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KACHUMBALA AREA COOPERATIVE ENTERPRISE: COMMUNITY LIBRARY. AS PRESENTED BY: Charles Okubal Okei. Project Background Information. Knowledge Management for Sustainable Natural Resource Management and Development of the Rural Farmers Farmer-to-farmer photos to promote sustainable farming
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KACHUMBALA AREA COOPERATIVE ENTERPRISE: COMMUNITY LIBRARY AS PRESENTED BY: Charles OkubalOkei
Project Background Information • Knowledge Management for Sustainable Natural Resource Management and Development of the Rural Farmers • Farmer-to-farmer photos to promote sustainable farming • Kachumbala Area Cooperative Enterprise (KACE) Community Library uses photographs taken by farmers to document their experiences and to promote sustainable farming methods.
Background Info. Cont’d • Serving a Community Need • KACE Community Library serves a population of 56,000 in Bukedea district. The majority of people are small or subsistence farmers, working with livestock and a variety of crops, or farm workers. Poverty is widespread, with an estimated 65% of people living on less than U$1 a day. KACE Community Library works to improve farmers’ livelihoods by using information and communication technology (ICT) to increase flows of agricultural information to farmers. • KACE emphasises on agro-ecology. This approach includes sustainable use of natural resources, combining external sources of information with local farming knowledge and practices, and ensuring local cultures and traditions are respected.
Why Digital Photography? • Digital cameras are very simple to use and it is quite easy to get high quality photos • Film is not needed, nor are laboratories necessary for developing the photos • Images are visible almost immediately and may be duplicated at no extra cost.
Project Objectives • To provide an opportunity for about 15 rural farmer mini-groups to document at least 30 of their own sustainable agro-ecological/natural resources management experiences and knowledge and to express their wants and hopes from their own view point • To develop the capabilities of at least 15 rural farmer mini-groups in our farming community in analysis and documentation of at least 30 rural farmer field experiences in preserving, maintaining and restoring our natural resources including forests • To help the 15 or more rural farmer mini-groups share information for sustainable use of natural resources.
Project Activities • Social Mobilization May 2012 … • Training documentation facilitators: July/Aug 2012 • Collection of concrete experiences: Aug 2012 ……. • Editing documentaries: September 2012 …… • Checking & sharing: September 2012 ….. • Reporting: (monthly)/half-yearly to eifl-plip
Achievements • Good enthusiasm generated about the project • Some good/best agri-practices documented • 12 Village documentation facilitators in place • Requisite staff & equipment at hand • IT literacy programme introduced at the centre • Recipient of agro-based periodicals
Challenges • Institutions expect reading books (but we have hard copies of farming journals) • Local political interference (we use farmers association to beat off this interference) • Space for office use by the curious public • Low level of reading culture in the communities
Library work in pictures • Farmer searching for marketing information • Agro-biodiversity preservation