Uganda’s Best Farmers visit PUM companies in The Netherlands

On a sunny morning in the small town of Suwâld, in northern province of Friesland, we are welcomed by Mr. Rients-Jan Lenes, a dairy farmer who rears Friesian cows. Mr. Lenes is  a volunteer with PUM. Every year, he visits farmers in Asia and spends a week with them, sharing his knowledge about dairy farming.

‘Friesland is beautiful, but the world is so much bigger. There are dairy farmers all over the world, and it brings me joy to visit them. We used to do so during our family holidays, until my wife and children started complaining. They did not want to see any cows during our sparse holidays! Then I discovered PUM. On a voluntary basis, I do one or two foreign missions per year, while I hire someone else to look after my farm. It is extremely rewarding to see how sometimes my advice can boost the productivity of a farm – immediately raising the family’s income,’ Mr. Lenes said.

Rients-Jan did a number of PUM assignments in East-Asia; Africa is new to him. Nevertheless, he didn’t have to think twice before allowing a group of six Ugandan dairy farmers to visit him at his farm for a full day. ‘Much as they can learn from me, I am also learning from them. Our countries may be different in almost every aspect, but we, farmers, speak the same universal language.’

During the day, the Ugandans engaged in talks with Lenes about the best types of feed, grazing time, animal housing and health. They also visited the farm of Lenes’ brother, two kilometers down the road, to look at feeding- and milking robots.

Horticulture in Zuidland

Another group of farmers, active in horticulture, meanwhile visited the farm of Mr. Meindert den Ouden in Zuidland, south of the city of Rotterdam. Mr. Den Ouden, who carried out several missions for PUM in the field of potato growing, already visited Uganda twice and got to appreciate the country. He is planning to visit a third time, and willingly accepted to show three Ugandan farmers around at his 100-hectare farm.

During the field visit, Mr. Den Ouden gave the farmers an overview of his farm operations, addressing numerous questions about the farming practices and the advanced technology used to maintain efficient operations. To ensure the farmers gained a clear understanding of his farm’s processes, he gave a tour of his potato fields, while also visiting neighbouring farmers. This visit provided the farmers with a firsthand experience of how potatoes are harvested and stored for future use.

PUM’s country coordinator for Uganda, Mr. Tom Borghols, also joined the farm visit to Zuidland. ‘It was an inspiring visit,’ Mr. Borghols said. ‘The Ugandan farmers, two of them were already known to PUM, witnessed a lot of innovations during a tour on Meindert’s Farm. Meindert is on the forefront of new developments. He has a machine that highly effectively sprays insecticides, whereby only 20% of the original volume is used. Also, other eco-friendly developments were demonstrated,’ said the PUM country coordinator.

When the day ended, both the Ugandan farmers as their hosts expressed a lot of enthusiasm. ‘I have certainly become much more interested in visiting Uganda myself,’ Mr. Lenes expressed.

By Arne Doornebal. Picture: Jamal Andrew