Breaking Down Barriers and Building Bridges – Laying the Foundation for Open Dialog

by Sarah Richards

In any quest to create sustainable solutions to some of the worlds most daunting challenges, it is crucial to unravel the complexities of the system at hand. Today, we dove deeper into our dialog with farmers, exploring the interconnectedness of food, water, and energy in each of our four host villages. Our host farmers generously welcomed us to walk in their shoes for the day, showing us the various crops and livestock they cultivate, describing in detail their farm management strategies, as well as the many, many, challenges they face.

Walking the path – morning tours and farmer interviews:

 

Eucalyptus trees are farmed as both a source of income and firewood for cooking in the village of Wabusolo.

 

Disease in coffee trees is difficult to treat and yield losses negatively impact income potential

 

A central goal of the Collaborative Learning School (CLS) is to work directly with local farmers to identify key challenges and subsequent innovations that can improve sustainable food production at the community scale. During our engaging farmer interviews, students worked closely with translators, bridging the language barrier between Luganda, a local language, and English. Admittedly, the process can be slow and, at times, bewildering. There were moments of repetition as we strived for absolute clarity together, and we can only praise our farmers and translators for their unwavering welcoming and patience. Challenging though it may be, this vital process lays the foundation for a continued dialog; one that amplifies the perspectives of the farmers who know their land best.

 

From Ideation to Action: Brainstorming Community-driven Solutions

In the afternoon, student groups debriefed to identify: what were the common themes identified by farmers? Which topics were most important to the communities? At what scale (individual, community, federal policy) could solutions to these problems be designed? Tomorrow we will present our brainstorms to the farmers for feedback, a kind of “check and balance” to ensure a two way conversation, and that solutions are developed contextually based on need.

 

Uganda is known as the “Pearl of Africa”, and for a good reason. Originally the phrase was coined to describe not only its sheer beauty and abundant natural resources, but also a rich culture that is as inviting as it is vibrant. And these attributes remain strong today! With any luck, a little dancing here and there, and a shared commitment to open dialog, our conversations have the potential to generate lasting solutions to even the most systemic livelihood challenges.