Alrep 2015

Office of the Prime Minister

Northern Uganda Agriculture livelihoods Recovery Programme

ALREP Key data Signature date FA:

9 March 2009

Expiry implementation period:

8 March 2015

Commitment (D+3) date:

8 March 2013

Inception period (PE1):

9 July 2010 – 31 December 2010

PE2 period:

1 January 2011 – 31 December 2011

PE3 period:

1 January 2012 – 30 June 2013

PE4 period:

1 July 2013 – 30 November 2014

Closure period:

1 December 2014 – 8 March 2015

Funding agency:

European Union 10th European Development Fund

Contracting Authority:

Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development

Programme Supervisor:

Office of the Prime Minister

Imprest Administrator:

Office of the Prime Minister

Imprest Accounting Officer

Cardno Emerging Markets (UK) Ltd

Maximum EU contribution:

€20,000,000

Fund allocation by results (Millions €) Fund absorption 93.5% Capacity Building of Local Government Increased availability of agricultural finance

¤1.88 10.1%

¤0.68

Management and operations

¤3.66

3.6%

19.6%

More efficient and transparent input and output market

¤1.46 7.8%

Increased agricultural production and productivity

¤4.64

Productive Infrastructure rebuilding

¤6.38 34.1%

Objectives structure of ALREP

Objective level

Objective

Overall Goal

The agricultural sector in Northern Uganda makes a substantial contribution to raising the prosperity for its war-affected population to a level at least at par with the rest of the country, and to increased economic growth of the region and Uganda.

Purpose

The war affected population of Northern Uganda engages in productive and profitable agricultural and agri-business activities that ensure food security and increase household income.

Results Result 1:

Agricultural production and productivity increased

Result 2:

Productive infrastructure in support of farming rebuilt

Result 3:

Input and output markets and processing capacities made more efficient and transparent

Result 4:

Availability of agricultural finance to producers, traders and processors increased

Result 5:

Capacity of relevant departments in Local Government at district and subcounty built for more effective planning, service delivery, supervision and monitoring

24.8%

Inside....

Office of the Prime Minister New Government Building, Apollo Kagwa Road, Kampala Website: www.opm.nulep.org

Foreword - Rt Hon Ruhakana Rugunda... ii A word from the Minister of State for Northern Uganda - Hon Rebecca Amuge Otengo... iv A word from the Minister of State for Teso - Hon Christine Aporu... v A word from the Permanent Secretary... vi

Publishing Consultant: Hai Agency Uganda Editorial Team: Reint Bakema David Obiti Adolf Gerstl Beatrice Arach Emmanuel Iyamulemye Niyibigira Design/layout Peter Mugeni Wanyama slickrep256@gmail.com

Introduction.... 2

01 02

Rebuilding Infrastructure ....14 03

February 2015 This book has been produced by the Government of Uganda with funding from the 10th European Development Fund. The contents of this book does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

ALREP was implemented with technical assistance of

From Bushes to Beans .... 4

Input and output markets strengthened ....28

04

From Boxes to Banks ....34

05

Rebuilding District Agricultural Ex tension Services ....38

Foreword by the Prime Minister As the title of this book suggests, Northern Uganda is on the road to prosperity. The insurgency of the LRA is long history, and although the scars of this terrible period are still healing in people’s minds, many have benefitted from the massive development programmes that the Government and development agencies rolled out from 2007 onwards. The coordination of this huge undertaking was in the hands of the Office of the Prime Minister, under its pacification and development mandate. The overarching vision and strategies for the rehabilitation of Northern Uganda were laid down in the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan, which was launched by HE the President in October 2007.

A

s part of the PRDP, the Government together with the European Union developed the €20 million (67 bn shillings) Northern Uganda Agriculture Livelihoods Recovery Programme. The programme sought to support the economic engine of the north: agriculture. Luckily, Northern Uganda is endowed with favourable conditions for agriculture.

Therefore, ALREP’ support fell literary in fertile soil. Farmers, input dealers, agro-processors and district local governments enthusiastically embraced the programme, and worked tirelessly with the Office of the Prime Minister to make it a success.

ALREP was designed to make a difference, and it did.

After four years of implementation there is hardly a corner in Northern Uganda where its influence has not been felt. We estimate that ALREP had a direct impact on at least 20% of the population in the region.

The success of ALREP rests on three pillars. Firstly, we have good national policies which respond to the livelihood needs of the people of Northern Uganda.

Our Ministers of State for Northern Uganda and Teso are the guardians of these policies.

Secondly, we had a strong implementation team. The Permanent Secretary, Christine Guwatudde Kintu, took a personal interest in ALREP, and its sister programme KALIP, alongside her many other duties. She ably guided and supervised the Programme Management Unit (PMU) that did a good job to deliver the programme in time and within budget. And thirdly, and most importantly, the people of Northern Uganda decided to move forwards, and rebuild their livelihoods.

They seized the opportunities that ALREP offered, and their hard work is paying off.

that it will be equally relevant to the region. The government’s committed to ensure that Northern Uganda is fully healed and is as prosperous as any other region in our beautiful country.

I thank the European Union for their unwavering support to the region. The stories in this book prove that their contribution was put to excellent use.

To all of you who have been part of this extraordinary programme, enjoy the read.

Rt Hon Ruhakana Rugunda Prime Minister

The design of a new PRDP is underway. I will ensure Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

iii

Northern Uganda is moving forward The Northern Uganda Agriculture Livelihoods Recovery Programme is one of the government interventions which made a difference in Acholi, Lango and Teso. As a political supervisor of PRDP, I am truly satisfied with ALREP’s achievements. When I travel around in Northern Uganda I hear so many positive stories about the programme. These stories demonstrate that Northern Uganda is moving forward in the quest for development and prosperity.

I

was privileged to attend the commissioning of production offices, produce stores and markets, and handing over IT equipment, office supplies and motorcycles to the beneficiaries. Below are some of the observations I made during these events and which are still relevant at the end of this programme.

At the launching of the construction of the production office in Agago: “I ask our contractors to be professional and committed when they win government contracts, so that their efforts help to build our country.”

At the commissioning of Agweng sub county production office in Lira district: “I am

iv

impressed by the hard work of the community Project Management Committees and the district staff for being so closely involved in the construction. I expect that the district staff and the community members look at this building as their own, rather than something from OPM, or worse, from the European Union.”

At the commissioning of the Amuru district warehouse at the Elegu border crossing: “Let the people of Amuru produce more, so that we can fill our trucks, drive on our new road to the border and use this beautiful warehouse to trade with our friends in South Sudan.”

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

At the commissioning of offices and boreholes in Alebtong: “The recovery and development of Northern Uganda will not be achieved by buildings, but by the staff who work from these offices, and who are committed and passionate to serve the people of Northern Uganda.”

I thank the European Union, the hardworking and the dedicated technical team in the Office of the Prime Minister and, above all, the people of Northern Uganda for moving forward on the road to recovery and development.

Rebecca Amuge Otengo (MP) Minister of State for Northern Uganda

ALREP changed the face of Teso Teso sub region has benefited immensely from the ALREP intervention. The Minister of State for Teso Affairs, Hon Christine Aporu discusses key areas of success of ALREP in Teso sub region. She also touches on future possibilities and how ALREP has contributed to changing the face of Teso.

