Bukalasa Cultivates Future Farmers Through Hands-On 'Paradise Garden'

For students at Bukalasa Agricultural College (BAC), the day begins before dawn, not with lectures, but with hands-on work in ‘Paradise Garden.’ This immersive approach sees students tending to various vegetable plots, cultivating crops like carrots, cabbage, and sukumawiki, which are then consumed within the college or sold externally.

This daily ritual, from watering and weeding to mulching, is central to BAC’s educational philosophy. Students like Patience Jazmine Nankinga and George William Ntulume emphasize that these practical activities equip them with essential skills for future entrepreneurship and economic empowerment, contrasting it with theoretical-heavy curricula elsewhere.

The college, located in Luweero, is a key partner in the PLEDGE project, aiming to integrate green growth principles and practical skills into higher education through a competence-based training model. This initiative, supported by Mountains of the Moon University and the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), seeks to shift mindsets, turning farm work from a perceived chore into a valuable learning experience.

BAC’s principal, Gelvan Kisolo Lule, notes the institution’s historical roots in practical farmer training, a tradition that had waned but has since been re-emphasized. Following a curriculum review and feedback from farmer stakeholders highlighting a disconnect between academic training and practical needs, BAC reinstituted its early morning farm practice culture.

Experts, including Prof. Pius Coxwell Achanga, Vice Chancellor of Mountains of the Moon University, are advocating for the widespread adoption of BAC’s model. He notes that learning by doing is more effective than rote memorization, suggesting that universities can benefit significantly from this hands-on approach. The NCHE is also reinforcing this shift, with plans to increase the weighting of practical skills, competencies, and attitudes in student assessments nationwide, moving away from traditional written exams.

This transformation in agricultural education underscores a national push towards equipping graduates with the practical abilities needed for effective performance in their chosen fields, aligning with the principles of competence-based curriculum development.

Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)