Give 35 families food security in Uganda

Across many rural communities in Mayuge District, smallholder farmers continue to face poverty, limited access to quality agricultural inputs, inadequate farming knowledge, and low harvests. Many families struggle to produce enough food for household consumption, let alone generate surplus income to improve their livelihoods. Limited access to land and capital further affects productivity, while cultural norms continue to place much of the farming responsibility on women.

Using their traditional farming methods, farmers in Magada have worked very hard but continued to harvest very little, often not enough to feed their families for a reasonable period of time. For example, Mr. Siraje narrated:

“I have often harvested only three bags from my one-and-a-half acres of land. Never did I think that I could produce enough to feed my family and also earn an income. However, with your guidance, I am hopeful that our farming is going to change.”

In the continued fight against food insecurity, Act4Africa identified 29 farmers to benefit from the 2026 cohort of the Grain for Growth Project. The goal was to provide training to improve their agronomy practices, increase harvests, and strengthen post-harvest handling to reduce post-harvest losses.

In February 2026, the project successfully conducted participant orientation, a baseline survey, and a two-day pre-harvest training attended by local farmers and facilitated by an agricultural expert alongside a successful farmer from a previous cohort.

Through both theoretical and practical training sessions, farmers gained hands-on knowledge in land preparation, seed selection, fertilizer application, pest control, planting methods, spacing, and modern agronomic practices. During the practical sessions, farmers planted the DK 80-90 maize seed variety using recommended spacing and fertilizer application methods to demonstrate best farming practices directly in the field.This training strengthened farmers’ understanding of farming as a business and encouraged them to adopt improved agricultural practices that can increase both harvests and household income.

Additionally, Act4Africa provided pesticides to control insects that had begun attacking the maize plantation. Because of your support, we were able to purchase a pressure sprayer for the farmers in the village, along with pesticides to combat the infestation. This intervention saved not only the one-and-a-half-acre maize demonstration farm, but also the plantations of 28 other farmers that were at risk of being destroyed by armyworms.

We continue to see that when families have enough food and surplus grain for sale, children are healthier and able to attend school consistently. There is also a reduction in gender-based violence associated with food shortages, while young girls are able to stay in school longer, helping to prevent teenage pregnancies.

Thank you so much for your support. Through your kindness and generosity, generations are being impacted.