6th ATNESA THEMATIC WORKSHOP: MODERNISING AGRICULTURE THROUGH IMPROVED ANIMAL TRACTION AND RURAL TRANSPORT SERVICES

20th-24th May 2002

Jinja, Uganda

Background
The use of work animals was introduced in Uganda in 1909. Soon after, an animal-traction farmer training and demonstration school was opened in Kumi. This was later transferred to the current Serere Agricultural and Animal Production Research Institute (SAARI) as a centre for research, testing, demonstration and training of farmers in ox-cultivation. Through the extension efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture, the use of work animals rapidly spread throughout the East and Northern parts of the country. These are areas where ecological and cultural conditions favoured its development. The technology brought about rapid increase in cropped acreage especially for cotton and traditional cereal crops. By the 1970s, 70-90% of the households in the two regions were either using or indirectly benefiting from animal traction. Elsewhere in the country, the technology was widely demonstrated but, due to a number of reasons, limited adoption by farmers persists.

For over seventy years, animal traction and animal powered transport technology depended solely on imported technologies. Besides being expensive, animal traction equipment was heavy, sophisticated and difficult to operate using local work-animals. They also lacked reliable sources of spare parts. In 1967, local manufacture of animal drawn farm implements was initiated. This initiative has since grown into a modern and recently privatised Soroti Agricultural Implements and Machinery Manufacturing Company (SAIMMCO) Uganda Limited.

General progress of animal traction development was hindered by civil strife of the 70's. This saw farmers lose their work animals with devastation of the smallholder farming sector. Efforts have since been put in place to revive animal traction development as an important part of the Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture of Uganda. The integrated programme underway requires the input of both national and international knowledge and experience.

The Uganda Workshop
The Uganda Network for Animal Traction (UNAT) in collaboration with the Animal Traction Network for Eastern and Southern Africa (ATNESA), are organising an international workshop to be held, 20th-23rd May, 2002. This will be the sixth thematic Workshop of ATNESA.

The workshop takes place at a time when the government of Uganda's development efforts are focused on Poverty Eradication through Modernisation of Agriculture. Consequently, the theme of the workshop:

"modernising agriculture through improved animal traction and rural transport services"

has been carefully selected to reflect the current national focus. It is anticipated that the national, regional and international practitioners in animal traction and rural transport service provision will bring their experiences to Uganda. They will help to analyse the Uganda situation as a case study and recommend viable avenues for sustained exploitation of animal traction and rural transport services for Uganda and beyond.

Of special importance, participants will share ideas on how to advance what has already proved successful in the region and the world and make recommendations for collaborative activities. Countries in the region and will particularly learn from the Privatisation and Decentralisation pillar of development, which is gaining real strength in Uganda. This will include strategic plans and programmes for protecting our environment through holistic resource management principles.

The workshop will also give participants the opportunity to exchange information, ideas, plans and achievements regarding research and development, training, manufacture as well as extension work in the wide scope of Animal Traction utilisation.

This special international workshop is tailor-made to host applied researchers, trainers, manufacturers, farmers, artisans, consultants, rural transport enthusiasts, representatives of beneficiaries and extension agents. These are likely to be engineers, socio-economists, veterinarians, animal welfare supporters, gender awareness promoters, micro-finance institutions, leaders, policy makers, donor agents, NGOs/CBOs, environmentalists and others.

ATNESA workshops always attract a very interesting combination of practitioners and are fora for exchange of an incredible range of rural and urban development issues. ATNESA realises recently, rural transport and cross-cutting issues of gender and environment (such as conservation farming) have brought animal traction to the frontline of livelihoods improvement and general rural development.

Objectives of the Workshop

• Review the research, development and extension scenario regarding the use of animal traction and transport services for enhanced benefits to practitioners and beneficiaries alike;
• Review existing draft animal technologies, management, socio-economic and gender issues and environmental implications of the use of work animals;
• Analyse present and future needs for improving the utilisation and management of animal traction technologies in the region while learning from the Uganda's experiences and potentials, particularly in decentralised governance and liberalisation;
• Chart the way forward to empower farmers and entrepreneurs on sustainable utilisation of animal traction and transport services for the modernisation of Uganda's agriculture.

Workshop themes

• Consolidating and expanding the utilisation of work animals for poverty eradication;
• Animal powered rural and peri-urban transport;
• Conservation tillage for environmental preservation;
• Policy issues on animal traction and rural development;
• Work animal nutrition, health and general welfare management;
• Entrepreneurship development for animal traction technology manufacture, operation, marketing and support services.
• User-centred and gender issues in animal traction and transport
• Practical experiences and case studies in the utilisation of work animals;
• Use of information technology in animal traction, transport and rural development.

Abstracts and papers
The official language of the workshop will be English. Paper abstracts and posters must be prepared in English and sent to the secretariat not later than January 30th, 2002. Full papers must be received by 30th of March 2002. Please note that all participants will be expected to present a paper or a poster that fits any of the above themes and relevant to specific work experiences. There will be an award for the winning poster, as selected by participants. There will be room to display posters, equipment, implements, instruments and accessories of interest to participants.

Contact:
Workshop Secretariat: Engineer Wilfred R. Odogola
Agricultural Engineering and Applied Technology Research Institute
P.O. Box 7144
Kampala, Uganda.
Tel +256-41-566161
Mobile: 256-77-220010
Fax: 256-41-566049/567649
Email: aeatri@starcom.co.ug

Web: www.atnesa.org/Uganda2002.htm

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