Northern Uganda Horticulture Market Acceleration Program (NU-HortiMAP)
The Northern Uganda Horticulture Market Acceleration Program (NU-HortiMAP) aimed to support market actors towards a vibrant, sustainable horticulture sector in Northern Uganda. NU-HortiMAP sustainably improved the productivity and sustainable supply of high-quality horticulture products, improved competitiveness and access to markets while strengthening institutional and regulatory frameworks. The project was funded by Agricultural Business Initiative’s (aBi) Green Challenge Fund (GCF), which seeks to address the increasing impacts of climate change on Uganda’s agri-food system.
In Uganda, agriculture plays a critical role in the economy, providing 66% of the country’s total employment. The agricultural sector faces numerous challenges, including limited availability of quality seeds at affordable prices, prevalence of bacterial wilt, and unreliable weather patterns. Agricultural productivity is also hindered by low yields, limited access to markets, and climate change. The horticulture sector has growth potential but is plagued by poor post-harvest handling and storage facilities as well as limited market access.
Opportunity
Horticulture has the ability to lift smallholder famers in Uganda out of poverty. Empowering smallholder horticulture farmers to take control of their own development provides them with the readiness to seize opportunities, generate income for their households and improve their quality of life. Smallholder farmers can improve their productivity and competitiveness when they are provided with skills, knowledge, and resources including the catalytic and infrastructural grants for micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
Strategy
NU-HortiMAP was funded by Agricultural Business Initiative (aBi) and implemented from 2022-2024 across eight districts (Amuru, Gulu, Kitgum, Kole, Lira, Nwoya, Oyam, and Pader) in Northern Uganda. The program supported market actors to chart their own course towards a vibrant, sustainable horticulture sector in Northern Uganda by sustainably improving the productivity and supply of high-quality horticulture products, improving competitiveness and access to markets, while also strengthening the institutional and regulatory framework.
Results
During the eighteen-month period of the program’s implementation, NU-HortiMAP achieved significant accomplishments, including training and linking 7,586 smallholder farmers (2,992 female and 4,594 male) to improve their productivity and quality. Additionally, 580 micro-market vendors (567 female and 13 male) were supported with training and linkage to markets. The program increased the capacity of four micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and seven producer organizations (Home Harvest, Vermipro, Oasis, Agreenovette, Alvimo, Syngenta, and KIKE Tropical) to deliver quality products and services to farmers.
NU-HortiMAP worked with partners to deliver trainings, distribute seedlings, and establish demonstration sites throughout the course of the program. Home Harvest (U) Limited trained 1,520 farmers (456 males and 1,054 females) on nursery management and established demonstration gardens. VermiPro developed a training manual for tomato and watermelon trainings. Agreennovate Consultancy Limited recruited 80 smallholder farmers (56 males and 24 females), established demonstration sites, and conducted trainings on regenerative agriculture. Syngenta established five Youth Professional Responsibility (YPR) seedling raising centers and conducted trainings on regenerative agriculture.
Oasis Agribusiness (U) Limited mobilized 419 farmers (including 230 women and 131 youth), established commercial nursery beds, and marketed products through FM radio stations. KIKE Tropical Fruits Limited developed its raw material supply chain by building the capacity of 1,500 mango and 500 passion fruit farmers in Good Agronomic Practices (GAP). They also distributed 45,000 mango seedlings and 500 passion fruit seedlings to trained smallholder farmers.
Partners
Agricultural Business Initiative (aBi) is a social enterprise that channels development cooperation funding to agribusinesses and agricultural service providers. aBi aims to build a competitive, profitable & sustainable agriculture and agribusiness sector in support of equitable wealth creation in Uganda.
