Last year I walked a marathon (42km) for KICS, so this year I thought I would go Ultra and walk 50km. My friend Helen Sail is coming along (she’s great) and we are walking the Itchen Way from the sea (at Southampton) to the Itchen River’s source at Cheriton near Alresford in Hampshire. I am very much looking forward to visiting the Flower Pots Inn.

I know I only did the last walk in November, so this has come round a bit soon, but we will be walking this in a day, and we need daylight. So, I hope you don’t mind. I’m not planning anything for the rest of the year, I promise.

So, we are walking for agriculture. In Kashare, SW Uganda women are in charge of feeding their families, and most rely on growing their own food. Any surplus they sell which comes in handy for education and health costs and improving their homes. We have hired a young agricultural extension worker, Allan, who will work with 100 women subsistence farmers to build on their existing knowledge. He’ll show them that planting in rows and weeding results in better productivity, so is worth the effort. We will give the women good quality seeds at the beginning to show what a difference they can make. We will encourage the women to carefully sort their surplus crops for sale. The best kernels, grains, beans and peanuts fetch the best prices. KICS will collect the surpluses together so that the women can sell when the price is good. Women will organise themselves into groups which in the future can buy good seed and sell in bulk when the prices are higher. This really makes a difference to their lives.

£10 – will buy seeds for one farmer for a year (two seasons)

£30 – 10 bags to store one of the group’s grain crops prior to marketing

£50 – tools for one demonstration plot

I’m pleased to say that KICS is doing well this year – currently (July) we have all but two projects funded. This agriculture project still needs £4,000. Someone else has committed to raising £2,000, so if I can raise £2,000, that’s the fundraising sorted.

Thank you for your support.

PS the cover photo is me (in the spotty wellies) in Kashare in September 2022 getting stuck in to some weeding.