As Uganda advances the implementation of Competence Based Education and Training (CBET) across all Higher Education Institutions of learning, Mountains of the Moon University (MMU) continues to demonstrate that meaningful learning goes beyond the lecture room. Long before the recent national directive encouraging universities to fully embrace CBET, MMU had already laid the foundation by engaging in a strategic partnership with farming communities across the Rwenzori region to bridge the gap between lecture room theory and practical, real-world application through students farmer placements.
Today, four third-year students from the Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Sekirime Herbert, Kabugho Mackline, Asiimawe Christine, and Isaac Musinguzi are undertaking a two-month internship at Kamaata Farm Enterprise in Kyenjojo District designed to transform them into highly competent and adaptable agricultural professionals.
A visit to this expansive farm in Kyenjojo District reveals an active learning environment where the interns are fully immersed in complex crop production, livestock management and sustainable agricultural practices. Sekirime Herbert expressed great enthusiasm for the placement, highlighting the invaluable daily practical skills they are gaining across various enterprises at the farm. Asiimawe Christine reveals that in livestock management, the interns are mastering core tasks in dairy and goat rearing, including milking and feeding formulation, dehorning and castration, deworming and vaccination and reeding management. On the crop husbandry the hands on training has exposed the intern students on modern agronomy techniques to optimize cash crop yields. The students are actively engaged in soil testing, disease and pest diagnosis, proper pruning, and manure application.
Sekirime Herbert a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture student, said that the placement has significantly strengthened his practical skills in livestock production and management. He noted that the placement has exposed him to hands on experience in dairy farming, including hand milking, livestock health management, disease diagnosis and treatment under professional supervision, administering injections, and formulating balanced animal feeds. He noted that the internship has enabled him to apply classroom knowledge in real farm settings, building the confidence and competence required for a career in agriculture. “This internship has transformed the knowledge I gained in class into practical skills, giving me the confidence to manage livestock and solve real-life farming challenges”, Herbert said.
Asimwe Christine, a third-year, student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, reflected on how the internship has equipped her with practical skills in livestock management. She explained that through her work on farm, she has gained hands on experience in animal feeding, housing management, deworming, record keeping, and monitoring the health and performance of livestock. “The classroom gave me knowledge, but the farm has given me the skills and confidence to become a competent agricultural professional”, said Christine
Beyond field agronomy and animal husbandry, the internship at the Kamaata Farm Enterprise has emphasized on commercial realities of modern agriculture. The four students are gaining vital skills in financial management by tracking input costs, organizing farm labor, and navigating product marketing. This farm environment placement also serves as a test of resilience for the intern students. Confronted with real-time farming challenges such extreme and erratic weather, team leadership to manage workers and working with sem-skilled workers at the farm, Herbert, Mackline, Christine, and Isaac are developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills under the guidance of the experienced Farm Manager. According to the Farm Manager Mr. Alituha Julius, all the four students’ intern have adapted to the demanding daily routine of farm life which is specifically intended to instill workplace responsibility, punctuality, and professional agricultural ethics.
According to the Farm Manager, Mr. Alituha Julius, the internship is shaping the students into disciplined professionals by exposing them to the realities of everyday farm operations. Mr. Alituha also commended Mountains of the Moon University for adopting a practical approach to education. “Hosting MMU students has been mutually beneficial. The students bring fresh perspectives and knowledge of modern Agriculture practices from the University while gaining invaluable practical experience at the farm. At the same time, the Kamaata Farm has contributed to training the next generation of agricultural professionals and researchers”, Julius Said. The students have supplied an extra pair of hands to help with daily duties like spraying, milking, animal feeding, weeding, harvesting, and record keeping, he noted.
Upon completion of the programme, the students are expected to transfer the knowledge and skills acquired to farming communities, helping local farmers adopt improved agricultural practices and increase productivity. In this way, the internship creates benefits that extend far beyond the individual learner, contributing to sustainable community development throughout the region.
The Student Farm Placement Programme reflects Mountains of the Moon University’s unwavering commitment to producing graduates who are competent, innovative, and ready to solve real world challenges. As Competence Based Education becomes the national direction for higher education, MMU is not starting the journey it is building on a culture of experiential learning that has long been at the heart of its academic mission.