Hans Kandel, NDSU Extension Service agronomist in the plant sciences department, has returned from a two-week trip to Uganda, where he worked with more than 60 farm trainers to develop technical skills in sunflower production and Extension methods.

Sam Ebukalin, leader of the Popular Knowledge Women’s Initiative cooperative, brought Kandel to Uganda. Their hope is the cooperative will become a leading African community development initiative that facilitates learning and knowledge sharing in rural settings. Kandel's strategies include training key farmer trainers in sunflower oil seed production and Extension skills and message development.

The U.S. Agency for International Development and Citizen’s Network for Foreign Affairs helped make the connection between Popular Knowledge Women’s Initiative and Kandel. He fit the necessary criteria because of his experience with the Extension Service and previously having done some work in Africa.

There are more than 1,000 farmers participating in the Popular Knowledge Women’s Initiative cooperative. The objective is to have a one-acre sunflower field per participant. Farming in the Bukedea District is mainly done by hand because only a few farmers have access to oxen.

Line planting and proper distribution of plants in the fields are fairly new concepts for the local farmers. Most of the sunflower fields are intercropped with a low-growing food crop, such as cowpeas, soybeans or dry beans.

“For this project, there was a lot of enthusiasm among the farmers and they were eager to learn and adopt new technologies,” Kandel says.