Why Fort Portal Farmers Are Being Urged Back to Agroecology
Across Fort Portal and the wider Rwenzori region, agroecologists connected to Triple F Agroecology Demonstration Centre have been calling on local farmers to reconsider practices like bush burning and deforestation, both still common ways of clearing land for planting. The appeal, made publicly in September 2023, has only grown more relevant since.
The message is straightforward, farmers do not need to choose between cultivating crops and protecting the environment. Triple F’s own approach, demonstrated on its Kigarama based centre, shows how sustainable methods, including the use of indigenous crops suited to local conditions, can yield healthy food while working with nature rather than stripping it. As Uganda’s seasons grow less predictable under climate pressure, the call has taken on new urgency, positioning agroecology not as an ideal but as a practical response to a changing climate.
