Research Report: Urban Farming Project by Molokai Children’s Organization (MCO)

 

Executive Summary:

Molokai Children’s Organization (MCO) aims to address Uganda's growing challenges related to food security, unemployment, and urbanization by promoting sustainable urban farming. Urban farming, combined with AI-enhanced technology, provides a scalable solution for smallholder farmers to optimize food production in limited urban spaces, while also generating income opportunities for vulnerable communities, particularly women and youth. This report outlines MCO's research on the urban farming landscape, the implementation of AI technologies in farming, and the socio-economic impact this project aims to achieve.

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Introduction:

Uganda is experiencing rapid urbanization, with its urban population projected to grow from 26% in 2020 to 39% by 2040 (World Bank, 2020). This urban growth places immense pressure on food systems, with many urban residents relying on expensive imported food. Additionally, climate change and unpredictable weather patterns are making traditional farming methods increasingly unsustainable.

To address these challenges, MCO is spearheading a project that promotes urban farming—focusing on vertical farming, container farming, and rooftop gardens—as a key intervention for food security. Our urban farming methods are further amplified by AI-powered monitoring systems and automated feeding technologies, allowing smallholder farmers to enhance productivity and reduce resource wastage.

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Research Findings on Urban Farming:

1. Space-Efficient Food Production:
   Urban farming enables communities to grow food in small, otherwise unused spaces, such as rooftops, balconies, and vacant lots. Research has shown that vertical farming can produce 10 times more crops per square meter compared to traditional horizontal farming (FAO, 2021). This approach is essential for cities like Kampala and Jinja, where land for traditional farming is limited.

2. Climate Resilience:
   Urban farms are more resistant to the impacts of climate change, as they can be protected from flooding, droughts, and unpredictable rainfall patterns. Water-efficient techniques such as drip irrigation and hydroponics—core components of our training—use up to 90% less water compared to traditional methods (UNEP, 2020).

3. Job Creation and Food Security:
   By empowering smallholder farmers in urban areas, MCO’s project directly addresses unemployment, especially among youth and women. Research suggests that urban farming initiatives can reduce food insecurity by 20% and provide employment for millions of urban dwellers (World Bank, 2022).

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AI Integration in Urban Farming:

MCO's unique value proposition lies in its integration of AI technologies into urban farming practices. The incorporation of AI ensures that farmers can monitor their crops in real-time, adjust resource inputs, and predict growth cycles, leading to optimized yields.

1. AI-Powered Monitoring:
   Sensors are installed to monitor soil quality, water levels, and temperature. Farmers receive real-time data on these conditions, allowing them to make informed decisions about watering, nutrient distribution, and harvesting times. This reduces water usage by 20% and boosts yields by up to 30% (FAO, 2021).

2. Automated Feeding Systems:
   AI-powered feeding systems ensure that plants receive the optimal amount of nutrients at the right times. These systems can detect when crops need fertilization or water and automate the feeding process, reducing wastage and ensuring consistent crop quality.

3. Predictive Analytics:
   AI tools are used to predict growth cycles and potential risks, allowing farmers to optimize harvest times and reduce post-harvest losses. This feature is particularly important in urban settings where space and resources are limited.

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Implementation Strategy:

The project is being rolled out in two phases:

1. Pilot Phase (Year 1):
   MCO will work with 500 smallholder farmers in Kampala and Jinja. Each farmer will be trained in urban farming techniques and provided with AI-powered farming tools. This phase will test the scalability and effectiveness of the combined approach, focusing on yield improvement, water conservation, and food security.

2. Expansion Phase (Year 2-3):
   Based on the pilot’s success, MCO will scale the project to reach 2,000 farmers across additional urban centers in Uganda. The expansion will involve creating community-based hubs where trained farmers can pass on knowledge and serve as mentors to others.

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Socio-Economic Impact:

The potential impact of the MCO Urban Farming Project is significant:

• Increased Food Security: With increased yields from small urban plots, households will have access to fresh, affordable produce, reducing dependence on expensive imports.
• Job Creation: The project will provide employment opportunities for urban youth and women, reducing unemployment rates and generating steady income.
• Environmental Sustainability: The project’s focus on resource-efficient techniques will contribute to sustainable urban development, helping cities mitigate the effects of climate change.

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Call to Action:

We invite donors, partners, and stakeholders to join MCO in transforming urban agriculture in Uganda. Your support will help expand this project, reach more smallholder farmers, and create sustainable urban food systems. By investing in this initiative, you are helping communities thrive, reducing food insecurity, and creating economic opportunities for vulnerable groups.

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Conclusion:

The MCO Urban Farming Project provides a scalable, sustainable solution to Uganda’s food security challenges. By integrating AI technology with proven urban farming practices, we aim to transform small urban plots into highly productive farms, contributing to national food security and economic resilience. Our call is for stakeholders to support this innovative project as we seek to expand its reach and impact across Uganda’s urban centers.

