Since the end of the war with the LRA* and the return to peace in 2006, agricultural production in the North of the country could start over again, after many long years during which the population depended on humanitarian aid for food.
Following a change of eating habits, demand for rice strongly increased in Uganda. Little rice was produced in the country before and the opportunity to develop this culture was taken in 2009. After a very successful first phase of two years, this project continues today and supports 80 groups of farmers.
With the scientific support of the NARO (National Agriculture Research Organization) in Uganda, the farmers produce and multiply rain rice (non GMO). In this phase of the project, a particular emphasis is put on the improvement of storage,
to lower the loss of harvests. And in order to increase the price of rain rice, a special care is given to the quality of the harvest.
The producers regroup to form associations of marketing. They help to short-circuit some intermediaries and to sell directly on the final markets; this increases the margin and the income of the farmers.
Through
the marketing of rice, the peasants increase their income, so they can afford to pay for other needs and improve their daily consumption.
An internal
savings and loan program allows producers to save and invest to increase their output or to diversify.
To insure a
sustainable supply of seeds, 50 cultivators that had good results previously will be trained to produce seeds of high quality. Then they will become the suppliers of seed in the future, and this will increase the supply of seeds locally.
*The Lord’s Resistance Army, is a rebel movement that terrorized Northern Uganda for nearly 20 years. The movement is still active in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Project number: P710
Number of beneficiaries: 2,000 families
Support foreseen in 2014: CHF 130,000.-