How has the Ministry of Teso Affairs given direction to the implementation of ALREP?

As Minister of State for Teso Affairs I oversee the overall implementation of ALREP in Teso. In this context my ministry therefore offers direction to the people, mobilises the lower local governments and district local governments to make sure that ALREP as a partner does not look only at single categories but looks at the population holistically.

How has ALREP managed to succeed where other programmes have failed?

ALREP has been able to succeed because they used the ‘awareness creation approach.’ The planning process was done in consultation with the beneficiaries of the programme.

Should ALREP be replicated in other parts of the country?

ALREP should be replicated. This is because it is a program that addresses the social-economic needs of the population and accountability is clearly seen with transparency. ALREP has invested heavily

in the Teso. Farmers in Teso have been empowered to produce their own food which has made the communities move away from relief food and other forms of dependency.

What next after ALREP?

We must ensure that we continue with the village savings, the farmer field schools, and the improvements of our productive infrastructure. The local leadership should be able to take on and incorporate ALREP activities in subcounty and district plans so that it continues to play the complementary role to support the communities in Teso.

The EU has worked with us not only in ALREP but also in the construction of Awoja Bridge which is the pride of the people of Teso. Indeed, Teso

is gratefull for the EU support. The office of the Minister of State for Teso Affairs also wishes to thank the EU because we have journeyed together with ALREP.

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

v

A word from the Permanent Secretary The Office of the Prime Minister is as complex and busy as a Ministry can be. Few people know that alongside our core mandate of coordination and monitoring of all government activities, OPM is also responsible for emergency responses and post-conflict development interventions.

T

operations. As supervisor, I was briefed weekly on the progress, and as imprest administrator I was daily involved in checking and approving contracts and payments. It worked so well, that we delivered practically everything that was planned, and accounted for every shilling entrusted to us by our development partner.

herefore, when the insurgency ended in Northern Uganda in 2006, OPM was tasked to put together a rehabilitation package that would bring the region as quickly as possible at par with the rest of Uganda.

A lot needed to be done. The Peace Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda, launched

by HE the President in 2007, set out the tasks and implementation modalities, and raised a substantial amount of money to get the rehabilitation underway.

The European Union was on our side from day one, by financing two special programmes with a total value of â‚Ź 40 million. We have now come to the end of the second programme, the Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme. As the name implies, ALREP focused on increasing agricultural incomes of farmers, and other players in the agriculture sector. And it did so successfully. As technical supervisor and imprest administrator of ALREP, I am proud of what OPM has achieved in the 4 years that ALREP was operational.

Why did we do well? Firstly, we had a good plan,

vi

based on a good analysis of the situation. Secondly, we shared the plan with the beneficiaries, that is the districts and the farmers in the region. They overlaid it with their own ideas, plans and priorities, and the result was a programme that was owned by everybody.

Thirdly, we set-up a professional Programme Management Unit. We ensured that the PMU was mainstreamed in OPM sufficiently for us to keep it on track, without interfering in their day-to-day

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

With ALREP and its sister programme KALIP, OPM has shown to be a reliable partner in development.

However, in the end it was the enthusiastic response of the people of Northern Uganda that put the region back on the road to full recovery and development.

This story book about ordinary people in Northern Uganda demonstrates just that.

Christine Guwatudde Kintu Permanent Secretary

36°0'0"E

Ethiopia

ALREP implementation area

Ke n y a 34°0'0"E

32°0'0"E

Kenya

4°0'0"N

33°0'0"E

34°0'0"E

Kenya

South Sudan LAMWO

Legend Legend

OJA

3°0'0"N 3°0'0"N

RAMOJA

3°0'0"N

enya

Focus Subcounties

ALREP FOCUS SUB-COUNTIES Kalip Districts Legend ALREP DISTRICTS MajorFOCUS Road SUB-COUNTIES ALREP

KITGUM

WEST NILE

Legend

ACHOLI

AMURU

0"N

ALREP DISTRICTS

PADER

KARAMOJA

3°0'0"N

ALREP FOCUS SU

ALREP DISTRICTS

AGAGO

GULU

NWOYA

OTUKE OYAM KOLE

2°0'0"N

LANGO

2°0'0"N

AKWI

LIRA

2°0'0"N

2°0'0"N

APAC

BUNYORO

1°0'0"N

34°0'0"E

AMURIA

0"N

KATAKWI

ELGON ELGON

ALEBTONG

0 510 20 30 40 Kms

BUGANDA 32°0'0"E

TESO

KATAKWI

ELGON

BUSOGA 33°0'0"E

34°0'0"E

36°0'0"E

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

1

Introduction The end of the war in Northern Uganda in 2006, which left the fertile and once prosperous region in ruins, triggered a massive rehabilitation effort by the Government of Uganda and development partners. In October 2007 the government launched the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan, which over a period of 8 years invested over US$ 600 million in consolidating state authority, rebuilding and empowering communities, revitalizing the economy, and building peace and reconciliation.

T

he European Union was one of the first development partners to buy into the PRDP, initially with a broad reconstruction programme worth â‚Ź 20 million that covered all the result areas of the PRDP. Building on

2

the success of the reconstruction efforts, in 2010, the Government and the EU started the Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Programme (ALREP), which focussed primarily on rural livelihoods, again with an investment of â‚Ź 20 million.

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

The aim of ALREP was to restore the food security and agricultural incomes of the rural population of 15 districts in Acholi, Lango and Teso. It did so by using a multipronged approach: firstly by directly providing 30,000 farmers with agricultural

ALREP’s budget of € 20 million was divided over six results. The management of the PMU took 19%, the remaining 81% was spent on the programme’s outputs and delivery.

By the end of 2014 this massive undertaking was completed. Practically all planned outputs were delivered, largely to the satisfaction of the Central Government and District Local Governments, and, probably more importantly, the local benefitting communities.

training and inputs; secondly, ALREP engaged thousands of community members in labour intensive works, thereby injecting cash in the rural areas and increasing the stock of productive infrastructure at the same time; thirdly, ALREP increased the presence and capacity of over 300 private agro-input dealers, processors and traders through training, and by providing matching grants to improve their businesses; fourthly, ALREP enhanced the local saving and lending capacity within communities; and lastly, ALREP built the capacity of the production departments of the 15 districts in which it operated, by constructing district and subcounty offices, training staff and supplying equipment and transport to create a conducive and professional working environment such that delivery of agricultural extension services to farmers can be optimized.

To execute such a large and complex programme, the Office of the Prime Minister, which was the technical supervisor of ALREP, set up a programme management unit (PMU) with experience in implementing EU-funded programmes. Under close technical supervision of the Permanent Secretary, and political oversight of the Minister of State for Northern Uganda and Minister of State for Teso Affairs, the PMU drafted a detailed implementation plan, which started to roll-out in 2011.

