“I came back an expert, ready for land restoration” Andrew Evans Opiolo GRÓ LRT Alumnus
Andrew Evans Opiolo is a committed advocate for sustainable land management in Uganda and a GRÓ LRT 2021 alumnus. His current work focuses on improving food security and sustainable agricultural practices in Uganda. Andrew says that his participation in the GRÓ Land Restoration Training Programme significantly enhanced his expertise, equipping him with the tools necessary to tackle pressing land management challenges.
Andrew is now a Senior Agricultural Inspector at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries in Uganda (MAAIF), a position he was promoted to after his participation in the GRÓ LRT Programme. His current work focuses on controlling and managing crop pests and diseases, aiming for improved food security, more secure household incomes, and sustainable agricultural practices. “The training has contributed immensely to my overall career growth as an agricultural advisor, consultant, and trainer of trainers in land restoration and agriculture in general,“ he says.
Andrew is actively involved in the planning and implementation of the Sustainable Land Management (SLM) component under the Uganda Climate Smart Agricultural Transformation Project. A 6-year project aimed at increasing productivity, market access, and resilience of selected value chains in 69 districts in Uganda. In this role, he will determine which particular technologies and practices to implement across the area. His selection to the project SLM Implementation Taskforce is based on his experience and training in land restoration and SLM in Iceland. He has reviewed training manuals and several funded project proposals on land restoration and sustainable land management by various partners and individuals.
Recommendations and key findings of research widely used
Before joining the GRÓ LRT Andew worked as an Agricultural Officer at Nakapiripirit district local government in Karamoja sub-region and before that as Chief Agronomist and Agronomist at KadAfrica Estate Limited and Agromax Uganda Limited respectively.
Andrew’s individual project at GRÓ LRT focused on understanding factors influencing the adoption of sustainable land management technologies among subsistence farmers in Nakapiripirit District, Uganda. Andrew explains that having been involved in the implementation of various sustainable land management projects in the district, facing the same challenges, he realised that despite the widespread land degradation in the area no specific studies had been done where both the technical viewpoint of the experts and the farmer‘s perspective were combined. „Therefore, the institutions and development partners were depending on the district technical staff as key informants to make decisions on sustainable land management interventions in the district,” he says.
“Recommendations from my special project have been taken up by several development partners in generating project proposals and it has solidly guided the allocation of various sustainable land management interventions. Several technologies have been directed to favourable areas for improved adoption as a result of the key findings of my special project by development partners and government. On another note, it has generated attention to sustainable land management challenges amidst the effects of climate change being experienced.”
Building Connections Beyond Borders
Andrew says that attending the GRÓ programme was an intense and enriching experience. “The programme was intense as I had been told by former fellows. The facilitators were passionate, flexible, very knowledgeable and experienced in the field. The sessions were interactive with a lot of experience sharing from most of the fellows and this enabled me to conceptualize the various ideas. The special and timely supervision on the special project was beyond my comprehension and at one point, it ignited a fire within me to undertake a master’s degree immediately as I had been refined for research studies at that level.
To sum it up, I got in-depth knowledge and understanding of the various concepts and principles of undertaking any land restoration or sustainable land management intervention. I clearly and practically understood why, which and when to apply specific land restoration measures. I came back an expert, ready for land restoration,” Andrew says.
„The international nature of the training, further widened my global understanding of land restoration but also practically customised it to area specific contexts which I greatly loved and enjoyed“. Maintaining connections with fellow alumni has been crucial for Andrew and he is actively involved in mobilizing the GRÓ LRT alumni network in Uganda, sharing opportunities and experiences. He is also in touch with other GRÓ LRT cohorts through the Whatsapp platform. Andrew also represented GRÓ LRT as one of the panelists at a joint GRÓ alumni event in Kampala in February 2024, where alumni from all training programmes met at UNESCO offices in the city.
Surreal to witness a volcanic eruption
Asked about if he has any particular memories or fun stories to share from his time in Iceland Andrew remembers the challenges that came with being in a colder climate. “Field work on cold, dry and windy summer days were interesting and tasking at the same time. You only needed to look at someone’s face to understand the effect of the cold. It made us have runny noses and shiver to the extent of us having kindergarten handwritings. We would laugh our lungs out at the awkward type of characters that the different writers would have on their files,” Andrew says. “I had never in my entire life taken the rising of the sun as a very big deal until when I landed in Iceland. Felt the bone-biting cold and saw first hand the excitement and merry making amongst the people in down-town of the first summer day in Iceland. To me it was more than Christmas celebrations in Uganda. Setting my eyes on the volcanic eruption and magma river about 10 metres away from me felt surreal but there I was with a runny nose from the dry winds, smelling sulphur and wide open eyes to witness a once in a lifetime event that I had studied earlier in my geographical classes. What a marvelous sight it was!”
Cooperation needed to achieve goals
Andrew has plenty of recommendations for current and future fellows studying at GRÓ LRT. “Take advantage of the well-seasoned and highly professional experts in Iceland and endeavour to understand the various concepts and principles of land restoration. In addition, they ought to identify strategies of integrating the learned knowledge and skills in their daily work operations back in their home countries for significant impact. Finally, work with others to achieve individual, institutional, country and global goals together.
