Agroecology: Friends of the Earth Uganda/ National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE)
01 January, 2001
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01 January, 2001
There is a food and seed crisis in Uganda and much indigenous knowledge which can address these crises has been lost.
Friends of the Earth Uganda/ National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) works to support communities to protect their indigenous seed varieties and traditional farming practices which are under threat due to landgrabbing of agribusinesses and extractive industries. We support the integral role of women in agriculture by supporting them to use low cost traditional farming practices. To do so, we focus on supporting communities in Buliisa, Hoima, Kalangala and Buvuma to revive their community governance systems and indigenous knowledge to manage and conserve their natural resources and nature.
Communities have lost most of their indigenous seeds and have resorted to planting “non indigenous "improved" seed varieties” which are costly in terms of inputs and environmentally damaging. In Bunyoro kingdom NAPE is documenting all indigenous seed varieties and will begin to search for those which are already lost. NAPE works with oil affected communities in Hoima region to protect their indigenous seeds through education activities on seedbanking and the revival of indigenous seed and food practices.
Through NAPE’s sustainability school programme communities have started sharing still existing indigenous seeds. As a result communities have a greater knowledge of indigenous seeds and the harmfulness of inorganic fertilizers. Communities also have a platform to discuss and raise awareness of these issues through a green community radio programme established by NAPE.
NAPE also supports and compiles publications on seeds such as “Kwerimira Ebyokulya kwikazaho obugabe wihanga” meaning “Food sovereignty”. NAPE is also campaigning for legal recognition of unwritten law and indigenous governance systems and continues to campaign against genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
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