ABOUT CELAC
Collecting and Exchanging of Local Agriculture Content (CELAC) is a project of BROSDI (
Busoga Rural Open Source and Development Initiative) aiming at use of ICT methods and knowledge sharing to enhance poverty reduction and food security. CELAC operates in all the four regions in Uganda. The CELAC Project seeks to collect and exchange this local agricultural content that works from the farmers. It is common knowledge that the vast compiled agricultural content is for the literate, technologically advanced and economically privileged, leaving the farmers with little to salvage in terms of knowledge
Our Mission.
The projects targets at improving rural farmers livelihoods and food security through engaging the government and civil society in knowledge sharing and information management of local content using ICTs.
Information is a vital tool in development. The CELAC Project seeks to collect and exchange this local agricultural content that works from the farmers. It is common knowledge that the vast compiled agricultural content is for the literate, technologically advanced and economically privileged leaving the farmers with little to salvage in terms of knowledge; which might be the reason that discourages knowledge sharing. In the olden days our great grand parents did not use chemical farming. Instead, they exploited nature and used customized and locally developed methods for best farming practices. This is not the case today. Many of the farmers today depend on use of chemicals for both crop and animal farming. This of course has had a negative impact on the resultant harvests, the air we breathe, our environment, the soil fertility and on human life per say
Dissemination methods include: -
- CELAC Website. This website seeks to bring crop and animal farming practices that have worked for the farmers.
- The project has both a monthly online and quarterly off line Newsletter called the "CELAC News". In an attempt to include the grassroot farmers in this methodology, all articles are written in both English and Luganda. Luganda is the most widely spoken local language in Uganda.
- Phone Short text Messages (SMS) - The project has a database of phone numbers to whom local agro-related information is sent every Monday. The category in the database is composed of farmers, Community Development Workers, Agricultural Extension Workers and any other interested person.
- Radio call in programs. These will be on a monthly basis.
- Use of music, dance and drama to portray the farming practices and their challenges. These will be taped on video and burnt on DVD for use by farmers' organizations, farmers and NGOS as tools to enhance further learning.
The CELAC project includes amongst her target group , women. This is because they are the major earners especially at grassroot level. In Uganda, 72% of all employed women and 90% of all rural women work in agriculture. Only 53% of rural men do so
About CELAC
