One of the very first projects that the innocent foundation funded in 2004, was one with Send a Cow in Lesotho. We were impressed by the project they developed in the helping remote villagers to improve their ability to grow vegetables through the use of keyhole gardens (more information is available here) and we are delighted to have the chance to invest in their work again, this time in Uganda.

This project is a great example of local people succeeding in improving their crops, their work being seen by their neighbours and the ideas taken forward again. Women living in the Teso region of Uganda came together to access knowledge that would help overcome the problems they faced. They worked together with Send a Cow Uganda to successfully resolve their problems which made them all food secure. Other families from the community saw what was taking place and approached Send a Cow Uganda for similar help.

Send a Cow have been working in Africa for over 20 years, helping families to grow enough food to eat, sell their produce and develop small businesses, so their work ties in neatly with our focus of ‘sustainable agriculture to secure futures.’

Kenya 2010
Life in the Teso region of Uganda is challenging. The majority of families have insufficient food to eat, most families eat only 1 meal per day of limited nutritious value. The land has been overused with poor agricultural practices which lead to declining yields and poor quality crops.
Incomes are low and difficult to come by, there is little or no income generating potential for women, most offer their labour to other farmers to earn a little money. Additionally HIV/AIDS leaves vulnerable widows and orphans, with no income and a burden for women who are the major care givers.
This project is a great example of local people succeeding in improving their crops, their work being seen by their neighbours and the ideas taken forward again. Women living in the Teso region of Uganda came together to access knowledge that would help overcome the problems they faced. They worked together with Send a Cow Uganda to successfully resolve their problems which made them all food secure. Other families from the community saw what was taking place and approached Send a Cow Uganda for similar help.
The project has a  focus on 200 women and their families so they have the knowledge and skills they need to meet their basic needs and improve their lives. It aims to increase farm production by 2-5 fold to ensure families have sufficient and nutritious food and are long-term food secure by 2013. This will mean that families have increased the number of meals per day to 2-3 and increase the number of times animal protein is consumed to 4 times per week by 2013.
Improved techniques should mean there is increased income generating potential for 200 women by 2013 through sale of surplus farm produce such as eggs, milk, vegetables fruit and crops.
This all means that the project has a range of ambitious goals focused on creating sustainable agriculture. A key component is training which will enable families to grow a much wider variety of crops, vegetables and fruit through composting of green matter and animal manure, kitchen gardens, double digging, natural pesticides, mulching, manure and plant teas.
Improved livestock management will ensure local oxen, dairy cows and goats are well housed in light airy sheds and stall fed napier grass and fodder to keep them healthy and productive and to facilitate the collection of manure and urine for sustainable agriculture.
Additionally environmental conservation training will encourage families to make better use of natural resources in a sustainable manner - improving land and soil management through contour digging and application of composted manure, improving water management by encouraging rainwater harvesting and mulching, and the introduction of energy-saving stoves to reduce the amount of trees and firewood cut for cooking fuel. Fruit tree planting will be promoted so that farmers can manage a variety of fruit trees (oranges, mangoes, tangerine, sweet bananas, pawpaw, pineapples) to provide food and income and also improve the environment.

Uganda 2011 – Western Kenya Dairy Project
The situation in the project area of the western region of Kenya, north of Lake Victoria is not easy; 70% of people are classified as poor. Families living there have insufficient food to last all year and eat 1 or 2 meals a day, often just of maize meal. Food insecurity is on the increase due to declining crop yields as a result of poor farm practices, and repeated and prolonged drought. There are high levels of malnutrition particularly in young children (currently 25%), disease is rife.
Most families make a little money from selling crops, but if they sell too much of their food store they put themselves at real risk of hunger between harvests. Some make money by doing casual labour on other people’s farms, but this brings in little money and means they cannot tend their own land. Sometimes they have insufficient household income to buy even basic necessities, such as soap or paraffin, or to pay for healthcare or schooling.
Our funding over three years  will support 100 families in improving their nutrition, food security and health by introducing them to new sustainable agriculture techniques, improved livestock management and basic health and hygiene approaches.  All the activities will encourage farmers to make better use of natural resources in a sustainable way.