James Okello adopted climate-smart farming techniques through RORU's agriculture program and tripled his cassava yield, going from feeding his family to supplying the local market.
James Okello farms a small plot in Madi-Okollo, Arua District, where unpredictable rains and declining soil fertility had reduced his cassava yields to barely enough to feed his family of seven. When RORU's agricultural extension workers visited his area, James was skeptical but desperate enough to listen.
Learning New Techniques
"They told me about conservation agriculture — leaving crop residues on the field instead of burning them, planting in rows, and using improved varieties," James explains. "It sounded like more work for the same result, but I decided to try it on half my land."
The results were dramatic. On the plot where James applied the new techniques, his cassava yield tripled compared to his traditional plot. The soil retained more moisture during dry spells, and the improved varieties were more resistant to mosaic disease.
From Subsistence to Surplus
With surplus cassava for the first time in years, James began selling at the Arua central market. He has since added beans and groundnuts to his rotation, further improving his soil and diversifying his income.
"My children eat three meals a day now, and I'm saving money from market sales," James says. "Other farmers in my village are copying what I do. RORU turned my small farm into an example for the whole community."