A guest blog by Lauren Smith
Several years ago I traveled to Uganda to study sustainable development initiatives inside and outside of the urban community. One of the most memorial experiences was on a rural farm and home tour. Our tour guide, who was an entrepreneur and appeared to be in his 70s, was very impressive. He built a multi-room home by hand and he managed several farm plots. Thanks to his leadership and support from the community his harvest was profitable. He grew a diversity of plants designed to rotate with the seasons and weather conditions. We toured his coco, coffee, pineapple and miscellaneous plant farms. We asked about the selling and distribution of his crops, but he didn't give us a lot of specifics. His day to day focus was on farm management. From my minimal observations, his recipe for agricultural sustainability is rooted in agricultural education, trial and error, land ownership, organizational leadership, community support and dedication.
You can learn more about the Sustainable Development seminar here: http://www.cbpa.drake.edu/ugandaseminar/