The plan was based on wide consultations with

UGX 67 Billion

the participating 15 districts, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Office of the Prime Minister to confirm their concurrence and support. With the plan in place, the PMU contracted 10 implementing partners (IPs) and over 40 private contractors to carry it out. During the next three years the IPs and contractors delivered the programme components, ranging from farmers’ trainings, community access roads, boreholes, agroinput shops, improved access to finance and well equipped production offices at district and subcounty level, under the close supervision of the PMU. Over 120,000 households were directly impacted by ALREP, and probably twice as many were indirectly touched.

The implementation, achievements and lessons learn from ALREP have been widely analyzed and recorded in over 150 reports and studies. This book provides a face to the many texts, tables and graphs published in the formal reports, by presenting real life stories of people who have been involved in and benefitted from ALREP. The stories have been collected by independent journalists who traversed the ALREP area and conducted interviews and took photographs. The most compelling stories are brought together to show that, with a little help from ALREP, the people in Northern Uganda have left the war long behind them and are instead working hard to create a bright and prosperous future.

The EU contribution to ALREP

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

3

01

From Bushes to Beans

Northern Uganda was once the bread basket of Uganda. Its well-educated farmers were producing cotton, tobacco, sorghum, simsim, beans, groundnuts, oil seeds, cassava, and a variety of vegetables, for local consumption and for the market. Oxen were widely used for land opening. Cattle, goats, sheep and poultry were kept for supplementary food and cash.

W

hen the communities started to return to their homes in 2007, their first challenge was to reassemble their productive assets from scratch. The majority of the people were youth who grew up in IDP camps and who lacked farming skills. In 2010 this process was still ongoing, and that is why ALREP’s core component was to rebuild the farming skills and assets of the rural communities.

The primary tool for this was a tested extension method called Farmer Field Schools. In these ‘schools without walls’, groups of farmers frequently gather in gardens of one of their members, to experiment with different crops, agronomy practises and inputs to find out what would work best for them. This was done under the guidance of a trained agronomist facilitator.

ALREP funded the facilitators, equipment and inputs for at least two seasons. The facilitators guided the learning process, and ensured that all aspects of a chosen enterprise were discussed, tested and explained.

The inputs and equipment exposed farmers to improved seeds, agrochemicals and tools. During

FFS outputs Farmer Field Schools (old)

480

Members old FFS

13,650

Farmer Field Schools (new)

480

Members new FFS

14,402

Trained facilitators

149

FFS field facilitators

159

FFS field coordinators

22

FFS networks

45

Seed distribution (tons)

74.7

Cassava cuttings distribution (bags)

2,451

Acres planted with QDS

2,851

33,752 The number of households participating in ALREP financed farmer training

the second learning season, the FFS were assisted in starting income generating projects, which were also financed by ALREP. By the end of August 2014, ALREP, through FAO and its implementing partners, had enrolled 28,052 households in 960 Farmer Field Schools in Acholi and Teso. In Lango, ALREP contracted CESVI to support the commercialisation of small holder agriculture. CESVI mobilised 192 farmer groups reaching 5,700 households.

A Farmer Field School (FFS) training session.

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

5

Seeds of change Alfred Openy of Minakulu in Oyam District is a member of a Farmer Field School in his locality.

Working with ALREP has had a big impact on both his life and that of the surrounding communities.

He has fully grasped the importance of the use of improved seeds.

A

lfred says: “one of a farmer’s most critical decisions is the selection of seeds, in particular the variety and source. The quality of the seed affects the yield of a crop more than any other input.”

6

Through his experiments in the Farmer Field School, Alfred and his colleagues realised that the yield potential, suitability for climatic and soil conditions, and resistance to pests and disease are all contained in the genetic code of the seed. Traditional seeds may be suitable for the local

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

Northern Uganda are the seeds of change.

Further to east in Acholi, in Alel West village, Kitgum district, we meet Odoch David aged 25 years, chairperson of Ogik Kwene FFS which literally means “Leading by example.”

“We came out of the camp a few years ago. At one point FAO came to this village and sensitized us about the FFS approach. I registered under Ogik Kwene FFS group and became the chairperson. The group was trained on agronomy, farming as a business and vegetable production including setting up a vegetable nursery in 2012,” says David.

environment in some aspects, but improved seeds have a higher yield potential, mature faster or may have a resistance to pests and diseases. Alfred teamed up with Equator Seeds and started to produce high quality hybrid seeds for the company. His two and a half hectares of maize and five hectares of rice, has helped him to significantly increase his household income.

Today, Alfred and his colleagues in the improved seeds business have not only helped to raise their living standards, but they also have managed to contribute to an emerging culture of modern seed use within their locality and beyond. Truly, improved seeds in

Using the knowledge gained, David established two acres of upland rice where he harvested 10 sacks of un-threshed rice which earned him 1 million shillings. David was also the host farmer for onion study plots for FFS season long learning. Ogik Kwene FFS group harvested over two basins

of onions at the end of the study. David realized that vegetables, especially onions, was another gold mine second to rice. He says: “Onions give more money than maize which is my other enterprise. I also grew onion shallots before the FFS training, but I had no experience in raising seedlings at the nursery bed.”

With the knowledge he acquired on farming as a business and agronomy of onions, in 2013 he was ready to give it a try. He purchased four tins of 50 grams onion seeds and established four big nursery beds which earned him 3 million shillings from the sale of onions at the end of season.

“The journey was not smooth anyway. The weather in 2013 was bad and I had to persevere with watering my onion nurseries until they were ready for transplanting,” says David.

745 Metric tons of improved seeds distributed to farmers by ALREP

7

Small livestock, big money The Farmer Field School component of ALREP was not just about training farmers in agronomy. It also included the distribution of improved seeds, distribution of oxen and ox ploughs, animal traction training, strengthening farmer networks, and support to Income Generating Activities (IGA). The choice of IGAs was done by the FFSs on the basis of the FFS interest and a cost-benefit analysis.

Item distributed Beehives Banana suckers

#

# FFS 165

12

50

1

Kg of Bean seeds

1050

3

Bags of cassava cuttings

560

7

Kg of Cowpea seeds

300

1

Kg of Groundnut seeds

2520

6

Goats

3273

229

13,500

15

10

10

Heifers

26

13

Sheep

714

51

Oxen

102

51

Piglets

504

36

Cocks

50

5

Rice hullers

1

1

Kg of Rice seeds

1600

6

Kg of Sorghum (Epuripur) seeds

7400

25

Kg of Soya bean seeds

4550

13

Kgs of Green gram seeds Grinding mill

G

oats proved to be a very popular IGA. More than 3,000 local goats and 200 boer bucks were distributed to FFSs. To meet the high demand, and upgrade the local breed, ALREP’s partner FAO constructed 8 modern goat breeding units. The one in Amuria was commissioned by the Minister of State for Teso.

It is a sunny day in Olet village Ogor subcounty Otuke district. The villagers are busy; but one particular villager seems to be especially full of ideas. This energetic man is called Richard Awio, who vents his informed opinions on increased household food security and income with a great deal of enthusiasm. A few years back he encountered ALREP and his life has never been the same.

As a member of Noteber Farmers Group, supported

by ALREP’s partner CESVI, Richard learned that success in farming, as in many other areas in life, rests in numbers. CESVI trained the thirty member group on how to maintain records and calculate earnings. The

calculations showed them which enterprises were really profitable. They noted that commercial seed multiplication was a profitable business, and this encouraged them to take up quality seed production.

