PROGRESS AND REPLICATION
As Akwamfon Sustainable Agriculture and Community Education Initiative (ASACEI) gathers momentum in the rural community, replication of the project is on course. Soon after Udeme Ukpong, one of Akwamfon’s Patrons, was informed of ASACEI and the Teach A Man To Fish grant, he and his group also decided to offer micro finance to our rural farmers, thus birthing a new initiative tagged Akwamfon Partnership for Entrepreneurship Scheme. 'APES' for short. 
The first batch of 5 beneficiaries have received the micro credits to start operations in July 2007. Their productions include Pineapple, Maize, Cassava, Garden Egg/Pepper and rabbits. Three of the farmers are youths and one of them is a University undergraduate. Advert is currently on to recruit second batch of farmers against August 2007 late planting season. We hope to increase further the number of farmers in future if we get more support for the new scheme. This is first of its kind in the history of the community.
Another micro credit scheme is in the offing, this time from African Servitors Foundation. According to the President of the Foundation, the Scheme is for members of the public who care to join them. The ASACEI Project Manager attended a recently organised Seminar by the Foundation. Papers presented at the seminar were “How To Develop And Market Your Talent” and “How To Start And Develop Your Business For Profit”. In general the group preaches the gospel of African emancipation from economic backwardness.
The information gathered at the Seminar was shared to the APES farmers by ACACEI Project Manager who doubles as APES Project Manager. This, the Manager did at a Workshop organised last week for APES farmers and others. At the Workshop, the President of University of Uyo’s Student In Free Enterprise (UNIUYO SIFE), talked on The Character and Perseverance of Sustainable Entrepreneurship. Highlights of his lecture were, risk taking in business, efficiency, avoidance of procrastination etc. The UNIUYO SIFE President pointed out that what people take as hard work is accumulation of easy things that should have been done last week. For him what we see as hard work is laziness. The SIFE student leader defined hard work as doing the right thing, at the right time in the right moment. “Success comes to the man who thought of doing today what others get to do tomorrow”, he explained. The UNIUYO SIFE President had announced that UNIUYO SIFE’s Bankruptcy Game, is being produced in electronic form while the hard form is already on sale for 400 Naira. With all this and more, it is hoped that students and community farmers are being equipped for good practice of Agriculture as a business.
Traditionally maize, in this community, is planted once a year. Second planting is new to many members of the community and not many a rural farmer imbibes the idea. Nevertheless one of APES beneficiaries (the University student farmer aforementioned) is experimenting on planting maize three times a year. This may be feasible because of favourable weather condition prevailing now in the area and the fact that certain varieties of maize do mature in 60 days. When I visited her farm on 24th June 2007, one set of her second planting maize was 2 weeks old, another 1 week and the other 3 days (yet to emerge). Harvest is expected in August ending when she hopes to start the 3rd round planting. Guess what, if she succeeds? That, of course, is student in free enterprise.
In the ASACEI farm, pumpkins and maize are being harvested and we are embarking on second maize planting come August. Note that produce from late planting season sells at higher value than early planted maize and are free from market glut. We also dovetail into Garden Egg/Pepper planting. The situation is “vintage follows harvest”. That is, while certain crops are being harvested, others are being planted and vice versa. The implication of this is availability of food all the year round and wastage reduction in the absence of adequate storage facilities.
Our problems and prospects are feasibility studies of all aspects of operations, soil test/analysis to produce soil series and crop combinations as well as procurement of high yielding crops/livestock for our teaming/student farmers and to mentor them on good practice for bumper harvest and maximum profits as well as ingenuity and business acumen for sustainability and financial independence.
The first batch of 5 beneficiaries have received the micro credits to start operations in July 2007. Their productions include Pineapple, Maize, Cassava, Garden Egg/Pepper and rabbits. Three of the farmers are youths and one of them is a University undergraduate. Advert is currently on to recruit second batch of farmers against August 2007 late planting season. We hope to increase further the number of farmers in future if we get more support for the new scheme. This is first of its kind in the history of the community.Another micro credit scheme is in the offing, this time from African Servitors Foundation. According to the President of the Foundation, the Scheme is for members of the public who care to join them. The ASACEI Project Manager attended a recently organised Seminar by the Foundation. Papers presented at the seminar were “How To Develop And Market Your Talent” and “How To Start And Develop Your Business For Profit”. In general the group preaches the gospel of African emancipation from economic backwardness.
The information gathered at the Seminar was shared to the APES farmers by ACACEI Project Manager who doubles as APES Project Manager. This, the Manager did at a Workshop organised last week for APES farmers and others. At the Workshop, the President of University of Uyo’s Student In Free Enterprise (UNIUYO SIFE), talked on The Character and Perseverance of Sustainable Entrepreneurship. Highlights of his lecture were, risk taking in business, efficiency, avoidance of procrastination etc. The UNIUYO SIFE President pointed out that what people take as hard work is accumulation of easy things that should have been done last week. For him what we see as hard work is laziness. The SIFE student leader defined hard work as doing the right thing, at the right time in the right moment. “Success comes to the man who thought of doing today what others get to do tomorrow”, he explained. The UNIUYO SIFE President had announced that UNIUYO SIFE’s Bankruptcy Game, is being produced in electronic form while the hard form is already on sale for 400 Naira. With all this and more, it is hoped that students and community farmers are being equipped for good practice of Agriculture as a business.
Traditionally maize, in this community, is planted once a year. Second planting is new to many members of the community and not many a rural farmer imbibes the idea. Nevertheless one of APES beneficiaries (the University student farmer aforementioned) is experimenting on planting maize three times a year. This may be feasible because of favourable weather condition prevailing now in the area and the fact that certain varieties of maize do mature in 60 days. When I visited her farm on 24th June 2007, one set of her second planting maize was 2 weeks old, another 1 week and the other 3 days (yet to emerge). Harvest is expected in August ending when she hopes to start the 3rd round planting. Guess what, if she succeeds? That, of course, is student in free enterprise.
In the ASACEI farm, pumpkins and maize are being harvested and we are embarking on second maize planting come August. Note that produce from late planting season sells at higher value than early planted maize and are free from market glut. We also dovetail into Garden Egg/Pepper planting. The situation is “vintage follows harvest”. That is, while certain crops are being harvested, others are being planted and vice versa. The implication of this is availability of food all the year round and wastage reduction in the absence of adequate storage facilities.
Our problems and prospects are feasibility studies of all aspects of operations, soil test/analysis to produce soil series and crop combinations as well as procurement of high yielding crops/livestock for our teaming/student farmers and to mentor them on good practice for bumper harvest and maximum profits as well as ingenuity and business acumen for sustainability and financial independence.
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