This project will respond to the challenges exacerbating the poverty of poor women farmers in Eastern Uganda. It will empower them to scale up agricultural production and market access for improved food security and income generation, by organizing them into groups, providing them with improved seeds and information on markets, training them on farming practices, post-harvest handling, etc. and introducing them to solar-powered water pumps.
Agriculture is the leading sector in Uganda's economy and is central for sustaining the livelihoods of poor rural people. However, production has declined due to the limited capacity of farmers, their poor access to markets, farm inputs and credit, use of inferior crop varieties, drought, poor crop management and soil infertility. These poor people are thus unable to expand the area under cultivation and grow cash crops to generate income and allow them to alleviate their poverty.
The project will enable farmers to: (i) access relevant information, improved seeds and inputs; (ii) acquire and apply new knowledge and skills in modern agriculture, including appropriate farming practices, post-harvest handling and quality control skills through training; (iii) access accurate and timely market information; (iv) organise themselves into groups to take advantage of economies of scale; (v) understand basic savings practices; and (vi) get introduced to solar-powered water pumps.
The expected impact includes: (i) increased production and incomes through transformation of subsistence farming into agribusiness and better access to markets; (ii) food security; (iii) self-reliance and strengthened capacity of households; (iv) improved nutritional benefits and reduction of disease; (v) environmental protection due to improved practices; (vi) improved knowledge, skills, social networks, self-esteem; and (vi) overall poverty alleviation and wellbeing.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