Rose Akello of Acowa subcounty in Amuria district is one of the recipients of cross breed goats. She explains why they are better than the traditional goats.

To spread their sources of income, Richard and his colleagues were also trained in baking bread and operating a grinding mill. In doing so, they added value to their own produce and widened their market.

Richard was particularly impressed with the benefits of using oxen for land preparation. He received training in ox-ploughing and with help from ALREP, he bought a pair of oxen. Richard is excited by the animal traction technology: “I did not know how to use oxen for ploughing, I used my own hands. It was hard work, and the result was that I could dig less than 2 acres per season. Now I am using oxen, and I have opened much more land with far less effort.”

He concludes by saying “I have four children, whose education I am confidently managing I appreciate what I learned from ALREP and I am putting it into practice.”

In Ogur subcounty in neighbouring Lira district, Evelyn Bua and her friends in Rwot Enlonyo women group were also invited to join an

Why did you opt for improved breed of goats?

Cross-breeds grow very fast and their price in the market is very good. One earns more from the sale of cross breeds compared to traditional variety.

Rose Akello with her goats.

animal traction training. They were trained in the practical aspects of ox-ploughing, including repairing ploughs and proper animal husbandry. This was followed by training in modern crop husbandry, use of improved seeds and inputs to maximise their yields.

The impact on the group and surrounding communities has been profound.

They handle their oxen judiciously, working their animals at optimal capacity while taking care of their health. Their crop yields increased Number of goats and once the money started flowing distributed by ALREP in in, the Rwot Enlonyo members were IGA’s trained on how to manage a Village Savings and Loans Association, or

3,206

Please explain the price difference between the traditional variety and the cross-breeds?

The difference is huge. The improved breed goes for up to 200,000 shillings, while the traditional breed goes for between 40,000-60,000 shillings. Between 3-5 times higher, it is very profitable.

Has your improved goat produced an offspring?

Yes it has What was the gestation period?

Seven months while the traditional breed takes eight and a half months!

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

9

VSLA. This made them channel part of their income into savings, which were made available as loans to group members. In a short while they had saved over 6 million shillings, an amount of money few group members had ever seen, leave alone touched. This fast ride into development was made possible by ALREP’s consistent support.

According to Evelyn, the support of ALREP to Rwot Enlonyo Farmers Group, has seen her turn a critical corner in her life. “I am now confident that I will be able to get my children through school, and that I can handle any financial hurdle in my life,” says Eveline.

2,851 The number acres planted with Quality Declared Seeds

2,231 The number of ploughs, planters and weeders distributed by ALREP

10

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

“Hard work pains but pays” Mr Olung Stanley is 35 year old and lives in Banya parish, Inomo subcounty in Apac district. He has a family of ten people: he and his wife, six children (four girls and two boys) and his two elderly parents.

“

Poverty kept our family from progressing. We lost our livestock as a result of diseases, and we had to go back to the traditional farming system; the use of a hand hoe. Our social and cultural lives were all gone. My life was full of trauma and alcohol was the medicine,” says Olung.

He continues: “ALREP’s partner CESVI introduced their programme to our village, I was lured by some neighbours to join the producer group. Little did I know of the benefits that would follow. I belong to Orib Cing group, literally meaning “let’s join hands together.” When I joined the group, I received training in the areas of tree nurseries/woodlots, farming as a business, VSLA, record keeping and life skills among others.

I particularly picked interest in the VSLA components of the programme and joined the VSLA group in September 2012. In our group, members contribute a maximum of 5,000 shillings weekly. I joined the group together with my wife and worked very hard to see that we contribute money weekly to the savings group. It was difficult to get money, but my wife Keren managed to get small loans to do local brewing

business while I raised money from sale of charcoal and casual labour. This enabled us to always raise money to contribute weekly to the savings group and also to cater for basic necessities in the house.”

According to Mr Olung and his wife, what made them work so hard was the zeal to achieve their objective of buying oxen to help them in land opening and other farming activities.

At the end of the 1st VSLA cycle, Mr Olung and his wife had saved a total of 578,000 shillings. With this money, they were able to purchase a bull and two broilers chickens at 400,000 shillings.

The balance was used to buy scholastic materials for their children.

Mr Olung confesses: “it would have been very difficult for me to acquire the bull without the VSLA.” He

hopes that by the end of the next saving cycle he will be able to get another bull so that he can have a complete pair. With this he hopes his total land opening will increase from a yearly average of 2 acres to 4 acres. This will mean an increase in production and with the agronomic knowledge acquired, a corresponding increase in productivity.

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

11

Iceme is changing….

Ask any farmer in Northern Uganda what would be her/his first agricultural investment if she had the money and the answer would very likely be “oxen.” Traditionally oxen are used for ploughing. This creates labour bottlenecks later in the season during the weeding period. It is one thing to plough six acres in two weeks, maybe four times the area done previously by hand hoe, but another thing to keep the area clean of weeds, if that is still to be done with the same hoe. And any good farmer knows that late or no weeding will almost certainly destroy your crop. In Oyam they may have found a solution to this riddle.

A

lfred Obong of Iceme subcounty in Oyam district is a man on the move. As a member of Gum Opitiwa Farmers Group he received intensive, hands-on training to commercially produce highvalue, nutrient-rich food through using techniques such as animal traction and improved seeds.

production by using the oxen not just for ploughing but also for planting and weeding.

The ox-drawn machinery needed for this was purchased on a cost-sharing basis, while the training in their use was free. The group and their oxen quickly grasped the technique and put them to practice.

Gum Opitiwa Farmers Group is located in Alira village in Iceme subcounty in Oyam district.

ALREP/CESVI identified this vibrant group as one fit to commercialise their agricultural production.

Core to the plan was to increase the area under

12

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

Combined with improved seeds that are higher yielding, better spacing of the crop, and timely weeding, Alfred Obong has seen

the group members increase their production and household income. But what has really caused a paradigm shift in the group was the training in farm record keeping. Alfred says: “record keeping has greatly enhanced the capacity of the group and its individual members to keep track of their activities, costs and incomes. It has entirely changed my view on farming from a part-time activity into a planned commercial enterprise.” Going by Alfred’s enthusiasm, Alira village may be one of the places in Uganda where smallholder farming was forever changed into a business undertaking.

Women on the move The old adage that stated ‘train a woman and you feed a family’ fits perfectly with Can Oromo Women’s Group in Opuk village, Okwang subcounty, Otuke district. Can Oromo means “Enough of poverty,” and that describes exactly the mood and determination of this group, which is now firmly on the road to prosperity. This voyage started in 2012 when ALREP’s partner CESVI entered the parish.

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ucy Akello dons many hats. On the one hand she is a parish chief in Barocok and on the other she is the secretary of Can Oromo Women’s Group. She is also a mother. One would think with all those responsibilities she may be overwhelmed, but this is certainly not the case. She recalls how in 2012 ALREP’s partner CESVI came into their locality and fundamentally changed their social and economic status.

