This fantastic partnership saw Stewart and our Ugandan team,  led by Frances Amulen, train up a new set of people to build tanks and teach horticultural techniques. The tanks were built in a new challenging environment with different homestead structures and landscapes to deal with. Stewart led the Ugandan team and partners to build 57 tanks, benefiting over 500 people.

If you would like to join one of our volunteer groups heading to Uganda this year then please email andrew@drip.org.uk in the first instance and he can talk you through the options. If you’re an organisation working in Uganda and would like to partner with us to benefit the communities you work with then please email kate@drip.org.uk.

We want to continue to take groups of volunteers, but also train up some potential independent project managers. This will help us scale our operations and meet a growing demand for rainwater harvesting tanks and horticultural training in new parts of Uganda facing the same problems of unreliable rain affecting harvests and livelihoods.

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If you’re inspired to join us for our next trip please email Andrew@drip.org.uk for more information

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This trip was the first opportunity the team had of utilizing a full Ugandan building team, allowing us to build an extra tank a day during our 2 weeks in country. This was an enormous achievement as we continue to grow the capabilities of not only our UK/Canada/Uganda team, but of the Ugandan people as well, thereby supporting our mandate of providing a sustainable answer to hunger and poverty.

 The team’s trip was earlier in the year this time around (March 18 to April 1) and we  certainly noticed the difference! DRIP tries to travel to Uganda within the rainy  season (April and September), both to support the work that we do there  (harvesting rainwater to use in their gardens), but also to mitigate any health  concerns associated with the extreme heat and dry conditions. It was a poignant  reminder of the daily challenges and limitations experienced by the Ugandans as  they live their lives; lack of clean water, poor choice but higher prices of vegetables  and fruit in the marketplace, extreme heat and blowing soil, dry rice paddies, fewer  operable boreholes for water, thinner livestock, and ultimately, less food to go around.

Nevertheless, our Ugandan builders, interpreters and team mates kept all the muzungus (white people), out of the sun, reminded to drink and take breaks, and overall, well looked after. Our Ugandan-based team were so incredibly competent with such a thirst for success that each day went better than the last! We exceeded our target of 45 tanks by another 17 tanks! That was 62 tanks built to catch rainwater, 62 kitchen gardens started, 62 sets of seeds (about 7 varieties of vegetables), provided to families, 124 tree seedlings planted (providing future shelter, food and natural pesticide capabilities), and 16 Ugandan builders/interpreters provided with more knowledge, skills, experience (and funding) to build better lives for themselves as well.

DRIP would like to do even more! We are actively seeking out ways to enhance our volunteer base, our efficiencies and our mandate. We are interested in investigating partnerships with like-minded organizations who wish to make a significant, measurable and sustainable difference in people’s lives. We are investing time and resources into training future trip leaders to continue the progress already made.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a volunteer, a trip leader, a partner, a donor, please visit our website at www.drip.uk.org or email kate@drip.uk.org for more information and to set up a meeting. We are actively planning a trip for April 2018…be part of it!

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Why can Africa not feed itself?

Millions of Africans go hungry every day, making the continent the world’s most food-insecure region. Women and children are particularly at risk. Grain yields remain well below the world average. Low productivity, inadequate policies, and chronic underinvestment are at the heart of Africa’s food and nutrition insecurity and the prevalence of extreme poverty. However, Africa has the potential to become the world’s agricultural powerhouse. It contains much of the world’s remaining uncultivated arable land. The Kofi Annan Foundation seeks to empower smallholder farmers to unlock Africa’s Agricultural potential.

The African food System Initiative

The Kofi Annan Foundation encourages the public and private sectors to increase investment in agriculture, and implement evidence-based policies that will enable smallholder farmers to turn their subsistence farms into profitable businesses. To boost this endeavour, the Foundation convenes the African Food System Initiative, a network whose members are deeply involved in Africa’s food sector. It assists smallholder farmers to increase productivity, enter the value chain, and produce commercial surpluses. The Initiative is composed of leading African and multinational corporations, philanthropic organisations, civil society institutions, and global food agencies with expertise and experience in agriculture, food security, and nutrition.
The African Food Systems Initiative in Action

At country level, the Initiative aims to:

• enable commercially viable and sustainable smallholder farmers, especially those producing staple crops and nutritious foods, to participate in markets and value chains.
• persuade larger companies and food agencies to source more of their supplies from smallholders.
• provide opportunities for women, young smallholders and agro-entrepreneurs.
• increase intra-African trade in agricultural commodities and improve regional integration.
• strengthen the ability of smallholders to manage climate-related risks and shocks while improving the natural resource base.

The Importance of the Smallholder Farmer

Empowered, smallholder farmers can lift their communities out of poverty and help make Africa the world’s breadbasket. For that they need easier access to markets, credit and insurance, and access to climate-smart inputs and modern technologies. By developing partnerships with smallholder farmers, governments and the private sector can fill many critical gaps along the entire value chain. Where the climate changes, only farmers who have the resources to adapt will be able to overcome the challenges and preserve their livelihoods. Smallholder farmers are the key to unlocking Africa’s agricultural potential.
At a Glance

For all the progress made in recent years, it is difficult to understand why Africa, which has the world’s largest reserves of uncultivated arable land, continues to suffer from under- and malnutrition and spend billions every year on importing food. The Kofi Annan Foundation convened the African Food System Initiative to end this anomaly. The objective is to create an environment more conducive for smallholder farmers, enabling them to transform their ventures into successful businesses and lift themselves and their communities out of poverty. We mobilise companies, political leaders and civil society to advance food and nutrition security in African and beyond. Placing the smallholder farmer at the centre of our efforts, we work to unlock Africa’s agricultural potential.

www.kofiannanfoundation.org

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“Not quite a Quiz Night” with dancing afterwards takes place on Saturday 16th January at 7.30pm.

If you’re interested in getting tickets please email: keith.wylde@gmail.com or call Keith on 07872 336685. They’re £10 a head and include food and entertainment.

If you’re not able to make the do itself but would like to contribute to the evening then any raffle prizes will be gratefully received by Keith too.

It’s going to be a great night so look forward to seeing lots of you there!

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DRIP is holding it’s AGM at 5pm on Saturday 15th July 2017 on the Wirral.

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What can you do with:

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DRIP (Direct Rainwater Intervention Project) is a UK-based charitable organization which “provides a sustainable answer to hunger” and aims to “achieve food security through rainwater harvesting and education in a domestic setting”.  Initiated by some incredible individuals who saw a way to help people help themselves, the DRIP organization is chaired by AMEC’s own Andrew Herod, presently located in the Saskatoon, Canada office.

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