The Irish potato is the world’s most important root and tuber crop and the fourth the fourth most important food crop globally. Irish potato is a major food security crop and a source of income for the farmers in the highland areas of Rwenzori sub region. It’s a nutrient rich crop with potassium and vitamins to nourish vulnerable children in poor families.
RYIDNET supports Irish potato farming among families of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) by providing them with quality potato seed of productive varieties. We also maintain an Irish Potato Mother Garden for seed production and income generation that is put into the OVC Education Fund to support in the provision of scholastic and tuition aid to the OVC. This project is supported by Luena Foundation with the aim of enhancing food and income security of poor families for better education outcomes of OVCs.
When RYIDNET started the Irish potato growing project for poor families of orphans and vulnerable children, it was difficult to locally source for good quality seed from the open market to supplies to the beneficiaries. To better execute this project in the long-term, the project secured land to establish a Mother Garden where quality seed could be propagated for supply to the beneficiaries and the surplus is sold to pool into the OVC education fund.
The Mother Garden is also a designated place to host farmer field school learning sessions where good farming practices are demonstrated for key farm enterprises.
