Agricultural initiatives are what drive the Ugandan economy. This is due to the fact that agrarian farming is the mainstay of the Ugandan economy, with over 80% of the adult population directly involved in small-scale subsistence farming. For many years farming in the country has primarily been based on human labour but in more recent times there has been a greater move towards the use of industrial or mechanical approaches to farming. There are less than 1000 tractors currently operating in a country of 37 million people. Corruption, poor governance and lack of political will on the part of government is partly responsible for the meagre funding to the agricultural sector. Current statistics indicate that 62% of Uganda's youth are unemployed. Many are educated to University degree level, but there are absolutely no job openings in the country. At first, the youth shunned blue collar jobs, but have since been forced to create self-employment, especially targeting the agricultural sector, which offers immense opportunities. The single most challenging bottle-neck in agricultural production is lack of mechanization for quick, and effective land preparation. Timing of rains has been hampered by the slow process of digging with the hand hoe. This also results in shallow ploughing hence poor yields. MECHANISING agriculture is one way of uplifting the sector from subsistence to commercial level. Using machines on the farm not only boosts yields, but also increases efficiency. A walking tractor is one of the most handy machines that can transform a small-scale farm. The walking tractor is a multi-functional tool. It is called a walking tractor because the person operating it often has to walk behind it. The tractor can perform tasks like transporting things around the farm, besides digging. A complete walking tractor unit includes an engine and a plough. This costs between Uganda Shillings 5 - 8 million or USD 1,975 - 3,160 (including import taxes), depending on the make. Every additional accessory (implement), for instance the tilting trailer and specialised ploughs cost between Uganda Shillings 1 million and 2 million each, or USD 395 and 790. The tractors can be got from most of the leading farm machinery dealers around the country. When it comes to ploughing, the walking tractor will take a week to cultivate an area that would take a month with a hand hoe. Besides, the walking tractor digs much deeper than a hand hoe. The walking tractor's engine can also be used to pump water from a water source into a tank. The engine can be attached to a trailer with a carrying capacity of 350kg. So a farmer can use the walking tractor to transport produce or pick farm material from the stores. The tractor is also equipped with an array of ploughs including ploughing griddles, rotary tillers, share cultivators, double sided plough, digging share, a mulching device. My dream is to raise $220,000 because we have 112 districts. My goal is to donate a walking tractor to one YOUTH GROUP per district, which translates to 112 walking tractors at $1,975 per tractor, which gives a sum of $221,200 (roughly 220,000). However, it is only modest and realistic to take baby steps and start with a pilot that will cover one quarter of the districts (28 districts in total). Only registered and well organized youth groups will benefit from this fund. The youth groups will be responsible for raising fuel for operating the machines. I will therefore need to raise $55,300 to cover the pilot. This is a leap of faith which I am optimistic is achievable. Dear donors, thank you in advance and remember no contribution is too small. - See more at: http://www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/raising-funds-for-28-walking-tractors-for-youth-employment-/183070#sthash.Xu9Fy0vq.dpuf