Wednesday 14 September 2011

Why this blog? And how can you participate!

ToroDev’s blog (www.torodev.blogspot.com) was created in 2011 to keep, strengthen and build a strong loyal internet community for entreprenuership development, advocacy, participation in budgetary processes and democracy especially in the rural areas of Uganda.


Entreprenuership Training in Kamwenge
 The organisation has since July 2010 been implementing a project on Rural FM Radio Broadcasting for Entreprenuership Development in the seven districts of the Rwenzori Region in partnership with Stem Van Afrika.

The project involved training small scale rural entreprenuers (youth and women) especially in issues of market and credit access, advocacy, participation in budgetary processes and information sharing.

Most of the project participants are involved in agri-business since Rwenzori Region is pre-dorminantly an agricultural area.

The project also involved training and interactions with FM radio managers, proprietors and journalists in market information access, information dissemination, participation of rural communities in decision making and advocacy throughout the Rwenzori Region.

As a result of all the above activities, the project therefore, created a demand for ToroDev’s project participants to have an on-line tool to help them share and exchange information for entreprenuership development and participation in decision making in the Rwenzori region.

This is not ToroDev’s blog, it is everyone’s on-line tool to share information on entreprenuership development and democracy especially in the rural areas of Uganda.

We highly encaurage anyone with information related to market access, credit facilities, agricultural scientific information, enterprenuership success stories, ICTs and rural development or any thing in relation to entreprenuership development, democracy and ICTs to write us an article and send it to admin@torodev.kabissa.org

Tuesday 13 September 2011

“One farmer was given free air time on the radio station” Basemere Yvonne

Miss Basemere Yvonne
Kyenjojo FM Staff
Kyenjojo District




After the training a lot of changes have been seen, when I attended the training of ToroDev I was able to meet some farmers who were introduced to our program manager.

One farmer was given free air time on the radio station, he has been on air for more than three times free of charge to share knowledge and information especially on fruit farming.

Kyenjo FM has also started going deep in the hard to reach villages to get farmers voices, record them and air them live on the radio station for better information sharing.

One of the challenges still facing rural FM radio journalists for better rural broadcasting for entrepreneurship development is the uncooperative rural entrepreneurs especially farmers who still fear to approach radio staff for information sharing.

For better broadcasting for entrepreneurship development, the civil society needs to help more in the areas of trainings to both rural radio staff and rural entrepreneurs on issues of broadcasting for entrepreneurship development.

The civil society also needs to sponsor some educative programs for the farmers on different radio stations and finally, radio staff need more facilitation to conduct research and cover stories in the hard to reach areas.

Friday 2 September 2011

“I have formed an association called Katebwa Sub Country farmers association which we use to market our coffee as a group.” Mr. Muhindo Ezra

Mr. Muhindo Ezra
Coffee farmer
Bunyagabu County
Kabarole District

As a result of ToroDev trainings on Rural FM radio broadcasting for Entrepreneurship Development, I have achieved a lot especially in regard to networking and use of ICT tools for coffee business development.

I have formed an association called Katebwa Sub Country farmers association which we use to market our coffee as a group. We also use it to lobby for radio programs as a group.

Muhindo Ezra in his Coffee Plantation
Radio stations have helped us to market our coffee through our associations we can know where to sale our coffee.

We participate on Voice of Toro Radio by calling in to ask for help when ever the program for farmers is being broadcasted.

As Katebwa Sub county farmers, most of us were not aware of the existence of farmer’s radio programs and how to utilize them to market our produce until we received trainings from ToroDev.

However, the trainings were not enough. I request the civil society for more trainings, on better farming practices, access and use of improved seeds, credit access and market access.