Registered with the government of Uganda in 2016, AW has a demonstration
farm in Lira district for teaching farmers. It also works with partners to
conduct radio programmes that are centred on improving knowledge of farmers, enterprise
selection and market linkages.
The enterprise was started by Tonny Abet and it is built on
the passion of making agriculture work as a viable business and ensuring food
security for over 70 percent of the 2.3 million people in Lango that depend on
it.
Lango, the area that is racing to recover from 20 years of
Lord’s Resistance Army insurgencies, has found itself in another roadblock of climate
change which is increasing vulnerability among its largely youthful population.
The use of rudimentary farming technologies, poor
agricultural production practices, limited access to finances and technical
assistance, emerging pests and diseases, increases the climate change vulnerabilities
in family farms. Women and youth who primarily run these family farms are the
most affected in the farming that relies on rain-fed agriculture.
Aim of Aton Wellness
To raise a breed of climate-smart family farms in northern Uganda.
How we do it
Aton Wellness is promoting climate-smart agriculture through;
Being practical/demonstration farms
Aton Wellness has set demonstration a demonstration farm and
it also works with elite farmers to introduce farmers to climate-smart farming,
teach them effective pest and disease
prevention and control in a production setting, how to maximise yields such as
fertiliser use and good post-harvest handling methods. The farmers are also
linked to markets in addition to enterprise selection advisory.
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| Northern Uganda: Excited women in an engagement |
Science engagement
Here, modern farming knowledge, products and innovations are presented to rural farmers in local language. Complex scientific words are broken down into locally comprehensible and relatable local language phrases. We use platforms like radio stations, community dialogues and print to engage rural farmers. We also appreciate that a number of young rural farmers are on social media so we also have a customised packages for them.
Behaviour change and persuasive communication
In its transformative model, Aton dispenses farming as a
business, away from the existing 'subsistence approach' practiced by over 90%
of rural farmers in northern Uganda. Every rural farmer is made to reconsider
themselves as business person capable of causing tremendous difference and
rising beyond limits when they equip themselves with most current knowledge and
skills to excel in farming as a business. We use the platforms as in the above
to realise this.
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| Cassava: Participants taught value addition |
Leading in local innovation
Aton works with a number of talented young men determined to
transform agriculture sector in the country. We have products like solar egg
incubators (EazeHatch) and Solar fruit dryers locally made in Uganda. The
products are high quality and durable already being used by a number of farmers
in Uganda.
Linkage agent
We are able to make farmers access more of these technologies and innovations through serving intermediatory roles between them and input companies or produce buyers. This strategy is a success because we have a rich network and trust of farmers that offer markets for agro-inputs and also meet supply demand for agro-commodity buyers.
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| Family farmers taught financial management |
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| Locally-made fruit dryer excites a child |
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| Radio programme at Voice Lango Fm reaches farmers |
Support our current projects
Village chicken project
Quick pigs project
Definitions
Climate-smart agriculture is an integrated approach to managing production landscapes –cropland, livestock, forests and fisheries -for sustainable production that guarantees food security and curbs climate change shocks such as unpredictable rainfall. It focuses on increasing production, enhancing resilience to climate change shocks like shortened seasons, and reducing emissions that accelerate climate change.
Family farming is an organized agricultural production that
is managed and operated by family members and largely relies on family capital
and labour.