On we go: Organic trainings in Uganda
In 2020, 50 donors from this community supported us to create training opportunities for smallholder cocoa and coffee producers in Uganda. With your support, we have not only achieved this goal, but exceeded it. We have created a movement of smallholder farmers that aims to organise farmers and create shared learning opportunities. Your support helped achieve:
- 8 participatory group trainings on organic practices for sustainable coffee and cocoa production conducted,
- 1 group excursion to a Demeter model farm organised,
- Over 50 farm visits for individual support to smallholder farmers,
- 2 model gardens established as demonstration plots for sustainable organic practices in coffee and cocoa management,
- 1 group-owned nursery built with a capacity of 5000 seedlings,
- 750 clean and improved cocoa seedlings distributed,
- planted over 1000 coffee and cocoa trees,
- pruned 700 old and unproductive coffee plants,
- almost 10 hectares of coffee completely rejuvenated.
In summary: The activities supported by the Wemakeit community were such a success that we founded a local farmer-led initiative called FALSAM, which is now registered as a community-based organisation with the district NGO board. Thanks to your support, the first building block for a long-lasting and institutionalised cooperation was created. Other farmers have expressed their interest in becoming part of this movement. With your support, we can expand our reach.
Good pruning of coffee trees is necessary for productive gardens. 
The shade of a house provides the perfect spot for a group training. 
Establishing a compost heap is a lot of work. The group decided to share the workload and collaborate. 
Natural concoctions may help strengthen the plants and reduce pests and diseases. Luckily, many ingredients for the concoctions grow locally. 
Excursion to the only Demeter-certified farm in Uganda. 
Probing soil on Uganda's only Demeter-certified farm.
There is so much to do
In Ntenjeru sub-county alone, there are over 3000 coffee and cocoa producers who would benefit from FALSAM’s support. By facilitating farmer organization, they could pool their harvests and negotiate higher prices. Furthermore, a certain number of producers is needed for organic certification to be profitable and for export companies to be interested in buying the products in the long term.
FALSAM has set itself the goal of providing long-term support to small farmers on the ground and, in addition to training courses and group activities already designed, to take up the topics of food security and farmers’ seed conservation. This will provide crucial knowledge for agro-ecological production not only of coffee and cocoa, but also of staple foods such as sweet potatoes, beans and cassava.
Thank you for your continued support!
The smallholder farmers in Mukono especially appreciate those learning activities with a lot of exchange opportunities among each other. With the additional funds, we will therefore support the exchange of knowledge between the farmers for the new participants of the initiative and create joint learning opportunities for sustainable agriculture. We also want to renew 100 coffee and cocoa plots and create 100 productive agroforestry gardens.
The three of us (Martin Kagimu, Lauben Mwesigwa and Brasio Kawere Kigongo) are Bachelor Agronomists from Makerere University and certified Forest Gardening trainers from Trees for The Future. We have also participated in the international organic farming training course funded by BioVision and GIZ. We have gained relevant experience in working with and learning from smallholder communities to develop sustainable farms that benefit nature and people. With your support, we will continue to do so.