More than 200 agriculture students will go for an 18-month paid internship program across Europe, including Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands and Germany.
This was announced by Eduserv Education Agency, in collaboration with its European partner Bixter Training, during a flag-off ceremony for the first batch of four students on June 20.
These include Adam Ssekate, who will be going to Sweden and Dallen Ikiriza, who will go to the Netherlands. Meanwhile, Erisha Gashumba and Samuel Ainemukama will head to Denmark. These four students bring the total of beneficiaries so far to 50 individuals who have been selected for European internships just this year alone.
To win selection, students apply via the Eduserv website and are vetted in collaboration with their academic registrar and dean of students.
Fadhila Saad, the director programmes at Eduserv Education Agency, says the programs are open to continuing university students and fresh graduates of Agriculture.
"They must have either a diploma or bachelor's degree. They then pay the program fees, and Bixter Training matches their classroom learning from their academic transcripts to a farm or institute where they can have the practice hands-on version," she says.
The selected students will engage in hands-on training, immersing themselves in modem fanning techniques. They will focus on areas such as piggery management, livestock care, dairy production and horticulture.
Locally Eduserv partners institutions such as Makerere University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Bugema University and Bukalasa Agricultural College, among others. Saad adds that many of the students who return upon completion of their 18 month program go on to transfer their skills and knowledge to impact their communities with modern and innovative farming methods.
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"This program transforms the agricultural sector by exposing the students to international farming methods that are environmentally kind, sustainable and, most importantly, can benefit their families," she says.
AGRICULTURAL BOOST
In the recently read 2024/2025 budget, government pledged support for agricultural development, allocating a significant amount of funding to promote sustainable practices and enhance the sector.
The agro-industrialization program received a boost in funding from Shs 1.449 trillion to Shs 1.787 trillion. This represents 3.37% of the total budget of Shs 52.7 trillion. The goal of the program is to increase the export value of processed agricultural commodities from $935 million to $2.7 billion.
