A tractor renovated by Farmcare agricultural apprentices at Reaseheath College will soon be boosting food production in Uganda, thanks to the support of Farmcare - the UK’s leading lowland farmer and farming business - and UK charity the Somerset Wetland Wildlife Foundation (SWWF).
Restoring and servicing the aged Leyland 270 tractor has been a true team effort, with Farmcare providing the tractor, parts and apprentices and the Cheshire land-based college delivering the training as part of the Level 3 apprenticeship programme.
The Leyland 270 and cultivation equipment including a mechanical inter-row weeder and a mechanical seed drill has been dispatched to Mombasa and will be transported by road to Uganda, where it will be handed over to Ssalongo, the leader of the Degaya commercial group of small subsistence farmers. SWWF, a not for profit organisation run by former farmers Jim and Kay Barnard, who support small farmers in Uganda, is overseeing the project.
Tim Cleaver, 23, an apprentice who works at Farmcare’s Ashby St Ledgers Farm, Warwickshire, and Ian Watson the farm manager from Farmcare’s Louth Park Farms who acquired the tractor and implements, will fly out to Uganda to help train the farmers on the tractor’s operation and maintenance.
Farmcare’s Ian Watson, said: “This was a great opportunity for the apprentices to put the skills and knowledge they’ve gained to the test and at the same time support a worthy cause. I’m extremely proud of the Farmcare team who worked so hard to revamp the tractor and must thank Reaseheath for its support and encouragement in the project. Hopefully the tractor will make a massive difference to the lives of small holders and their local community in Uganda.”
Tim Cleaver, said: “This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see grass roots farming in a different part of the world. It’s going to be an amazing experience and I’m looking forward to using the knowledge I’ve gained during my apprenticeship to help other farmers.”
Farmcare’s apprentices work on seven of Farmcare’s arable and fruit farms and attend Reaseheath for one week sessions four times a year. They are also regularly visited in the workplace by Reaseheath Training course manager and assessor Anna Hughes.