The group initially provided psychosocial support to individual returnees who had been abducted during the insurgency and supported their integration into the parish community. ALREP offered the members training in animal traction, which is traditionally more of a men’s business. With a beaming smile Lucy Akello says: “We were trained for only one week and our members grasped the concept fully. Today we as a group have eight bulls and four ploughs and we are able to support each other and offer other farmers the service at a fee. This has greatly enhanced our status as women in the community.”

Their precious bulls mint money as they never had

2,650 The number of oxen distributed by ALREP

and should not start or end with ALREP. Because the new land preparation technique is bound to increase production, CESVI also trained the women in store management and business skills. They also wish to continue supporting the community by offering psychosocial support to returnees, and to People Living With HIV/AIDS in their parish. These women have really shown that they have had ‘enough of poverty’.

before, and therefore these women take no chances with their investment. The group built their own cattle crush and regularly vaccinate their bulls. And they are putting money aside to treat the bulls in case of an outbreak of a disease. They were trained in plough repairs, and were indeed able to fix their plough themselves when it broke.

Can Oromo Women’s Group believes that training is a lifelong endeavour Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

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02

Rebuilding Productive Infrastructure

Building brick by brick Functional rural infrastructure is essential for rural communities to flourish. Good rural roads help to ferry inputs to farms and farm products to markets. Local warehouses function as bulking centres that enhance product quality and farmers’ bargaining power. Clean markets attract customers. Ponds, dams, springs and boreholes reduce travel distances to water for people and livestock. In short, good rural infrastructure reduces the cost of agricultural production and trading, and enhances agricultural incomes. Building productive infrastructure was therefore with ₏ 6.5 million, the largest component of ALREP.

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LREP applied where possible a labour intensive approach in the implementation of the infrastructure component. In that way, community members get the technical skills to

build and maintain it. But more importantly, part of the funds that would otherwise be paid to a contractor were now paid out to rural households, and therefore much more widely distributed in the rural areas. In addition, where contractors were used,

Roads, stores, markets, carts

Achieved

Construct community access roads (km)

481

Stores

16

Ware house (Elegu border crossing)

1

Cattle crushes

117

Woodlots (acres)

380

Tree nurseries

74

Markets

32

Granaries for extremely vulnerable individuals

120

Human pulled carts

264

Ox carts

36

Trade fairs Total Cash for Work Payments

24 2.7 billion

ALREP established community based Project Management Committees. Over 1000 community members were trained in basic building practices and supervision and kept an eye on the contractor’s performance on behalf of the ALREP PMU. ALREP used 4 implementing partners to execute the labour intensive infrastructure component, who together paid 2.5 billion shillings to community members for their labour.

How was the money spent by the local communities? The evaluation report of CESVI in Lango states that 62% of the expenditure went towards buying productive items such as tools, seeds, livestock and start-up IGA’s.

UGX 2,653,865,599 The amount of money paid out in cash and vouchers to participants of Labour Intensive Work projects

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Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

The woodlot that changed his life Mr Michael Odongo is 55 years old and lives in Karutu Village, Attiak subcounty, Amuru District. He is one of the beneficiaries who participated in the ACT ED Cash for Work Woodlot project at Karutu Primary School, Attiak Subcounty. ACT ED was ALEP’s partner in implementing LIWs in Amuru, Nwoya and Gulu Districts.

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fter returning from the IDP camp, Michael Odong says, “ I had almost lost hope of restoring my previous home status of having abundant food in my granaries. Life in the IDP camp made me more vulnerable since the only means of acquiring food was through the relief Aid supplied by NGOs.” In May 2013, he heard of ACTED’s project of tree planting at Karutu Primary School. He joined the group that was contracted by ACTED to clear the bush, plant the trees and fence the woodlot garden.

For his participation, he received 80,000 shillings.

With the money, he immediately bought a female goat at 67,000 shillings and used the remaining 13,000 shillings, to buy 2kg of maize seeds at 6,000 shillings, and 2 kg of beans at 4,000 shillings.

With the harvest he got from those seeds, and after using some of it for personal consumption, he was able to fill up a bag of dry maize (about 120 kilograms) and three basins of beans of about 6kg each. This was enough to feed his family throughout the remainder of the year. Today, he has the capacity Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

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to either save a portion of his harvest for the new cultivation season or to sell and later buy seeds from the market.

His goat has given birth to twins, and he is now very positive about the future. ”I have no plan to sell my goats soon, because I now have an alternative source of food from what I always cultivate from the garden. Thanks to ACTED” said Mr Odongo.

Similary, Mr Obalo Charles who is a resident of Andara Village in Labala Parish participated in two ACTED projects; the establishment of a woodlot project in Labala Primary School and the construction of a 6km community access road between Okalocwan and Olet village. Both of these projects were located in Pabbo subcounty, Amuru

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district and involved labour intensive works.

“I left the IDP camp, in 2009, with empty hands,” recalls Obalo. “My wife and I wanted to start a new life at home. Yet this was not easy and I kept on moving between the IDP camp and my current home. I was never certain of whether we would have food for the next day. The only way to get some cash was to work as casual labour, so that I could buy food for the day and try again the following day.”

When Mr Obalo heard about ACTED’s implementation of the ALREP project in 2013, he and other labourers saw it as a great opportunity to get some income. They formed a beneficiary group, and after three days of basic training in manual road building, they started working on bush clearing for the road. With his first installment of 40,000 shillings, he decided to acquire some essential

household items such as basins and plates. Mr Obalo continued to work on the road, and later joined a labour gang for establishing a woodlot. The money he received from the labour helped him to break out of his deep poverty. He narrates: “We started with the road construction up to the finish, and then the woodlot. In total I received 180,000 shillings. This was a turning point for me; I straight away bought 3 goats (2 female and 1 male)

Paying out cash for work.

each at 50,000 shillings. With the balance of 30,000 shillings, I bought 10 kilograms of beans and planted them that season. The bean crop helped us as a source of food in December (2013).�

Today, Mr Obalo has harvested his beans and has decided to buy sunflower seeds, which he is currently growing. In this way, he plans to increase his income and slowly but surely rebuild his life and family .

18,607 Number of participants in Labour Intensive Works

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Productive infrastructure takes many forms and shapes For example, a safe and dry communal store in the neighbourhood, or even at home, could reduce post-harvest losses as much as 30%. In simple terms this means that a family or a community has 30% more produce to eat or sell. ALREP helped to enhance the capacity of communal store managers, and build 6 communal stores and 120 individual stores in eastern Acholi. The communal stores are governed by store management committees, who were trained for that purpose by AVSI.

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The communal produce stores that AVSI built are near the main feeder roads. It is convenient to the business people from far away because it saves them the burden of driving through bushes to get to the farmers. As for the farmers, they can keep their produce here when there is a glut and only sell it when the prices are acceptably high,” says Mr Ernest Lapat, the chairperson of the Lamit Parish, Akwang subcounty produce store management committee. The stores can hold up to 150 bags, each weighing 100 kilogrammes. The produce kept in these stores is safe from rats and thieves.

Mr Caesar Opoka, the Local Council III Chairperson of Amida subcounty, Kitgum district, has this to say about the store construction in his subcounty: “Our land is very fertile and productive. But the communities have had challenges with storage of farm produce after harvest. AVSI constructed stores in each

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16 The number of community stores constructed by ALREP of the sub-counties to address this challenge. If you move around, you will see those stores and how they are linking the farmers to buyers who come from far in search of bulk supplies.”