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Contact Us:
Molokai Children’s Organization (MCO)
P.O. Box 100085, Iganga, Uganda
Phone: +256 786769543
Email: williambikutuka@gmail.com

Partners:
YAiFFE Magazine, Agriculture Office Bugiri District, Bushman Records, Siga

POVERTY IN UGANDA

                                                

    

 

 

POVERTY

“Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.” — Nelson Mandela

MCO’s first Sustainable Development Goals is to “End poverty in all its forms everywhere” to address discrepancies between access to food and other resources. Hundreds of millions of people living in developing countries survive on $1.90 a day or less. Poverty, food prices and hunger are inextricably linked. Poverty causes hunger. Not every person living in poverty faces chronic hunger, but almost all people facing chronic hunger are also living in poverty. 

Millions live with hunger and malnourishment because they simply cannot afford to buy enough food, cannot afford nutritious foods or cannot afford the farming supplies they need to grow enough good food of their own. Hunger can be viewed as a dimension of extreme poverty. It is often called the most severe and critical manifestation of poverty.

Rural households are the most heavily burdened by the consequences of poverty and hunger. In addition to causing hunger, poverty limits a rural community’s ability to invest in its own development. Often, rural girls living in poverty will be kept out of school to save money. This contributes to the disparity in the education of rural and urban girls. Studies have shown that lack of general education leads to higher adolescent birth rates; births that in turn over-burden an already economically strained community, perpetuating a cycle of gender inequality, poverty and hunger.

We believe in a holistic approach to hunger, which means addressing its root causes – including poverty. In our Program Countries, we build the capacity of women and men to move beyond poverty, training them in the skills, methods, knowledge and leadership needed to take self-reliant actions so they can meet their own basic needs, improve their communities and build better futures for themselves and their children.

WHAT WE DO

·         Boost women’s economic impact. At our epicenters across Uganda, thousands of women food farmers are increasing their incomes through training and credit, and strengthening their clout in the marketplace.

·         Help implement Microfinance Programs. The ultimate objective of our Microfinance Program is to gain government recognition and operate as a licensed saving and credit cooperative (SACCO) or Rural Bank. Owned entirely by community members, the Rural Bank then provides the entire epicenter community with sustainable access to savings and loan facilities.

·         Introduce income-generating activities. Trained partners implement income-generating activities, often joining together in self-help groups: from sewing projects in Iganga to cow-fattening projects in Mayuge and Luuka. Thousands of our partners also participate in workshops throughout Uganda to learn new and innovative methods of increasing household income.

·         Facilitate self-reliant food banks. In Uganda, our goal is to empower people to create, stock and manage their own food banks at the community level, which helps stabilize day-to-day food prices in local markets during times of crisis.

·         Provide agricultural support. Through agricultural training and increased access to farming inputs, small farmers in communities are able to increase their crop yields, enabling them to grow enough food to feed their families, diversify their crop yields and even sell surpluses at market.

TEENAGE PREGNANCIES IN BUSOGA REGION.

 

Busoga has consistently recorded the highest annual number of teenage pregnancy cases in Uganda over the past three years. Uganda Demographic and Health Survey(UDHS) report released early this year and said the region registered 46,337 cases in 2021,an increase from 44,227 in 2020 and 45,120 in 2019.Kamuli and Luuka districts reported the highest number of teenage births for the years 2020 and 2021 respectively according to the UNFP report.

This number has come to rise due to Covid 19 pandemic which led to the closure of schools making girls idle hence it was easy for the to get pregnant. The outbreak of covid 19 also led young girls in rural areas to have challenges accessing family planning and health facilities for example transport challenges to reach the facilities. Increased poverty has led to the rise of early teenage pregnancy because parents cannot afford to pay school fees for there children for school hence they are exposed to sexual habits where they become pregnant in the process. There is also early forced marriages done by parents which has led to teenage pregnancies.sexual violence  where by the teenagers are raped,sexually abused by the people around them or relatives which has led to rise of teenage pregnancies.parental neglect or failed parenthood and this is seen in a case of Alice Nabirye' s mother who informed her older children that she didn't have money to look after them upon the death of their father in 2018.Nabirye was only 15 years old .A 19 year old man in the neighborhood offered to occasionally provide some basic needs and used to to sleep with Nabirye in order to pay back his money which resulted to Nabirye getting pregnant at 16years of age and yet the man couldn't take care of his family.

According to daily Monitor, the research conducted between 2019 and 2020 indicates that Busoga region registered as many as 89,347 teenage pregnancies followed by Too to and Bunyoro at 57660 and 57,295 respectively hence Busoga region has the highest number of teenage pregnancies in the country and they attributed the alarming levels of teenage pregnancies in Busoga region to Covid 19 pandemic,poverty.poor parenting.moral degeneration. Failed parenthood and vulnerability of girls.According to the report, teenage pregnancy has stagnated over years at 25percent despite the interactions to put in place and address sexual and reproductive health issues for young people.

Another reference is Dr.Betty Kyadondo,the director of Family Health National Population Council who said since  2018 to date, the country has registered about 350,000 cases of teenage pregnancies across the country with Busoga topping the list and it is said 350,000 teenage pregnancies occur annually nation wide and 30,000 young girls aged between 13 and 19 are getting pregnant early month implying that 10,000 girls are getting pregnant everyday which is so worrying.