Limited value-addition capacity and inadequate infrastructure are constraining training and commercial agricultural production at Rwentanga Farm Institute in Mbarara District, prompting the institution to seek government support for expansion.
The institute, which offers National Certificates and Diplomas in Crop Production and Animal Husbandry, currently has an enrolment of about 900 trainees. According to Academic Registrar Abel Mugume, the institute’s value-addition section operates below capacity due to a lack of machinery despite having sufficient raw materials and a large pool of trainees.
He says students currently rely on rudimentary tools such as charcoal stoves, buckets, mixing sticks, and manual labour to process agricultural products, including mushrooms, bananas, animal fodder, tomatoes, and milk. Mugume notes that the institute has the potential to commercialise its value-added activities if the government invests in modern machinery and upgrades the processing section.
Institute Principal William Tukwasibwe says inadequate accommodation and classroom infrastructure remain major challenges. According to Tukwasibwe, the available hostel space accommodates only about half of the female students, while the remaining girls and most male students seek accommodation outside the institute, some as far as half a mile away.
He adds that the institute also faces shortages of classrooms, storage facilities for equipment and computers, with only about 70 computers available for 900 trainees.
Student Jackline Mushabe says the training has equipped her with skills in value addition, particularly in mushroom processing, and enabled her to benefit from a small market near the institute. Meanwhile, Narasi Kambaho, the Communication Manager at the Uganda Vocational and Training Assessment Board, says the government is aware of the challenges facing vocational institutions and is committed to providing support. He adds that continuous assessment programmes are intended to strengthen practical skills among trainees-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