Mr Charles Obong Okwera is the chairperson of Madi Opei subcounty in Lamwo District. “One of the activities that ALREP through AVSI implemented is the construction of improved granaries, which have rat guards. Much as we have other stores, these granaries greatly improve the food security at household level,” he tells us. “When people at the grassroots are dissatisfied with something, they always go and complain to their local leaders. In the case of the AVSI BUILD project,

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

I as the LC III chairperson have not received any complaint. If anything, my people compliment the AVSI community mobilisers for always being on the ground to mobilise them and to follow up on any activities under the BUILD project,” adds Mr Obong.

Marvellous markets make a mark on agri-business Good markets with proper stalls, sanitary facilities and, for cattle markets, fencing are another means to boost agricultural business in rural areas. They bring together producers and traders in a safe and clean environment, where it is easy to conduct business.

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hey all generate revenue for the local government, as it is much easier to collect market dues from a well-established market, than from makeshift vendors.

ALREP built or improved 32 markets all over Acholi, Lango and Teso, and, James Otto, LC III Chairperson, Palabek Kal subcounty in Lamwo district, has a story to tell about how a new market had a profound impact on his community.

“Our road to a modern market has been long and winding. In 2012, ALREP came to discuss the possible infrastructures to be constructed and we settled for upgrading the market. It took two years for the project to get completed, but today we are pleased to report that thanks to ALREP our subcounty has a modern market that is changing lives.”

The new market had a huge effect on the lives of the subcounty residents. The LC III boss explains: “The clean market has attracted more buyers and sellers, and this has boosted the level of commerce. The

Our Story

subcounty administration benefits directly from the increased revenue we collect from traders. It helps us to improve the services we can offer to the community.

In actual fact, we have plans to increase the number of stalls even further since the demand has continued to increase.” Chairman Otto is grateful to ALREP and its contribution to the change in his subcounty.

Ms Margaret Ocholla has hired a newly constructed market stall at MadiOpei subcounty, Lamwo District, built by ALREP’s partner AVSI. She noted how beyond receiving a shelter, their hygiene and handling of food stuff had dramatically improved: “Since I now place the items I have for sale on a clean concrete slab, fussy customers in MadiOpei also buy their groceries from me. In other words, I have got more customers because of the clean environment I operate in. AVSI should put up more stalls.

Ms Lucy Akongo also appreciated how the market stalls had improved the security of their products: “The stalls constructed by CARITAS in Acholibur in Pader district have lockers. So the traders operating in them do not have to carry home the stock they might not have sold.”

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Water is Life Ask rural communities about their priority productive infrastructures and you can be sure that water for domestic use and for animals is amongst the top three. In the absence of a nearby safe water source, household members, usually women and children, may spend several hours per day to satisfy the domestic consumption of 40 – 80 litres a day. Livestock are even thirstier, with every adult cow drinking a minimum of 25 litres a day. If those litres are 10+ km away, watering livestock becomes almost a full time job. ALREP’s investments in water infrastructure are therefore greatly appreciated. And especially if it brings money into the peoples’ pockets as was the case with the labour intensive desilting of dams and ponds in eastern Acholi and Teso.

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Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

Ms Ajulina Akot, a 68 years-old widow lives in Awach subcounty, Gulu District. This lady praised ACTED for the work they have done under ALREP. In her village of Payuta in Paduny Parish(Awach subcounty, Gulu), ACTED worked on a spring well protection project, which allowed the community to have access to clean and safe drinking water. For Ms Akot says: “It is such an interesting thing that even at my old age I was able to participate in the spring well protection project which now saves the lives of the entire village” In 2009, when she returned back from the IDP camp, she found that all the village infrastructure ranging from the community access roads to safe water sources had been destroyed during the insurgency.

ACTED, through its participation in ALREP, arrived in the community in 2013. Ajulina was a member of the group that was involved in the spring protection work. She worked on bush clearance and the excavation of the spring well before the technical staff took over. For her work as a group member, she was paid 80,000 shillings.

With this money, she was able to purchase a goat at 50,000 shillings and with the remaining money she bought groundnut seeds.

Today, her goat is about to give birth and she is expecting to harvest 5 sacks of groundnuts.

Moreover, Ms Ajulina Akot is one of the members of a farmers group called “Bed orwotek ” an Acholi proverb meaning ‘life without water is hard’. Her group is has now able to access a reliable and clean source of water.

As she puts it, “above all we now have safe drinking water in this village.”

77

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The number of boreholes drilled or rehabilitated by ALREP

The number of shallow wells and springs rehabilitated by ALREP

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

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Water users committee in action The nearest water source for Tekonga Village Akura subcounty in Alebtong district was four kilometres away. If you did not have a bicycle, a single trip to fetch a 20 litre jerrycan of water took about two and a half hours. Esther Aumi, a resident of Tekonga, said that the water source was shared with animals, which made it dirty and dangerous for human consumption.

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his all changed when ALREP drilled a borehole in the village. Esther, who was also a member of the Project Management Committee overseeing the ALREP projects in the subcounty, says: “The new borehole has solved both the problem of distance and dirty

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water. The residents of the village have formed water user committee that was trained by ALREP’s partner CESVI, and I am a member.”

The committee is responsible for maintaining the borehole area, which includes keeping the area

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

clean and the borehole functional. Every household contributes 2,000 shillings per month, which is kept for the maintenance and repair, in case the borehole gets spoilt. For Esther and her fellow villagers, 2,000 shillings per month is a small price to pay for such an essential service.

Boreholes

77

Protected springs

13

Shallow wells

7

Rain water jars Valley dams& tanks

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100 9

the nearest public water source is four kilometres away. This forced Margaret to use all the water she fetched very carefully but still she managed to maintain an impressive kitchen garden throughout the year through.

For domestic water supply, ALREP’s partner ASB experimented with a roof catchment system and cement water jars for homesteads.

In Teso, we met with Margaret Okwii of Aitirai village, Amuria District Who is a happy lady: “I was selected by ASB/ALREP because of being hardworking and innovative. They presented our household with this cement water jar,” says Magaret.

Margaret was not selected by ASB/ALREP by accident. She has been an example in her village and her efforts were immediately noticed by ALREP’s partner ASB. In her kitchen garden, she grows tomatoes, egg-plant and kale. In her village

But things got even better when ASB constructed a roof and cement water jar in Margaret’s compound.

She now collects and stores clean rainwater, which saves her several hours a day of trekking up and down to the borehole. It also helped to expand the kitchen garden, from which she has started selling the surplus to her neighbours. Margaret states “When I collect the rain water in this water jar, it does not only help my household, it also supports my neighbours.” From the vegetable income, she recently bought a sheep, and from the wool sales she has managed to buy a calf. But, interestingly, for Margaret there is more to her kitchen garden than food and money: “The vines are so beautiful and the greenery adds a feeling of peace to my homestead.” Who had thought that a cement water jar can bring peace in a family and a community.

The Gulu district Vice Chairperson Hon Issac Newton Ojok who is also the LC V councillor of Bobi subcounty appreciated the ALREP – ACT ED interventions. He especially commended the rehabilitation work done on Minakulu - Tekulu road in Bobi subcounty.

