FARM
Current Situation
Nearly 1,100 students in the Maranatha Schools receive two meals a day of maize flour (corn meal) porridge and beans supplemented with some vegetables. Maize, known to us as corn, is a major component of the diet in Uganda. The school owns a 49-acre farm where they grow maize and vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. The vegetables supplement the diet of the schoolchildren and the maize is ground for school use. Due to economic constraints, less than 40% of the farm is cultivated and consequently most of the maize flour the children eat is purchased. Food prices in Uganda, like those elsewhere in the world, have increased dramatically in the past year, making greater self-sufficiency in food production an urgent need for Maranatha.
In the fall of 2007, Maranatha constructed its first building to house a flock of layer chickens. The building was stocked with day-old chicks purchased by the elementary and middle school students in the Lake Bluff, Illinois, school district. The birds began laying eggs in March 2008, enabling Maranatha to add them to children’s diet and to sell the surplus.
This has been a successful undertaking, but hens economically lay eggs for 12 to 15 months and this flock has reached the end of its production cycle and, as is the practice throughout the world, is being sold for meat.
Maranatha's goal is to develop a sustainable agricultural program to provide food for their students, income, and vocational education.
Plans for 2009
Farm Manager Earlier this year, Maranatha hired a Farm Manager to run the farm and egg-laying operations. This is the first time these operations have been managed by someone with a degree in agriculture. The position is funded by KidsUganda. In addition to daily management duties, the Farm Manager will work with the Summer Intern to determine how Maranatha’s agricultural resources can be used to sustainably generate more food and income.
Summer Intern Dan Kaskubar, the 2008 Summer Intern, spent much of his time managing the successful construction of the girls’ dormitory. However, he was able to devote some time to assessing the agricultural programs and concluded that they had the potential to generate additional food and income for Maranatha. KidsUganda is currently recruiting for the 2009 Summer Intern. His or her primary responsibility will be to work with the Farm Manager to develop a comprehensive plan for a sustainable agricultural enterprise to support Maranatha. KidsUganda will fund the Summer Intern.
Farm The Farm Manager and Summer Intern will be assessing options for the farm that include such alternatives as increasing the acreage of maize (through cultivation of the additional tillable acreage on the farm), improving yields (through the use of improved seed, fertilizer, and irrigation; current production methods are at a subsistence level), and improving income (through on-farm drying and storage of maize so that it can be sold in the periods between harvests when prices are historically higher) or grinding the maize to produce flour below market prices for use by the schools (through contract or on-farm grinding). Other options that will be assessed include purchasing maize from subsistence farmers at harvest when prices are low, drying and storing it for school use, or selling it at higher post-harvest prices. In addition, options for producing income or food with crops other than maize will be considered.
Egg Production Aside from the need to restock the existing layer house with chicks, the Farm Manager and Summer Intern will be assessing options that include expanding production (by building additional layer houses so that multiple flocks can produce a continuous supply of eggs); reducing production costs (through on-farm mixing of ingredients rather than purchasing mixed feed), and improved marketing.
Agricultural Vocational Education Because the farm is located several miles from the Vocational School at Mizigo, it has been difficult to use it for vocational training. Recently, Maranatha purchased a small plot near the Vocational School that will be used to provide agricultural training to the vocational students. The existing layer house is next to the Vocational School and is used in the educational program.
