- This was in fulfilment of the pledge made by His Excellency the President to support youth leaders.
In fulfilment of the pledge made by His Excellency the President to support youth leaders with heifers for improved household food security and income, National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS) Secretariat has given 540 heifers to newly elected youth leaders.
The president made the pledge to the youth leaders during the presidential campaign trail in 2021 when he met them to discuss several issues concerning the youth in the country.NAADS Secretariat procured the 540 heifers targeting 540 youth leaders in 135 District Local Governments (DLGs), 11 Cities and 56 Municipalities.
As part of the preparations for the youth to receive the heifers, NAADS Secretariat also organized a sensitization and training drive for youth beneficiaries in dairy cattle management.
The training was aimed at equipping the youth leaders with the necessary knowledge, skills, and information required to effectively manage dairy cattle projects as well as to orient their mindset towards farming as a business.
The trainings were organized at eight centers across the country including Mbarara which brought together youth leaders from Ankole and Kigezi, Fort portal for Rwenzori and Bunyoro, Namulonge Research Institute in Wakiso for central region, Tororo for Bugisu and Bukedi, Mayuge for Busogaregion, Soroti for Teso and Karamoja, Arua for West Nile and Lira for Lango and Acholi.
The training involved taking the youth leaders to dairy farms for a hands-on experience in the management of dairy cattle that included understanding the different breeds of dairy cattle, animal feeding and treatment and much more.