The Sustainable Intensification of Maize and Legumes in East and South Africa (SIMLESA) is a CIMMYT regional project implemented in five core countries of Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique and in three spillover countries of Uganda, Botswana and Rwanda. The project’s main focus is the improvement of maize and legume production systems with the aim of improving food security, farmers’ incomes and sustainable environmental management through promotion of Conservation Agriculture.

In Uganda the SIMLESA project started in 2012, with the introduction of Conservation Agriculture in two selected districts of Lira and Nakasongola both with high and low potential agricultural zones. Within the two districts, two sub counties where each selected (In Lira district – Lira and Aromo sub counties and Nakasongola district - Kalongo & Wabiyonyo subcounties were selected. A baseline survey was conducted before the commencement of the project and the following challenges were outlined the along the production chains. Some of the challenges identified included

	Challenge identified	Solution being provided
	- Late opening of land - Quality of seed	- Information on seasonal calendars - Provided quality seeds (maize & beans)
Production	- Declining soil fertility - Weed management	- Use of fertilizers - Use of herbicides
Post-harvest	- Poor storage - Lack of markets	- Provision of cribs - Provision of market information

The project currently works with eight farmer groups in each of the two districts.

Why the training?

One of the setbacks to adoption of conservation agriculture among small holder farming communities is the lack of Conservation Agriculture service provision and implements. Cognizant of this challenge, the National agricultural research organization, which is the umbrella organization for the SIMLESA project in Uganda invited the African Conservation Tillage Network to train its project beneficiaries who include farmers, researchers and extension staff on conservation agriculture and specifically on service provision. This training took place in the month of November at the Agricultural Engineering and Appropriate Technology Research Centre (AEATREC) where generation, adaptation and dissemination of appropriate agricultural engineering technologies to meet farmer and market demands are developed and tested. The practical sessions were carried out at the Makerere University Agricultural Research institute, Kabanyolo which is the arm of the university that interfaces with the National Agricultural research system.

This training was one of the ways of scaling up the conservation agriculture practice through building a critical mass of service providers. It is expected that the trainees from this TOT will commence provision of subsidized conservation agriculture services to their communities under the newly created Technical service units over seen by the local district authorities.