The rehabilitation of the road has made it possible for the district health office to resume supplying drugs to Tekulu Health Center II.

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Welcome to our office Marino Odongo is a happy man. He is the Senior Chief of Anyang subcounty in Alebtong District. For many years the subcounty had to conduct important community functions in hired or leased premises, or from under trees. This affected the ability of the subcounty administration to carry out its duties effectively. To boost the parish administration, ALREP built an office, a cattle crush and a borehole.

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he office is fully furnished and offers an enabling environment for the chief and his staff to do their job efficiently. The cattle crush and borehole help to boost the production and income of the farmers in the area.

Subcounty Chief Marino says: “What may be viewed by outsiders as a simple office, crush and borehole, for us this means a great leap in development, as we can deliver our services quickly and efficiently.” The projects also created excitement in the community, and the motivation to do more.

A borehole in Kole: feedback from the local authorities “We are really excited about this great development in Bala community. Now that we have good roads and good water, our children will have better education, health facilities and we parents shall have good market to sell our products directly at a profitable rates.”

Akong Lawrence Parish Councillor, Aumi Bala s/c, Kole

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Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

Marino continues: “Community members have donated land spontaneously for other projects, and have decided to plant trees that will act as windbreaks so that the roof of our new building is not blown off.”

The ALREP DFPO for Gulu district, Oyet Geoffrey Jomo in his office in Koro Subcounty,

Goat breeding units improve local stock To enhance productivity, ALREP partnered with FAO to improve the quality of local goat breeds in Northern Uganda. FAO constructed eight goat improvement units which were stocked with 198 boar goats. The goat improvement units serve the communities within the sub county to service the local goats. Female goats are also kept to sustain the purity of the improved breed at not less than 75%.

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At each goat improvement unit, FAO established 1-2 acres of good yielding, nutritious, and resilient pastures. These fodder banks ensure availability of enough forage during the dry season.

ndrew Atinge, the head of the FAO Teso sub office is responsible for the establishment of the Acowa goat breeding unit in Amuria. Andrew sets out the objective of the goat breeding units: “In order to upscale the household incomes, we need to improve the local goat breeds, so that as farmers market their goats, they are able to fetch a higher profit margin.”

During the commissioning of the goat improvement unit in Omodoi sub county, Katakwi by the Minister of Teso Affairs on 23 May 2014, she noted: “I appreciate the support of the EU through FAO and partners and request that the support be extended across the sub regions”.

After completion, the goat breeding units was handed over to local FFSs, who chose one host farmer to carry out the daily supervision. Temele Development Organisation, one of FAO’s partners in Teso, trained 67 participating households of the Acowa goat breeding unit.

The training is geared towards the interests and capacities of the local farmers. “Practically, the training is hands on farmers hands on, so that farmers are able to witness results for themselves, and therefore are able to own technologies and innovations that we come up with”, Andrew explains.

Minister of State for Teso Affairs visits the Goat improvement unit in Omodoi subcounty, Katakwi.

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03

Input and output markets strengthened

You have worked 5 months to get a decent groundnut crop, you have dried and stored it at home, and have decided to sell a few bags to get money for school fees. How do you know what it is worth? Would the local trader give you a fair price, or would you earn more when you to take it to the town? And what would be a good cash crop for the next season, and where would I get quality seeds for it? Would those seeds perform better than your own local seeds?

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he above questions, and many more, are spinning around in rural farmers’ heads all the time. But modern technology makes it increasingly easy to get answers and help farmers to make informed decision on their sales and purchases. And that can make a big difference in their earnings.

a ceiling, shelves and a calibrated weighing scale.

Thus ALREP went the whole way and upgraded 88 shops throughout Northern Uganda to the required standards, and facilitated MAAIF staff to inspect the shops and issue licenses for trading in agrochemicals.

Saidi Onume, a shop owner in Ayer subcounty, Kole district explains: “My shop is called Honest Merchants Ltd. I used Let’s first look at input supplies. If a to sell all my various farmer has decided to use improved commodities from one seeds, or needs a spare part for his room. Household items plough, or a few tins of onion seeds, The number of such as sodas, sugar, and where does he get them from? ALREP agro-input shops salt were mixed with seeds, realised that agro-input dealers in renovated by chemicals and agricultural Northern Uganda were few and ALREP tools. I even have a TV far between, and often not very and show football matches in the evening to attract knowledgeable on the items they were selling. customers.

ALREP teamed up with the Uganda National Agro Input Dealers Association (UNADA) to train 300 I never knew that it was illegal to sell food stuffs from dealers in product knowledge, business skills and the the same shop as chemicals. But when I got a training safe use and handling of agricultural chemicals. The from UNADA, they told me that I had to separate latter is a prerequisite of the Ministry of Agriculture my products. They also taught me how to handle for a shopkeeper to trade in such products. chemicals. One big lesson was that you need a good cement floor and clean walls, so that in case of an But the Ministry also demands that a shop that sells accidental spill you can easily clean it up. agro-inputs is properly constructed, has a cement floor,

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For the separation of my products, I was in fix, as it would cost me more than 3 million shillings to prepare a second room for selling agrochemicals. ALREP helped me to renovate 1 room of my shop and also supplied 3 shelves, 1 counter, 4 palettes, and a weighing scale. Even a signpost was erected. I have now separated all agricultural inputs and tools from household items.

ALREP also helped me to get a certificate from MAAIF allowing me to handle agrochemicals. Customers appreciate that my new shop is clean and the agroinputs are nicely displayed. I think that the number of customers coming to my shop has at least doubled. For sure, my profits will go up a lot.”

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

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Value addition means higher earnings What does a farmer get for a kilogramme of maize grain? During the harvest glut maybe as little as 250 shillings, although it may go as high as 800 shillings during short periods of scarcity. In Kampala, that same grain after cleaning and grinding costs as much as 1600 shillings. In other words, less than 20% of the value of a kilogramme of processed maize remains in the rural areas, the rest is pocketed by traders, transporters, millers, wholesalers and retailers.

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here are many ways to ensure that more of that money stays in the villages. Stores help to keep grain dry, farmer networks can bulk their produce and negotiate better prices, or start their own processing plant and sell maize flour instead of grain. You can also upgrade existing small private processing plants in villages. This will allow farmers to grind their grain in the neighbourhood and get a better price on the market.

100 agro-processors to upgrade their machines with a matching grant from ALREP. The response was overwhelming. More than 900 small

But even if the owner of the mill grinds it and sells it on, at least some value addition has happened in the rural areas, and more money will remain behind.

This reasoning made ALREP decide to enhance the processing capacity in the villages. The programme teamed up with the Private Sector Foundation Uganda, which was tasked to improve the business skills of at least 300 agro-processors and traders, and support

UGX 1,056,552,000

The amount of grant money paid to agro-processors to upgrade their processing plants 30

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

73 The number of processing plants upgraded by ALREP businesses applied to enrol in the programme, of which more than 400 received a business training. After a long and complex selection process, 73 were selected to acquire processing machines. They had to contribute 20% of the cost, which all of them willingly did. With this intervention, a little bit more of the value of the farmers’ products enters into the rural communities’ pockets.

