BY CHRISTINE AWOR
This entire process starts from post harvest handling which has been one of the biggest issues affecting farmers in Uganda. Post Harvest Handling is a system of handling, storing and transporting agriculture commodities after harvest
Its importance has been established over years to allow effective planning on how to sustainably manage finite resources for future generations.
With support from Tropical Institute Of Development Innovations (TRIDI) through department of Applied Chemistry, farmers and community around are able to benefit from short skills training scheduled to take 4 days (23rd-26th August 2022) at TRIDI Chemistry Laboratory.
This according to Milton Candia who heads Chemistry Department at TRIDI comes at the backdrop of many community challenges they have been witnessing ranging from poor post harvest handling,lack of skills in value addition and self creativity.
“We have for long done just a few activities in the community ranging from community awareness, cleaning environment and this has made community know very little about what TRIDI does hence making them not take advantage of the availability opportunities.”Said Candia
This short skill training will be of great value to the community through encouraging the youth to be creative , innovative and bridge the gap of unemployment, job creation , employable skills and reducing the risks of poor post harvest handling.
“We see many agro products being wasted and not handled well, sometimes tomatoes are just poured, fats from pork joints poured and wasted not knowing those can be used in Tomatoes sauce and soap making respectively, so this just a motivation to have farmers in the community equipped with hands-on skills to maintain food security and value addition ”He added
Agriculture becomes attractive to young generation only when it’s profitable, competitive, and dynamic. For this, use of innovative technologies, improvement in input supply and value addition is vital
Amutukwasize Lauben Parada head of Production in Applied Chemistry at TRIDI says for long, students leave their various institutions and just float without any job or skills to start on so opportunities like this should be embraced with much positivity because it will bridge that gap and make them self empowered
“Some of the short skills training we shall offer are; Liquid and bar soap making, tomato sauce , yoghurt and many other skills”
Image 4:Samples of Tomatoes sauces to be made.
In a nutshell, when the community practice food security, value addition and good post harvest handling, it helps to enhance the productivity and consecutively the production of food.
It can also assist in providing opportunities for income generation and , it generally provides improvement of nutritional values through enhancing the quality of rural life by way of community development.
Compiled By Christine Awor , Public Rations Officers (TRIDI)
