FARMERS IN SERICULTURE AT TROPICAL INSTTITUTE OF DEVELEPOMENT INNOVATIONS IN UGANDA

At Tropical Institute of Development Innovation (TRIDI) farmers supplement their income from farming food crops whilst practicing sericulture. They are about 34 stations in 24 districts that rear silkworms.

The process of sericulture;

1. They plant mulberry and it is about to mature they procure silkworm eggs that are brought from china, the eggs incubate and hatch.
2. Once the eggs hatch, the farmers pick leaves and arrange them on the racks or beds where the worms are released to feed on these leaves.
3. The silkworm eats and grows at a rapid pace and within a month starts to produce cocoon. These cocoons are then stored carefully, after they are taken into the reeling machine to process silk.

Water scarcity affects the number and size of mulberry leaves and hence the number of successful cocoons. While this is a matter of concern, farmers are expecting the price that had fallen due to a number of factors can be retaliated and expect government to release more funds for the more production of cocoon for silk since it’s their only sources of income.

Majority of farmers earn their salaries at the end of the month and this has really impacted and changed their livelihoods, but for the last four months’ our farmers have experienced some challenges that have made them an able to produce better results, but TRIDI is still working together with the government to ensure that the project still stands firm to improve the livelihoods of Ugandans.