the people in power. I am the principle as the citizen, you as an elected leader are the agent who is supposed to manage the resources for me,\u201d stated Nicta.<\/p>\n Charles Abugre from the UNMC notes that Africa can learnt how to be food sufficient and even be able to manufacture their own produce as Dr. Amuna demystified in his presentation.<\/p>\n Wendy Gichuru(UCC) noted that the efforts put by everyone during the consultation will go a long way in ensuring that food security issues are dealt with.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough partnerships, we are able to participate in God\u2019s work and mission. The world is watching and we need to see the results after the conference is over,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n Vincent Obulengo noted that the trainings for the communities in farming that the OAIC has necessitated since the early 2000\u2019s has borne fruits as some of the best farming practices have been inculcated into the famers books.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>