In June, Dr. Ray Weil Partnered With Small Farmers in Uganda to Increase Crop Yields
Rich soil (left) surrounded trees that grow in Ugandan farm fields, while soil farther from the trees (right) was less fertile. A UMD researcher this summer shared this and other soil science tips with farmers looking to expand their operations.
Image Credit: Ray Weil
A soil scientist who has shared his knowledge for decades with students in UMD classrooms recently returned from a trip to Uganda, where he gave science-based guidance for better yields to 120 small farmers looking to expand.
Ray Weil, a professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology, volunteered last month with the USAID-sponsored Farmer-to-Farmer program, which brings experts to developing nations to share their knowledge with farmers who lack the technologies available to farmers in developed nations and have little access to information on the most current best management practices.
“Sometimes it's a matter of a pair of outside eyes being able to help people ‘see the forest for the trees’ and diagnose ways to improve,” he said.
