Members of a cooperative society in Oyam have begun to reap the benefits of the various trainings undertaken.
PHOTOS/BILL OKETCH
For years, Simon Okello, a farmer from Kokcan Ikweri Group in northern Uganda, was a frustrated man. Despite his tireless efforts to make a meaningful livelihood out of his one-acre piece of land, he always faced the same frustrations. Every season, he lost a significant portion of his harvest before he could sell it.
Inadequate storage facilities and rudimentary post-harvest handling methods meant much of his crop got spoilt before it could reach the market. This cycle of struggle and frustration was his reality for years.
But now, Okello’s destiny appears to have changed for the better, thanks to the partnership between AGRA and Equator Seeds Limited that is transforming the lives of smallholder farmers in northern Uganda.
“I used to dread the harvest season,” Okello recounts, recalling days when his harvest would be a source of frustration. “We would work so hard to grow our crops, but they would get spoilt due to improper storage.”
Okello’s story mirrors the broader experiences of many smallholder farmers in northern Uganda who depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Despite their best efforts in the fields, post-harvest losses can be devastating, often claiming up to 30 percent of their crops. The lack of proper storage facilities and knowledge about good post-harvest handling means that even bountiful harvests can quickly turn into losses.
The Losses
Mr. Geoffrey Onyong, the field extension staff at the Acwecomio Cooperative Society, says:
“Previously, our farmers lost over 50 percent of their produce due to poor handling. Today, these losses have greatly reduced.”
It is estimated that 30 to 50 percent of food produced in Uganda is lost due to poor post-harvest handling. However, the various farmer groups and cooperatives in northern Uganda are looking to change this.
With funding from AGRA, Equator Seeds has been supplying various farmer groups and cooperatives with quality seeds and training them on post-harvest handling techniques to improve access to quality seeds and reduce losses.
The seed company works with a number of cooperatives and farmer groups, such as Acwecomio Cooperative Society and Kokcan Ikweri Group in Oyam District, as well as Alero Labala Cooperative Society in Nwoya District, to produce and supply quality seeds under a contract farming arrangement.
For instance, Acwecomio Cooperative Society produces soybeans, groundnuts, sesame, maize, and bean seeds under recommended conditions to maintain the quality of seeds, which are distributed to members and sold to generate income.
Welcomed Partnerships
Through such partnerships, Equator Seeds conducts training to equip farmers with knowledge and best practices, such as planting in rows to optimize yields and proper methods of drying crops before and after harvest.
Consequently, farmers such as Okello have begun to reap the benefits. He recalls:
“Previously, I could only secure one bag and one basin of soybeans from my one-acre field. Now, with the improved Maksoy 3N variety, I harvest three bags (360kgs). This has changed my life and the future of my family.”
Tonny Okello, the managing director of Equator Seeds, says:
“Our initiative focuses on contract farming and linking farmers directly to seed markets. We train farmers in essential skills such as agronomy, group dynamics, and financial literacy.”
Maize is one of the enterprises being promoted under the intervention. PHOTO/BILL OKETCH
The introduction of quality seeds has been transformative for communities like Kokcan Ikweri Group, which has grown from 15 members to encompass many families eager to improve their livelihoods. The once-low yields that characterized their fields have been replaced by bumper harvests.
“Now, I can feed my family and afford to send my children to school. Their education is something I never thought possible before,” Okello explains, beaming with pride.
Okello from Equator Seeds notes:
“We have observed increased yields thanks to climate-smart seed varieties characterized by their vigor and DUS (distinct, uniform, and stable) properties. This shift has reduced the reliance on inferior, home-saved seed varieties.”
Michael Okot, the secretary of Alero Labala Cooperative Society, says:
“We have been trained on modern rice-growing techniques. Now we are harvesting 15 bags per acre, up from 5 to 8 bags before. We have also received tricycles from Equator Seeds to help us transport our produce to market.”
Training Comes in Handy
Farmers are trained on modern agricultural practices, such as planting in rows and post-harvest handling, which has equipped them with essential skills that have increased productivity and minimized losses.
“We provide training on best practices and advocate for the use of tarpaulins to ensure crops are properly dried before harvest,” says Okello from Equator Seeds.
“With training on post-harvest handling, our farmers can now store their produce effectively, reducing losses and maximizing sales,” Onyong proudly says.
“We learned about proper drying methods, how to check moisture content, and how to prevent pest infestations,” Okello, the farmer, explains. “These might sound like small things, but they have made a lot of difference.”
For many farmers, the collaboration between AGRA and Equator Seeds is the difference between subsistence and prosperity.
“Most of our farmers now know how to do cost-benefit analysis on their production,” Onyong proudly states. “It has increased household income, and many of our members can now send their children to good schools.”
However, the increased yield has created a new challenge of access to markets and the need for adequate storage facilities. Many of the smallholder farmers rely on small granaries or rooms in homes, which are often inadequate.
With support from development partners, such as the African Development Fund, Acwecomio Cooperative has set up an 800-capacity storage facility, which has reduced post-harvest losses and enabled collective marketing.
“This storage facility has lifted us from the subsistence cycle,” Onyong explains.
Through collective marketing, the cooperative has established partnerships with different businesses to buy the farmers’ produce.
“Thanks to this storage facility, we now have a strong business partnership with off-takers,” Onyong says.
“We are rich and food secure now, partly because we have access to improved seeds that can tolerate climate change shocks and better storage facilities,” Onyong says.
Okello from Equator Seeds adds:
“We plan to recruit more cooperatives, extend our focus to other crops, expand into other regions, and increase stakeholder involvement in the value chain.”
As Uganda continues to grapple with the effects of climate change on food production, the success of farmers in the northern part of the country demonstrates that with targeted interventions—including improved seeds, training, and markets—the income of millions of farmers who depend on agriculture for their livelihood can be secured.