Accurate market information creates profits Janan Obua, Chairperson Cing Kwite Farmers Association, Abura Village in Gulu district is a perfect example of a person whose use of market information turned him from a subsistence smallholder farmer, to a successful small commercial farmer.

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aving returned from the IDP camp in 2007, Janan underwent a series of trainings to build his capacity in enterprise selection and use of improved

seeds.

“The turning point for me was in 2012 when I was introduced to AgriNet, a market information and brokerage company. From that point onwards I began to view agriculture from a completely different perspective. Previously, obtaining a fair price for my products was difficult. I had no idea what price I would get from the local dealer, leave alone in the district town or Kampala. AgriNet changed all that,” Janan Obua explains. “They trained me on how to obtain accurate market information and how to put it to effective use.”

In working closely with AgriNet, Janan Obua began to grasp slowly how the market prices change, and how accurate market information helps you to make the most out of the price fluctuations. AgriNet noticed his entrepreneurship and appointed him as

a Market Information Board Manager. Janan is now not only analysing the market for his own benefit, but also helping his fellow farmers to access market information for free. From Agrinet, Janan received a large white board on which he daily writes the price information of different commodities from various markets, both within the vicinity and beyond his trading centre. He receives the information for his board daily on his mobile phone from AgriNet and shares it freely with his fellow farmers. His service has empowered local farmers to make their sales based on real-time market prices. While this may be resented by some middle men, it has made a big positive difference for farmers.

around: “Today I grow different crop varieties, such as soya beans, maize, sunflower and sorghum. I have also invested substantially in livestock I started with seven goats and today I own thirty one goats.

My target is to have 250 goats over the next two years.”

For Janan, his understanding of the markets has turned his life Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

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Reaching out through the radio In Anaka Town Council, Nwoya District, Peter Obal has also experienced that market information is essential for a farmer. Peter Obal is the chairman of Cam Ki Kwoki, a strong farmers’ group involved in planting ground nuts, cassava, rice and rearing goats. In 2011 he received one he-goat and two female goats from NAADS which have now multiplied to 45 goats.

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eter says: “In the past farmers would sell produce without knowing the market price. Where would you get that information, apart from your local produce buyer? He would tell you the price, and while we suspected that he took advantage of us, there was little we could do. Today however the scenario is different. We are getting market information through the radio, supported by AgriNet and we are now able to make informed decisions. This has increased our earnings considerably.”

The radio programme Peter is referring to was also an initiative of ALREP. For almost two years, ALREP’s partner Kolline & Hemed broadcast three times

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Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

a week an agricultural radio programme that was hugely popular in the region.

It covered a wide range of agricultural topics, and ended with the most recent commodity prices, provided by AgriNet. Peter’s Cam Ki Kwoki group would listen to the programmes as a group and afterwards discuss the topics. Many of the group members would put at least some of the ideas into practice.

For instance, the radio programmes motivated them to start a savings scheme from where they can assist group members with a problem. The programmes also helped members to diversify to more profitable crops and become smarter in selling their produce.

Peter says: “After the radio programme, members would know that they should wait for prices to go up because they had been informed how the prices were.”

Fruits of radio shows From 2012 – 2014, ALREP contracted the media company Kolline and Hemed to produce weekly radio programmes throughout Acholi, Lango and Teso. The purpose of the programmes was to communicate information about ALREP, and more importantly, about agriculture and markets to the listeners. Kolline and Hemed set up 150 listening groups who became an essential ingredient of the popular shows. We talked to Adamson Mpimbaza who was responsible for the radio programmes for Kolline and Hemed.

What were the ideas behind the listening groups?

Listening groups are the knowledge pulse of the community. They are set up to guide the radio programme producer on what content they wish to listen to over the radio. They also bring the radio shows to the people, by popularising them in the community.

How did you choose the listening groups?

The listening groups were categorized into two; general listening groups and special interest listening groups. A general listening group comprised of community members from diverse backgrounds in terms of age, gender and profession. They, in essence, were a mirror of the community. The special interest listening groups were formed around an ALREP theme, or special needs of certain people. For example, we had women listening groups, VSLA listening groups, and even a citrus listening group in Teso. They would tell us their special information needs. We would then produce a radio show that would cater specifically for that need.

308 The number of agriculture radio shows aired by ALREP How did the listening groups benefit from the talk shows?

The listening groups gained knowledge from the programmes. One can argue that also other listeners benefited, but the listening groups paid even more attention because they had contributed to the programmes. In some cases listening groups were so attached to the programme that they, became trainers of trainers on topics that they had learned from the radio shows! There was a listening group in Alebtong that started training other farmers on compost heap preparation and mulching.

What was your general experience of working with the people in Acholi, Lango and Teso?

I think the people of Acholi, Lango and Teso are great! They are hardworking and responsive to both government and NGO programmes. Besides the great efforts at improving their lives, ALREP also deserves credit for their support to the communities in the three sub regions and to Kolline and Hemed.

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From Boxes to Banks

Save before you borrow Mention agricultural finance in rural areas, and most people will think of banks, SACCOs or micro finance institutions. None will think about VSLAs. But these “Cash box banks” are transforming livelihoods in rural areas

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hile the experts are lamenting about the failure of the formal financial institutions to reach smallholder farmers, a small rural finance revolution is taking place right down in rural areas. Money is saved and borrowed in large quantities in tens of thousands of village savings and loans associations, or VSLAs, that have sprung up in Uganda in the last 10 years.

The VSLAs are providing the financial lubrication that formal financial institutions have yet failed to deliver in the rural areas. The transformative potential that VSLAs have for rural households made ALREP to primarily focus its agricultural finance component on expanding the number of VSLAs and strengthening their financial literacy. ALREP never capitalised VSLAs because this would violate a simple principle that underpins their success which is you save before borrowing. After all, if nobody would save money, where would the funds for borrowing come from?

The VSLA concept is simple, and builds on the savings and rural areas loans schemes that already existed in many villages in Uganda. The best practices of all these different schemes were combined in a

system that is strict, transparent and safe: no borrowing without mandatory weekly savings; deposits and withdrawals are done in front of all members; cash is kept in a cash box with three different keys kept by three different members; the cycle comes to an end after an agreed period, and thereafter the VSLA cycle starts all over again. This allows members to opt in and out at set intervals.

Partner

Number of VSLA groups

FAO VSLA groups support

960

ACTED VSLA groups support

341

ASB VSLA groups support

80

AVSI VSLA groups support

24

CESVI VSLA groups support

100

CARE VSLA Financial Literacy Training

714

CARE VSLA Linkage banking

220

Estimated number of people reached

60,000

ALREP supported six implementing partners of ALREP that formed and supported together 2,231 VSLAs, covering 65,000 households. Becoming a member of a VSLAs has been one of the truly transformative moments in peoples’ lives.

Joseph Kinyera is the chairman of Ribbe Aye Teko VSLA in Opete Central Village Lukwor Parish Kitgum district. His group received VSLA and Business Skills training from AVSI, ALREP’s partner in eastern Acholi. He tells his story.

“Our group was involved in the construction of the community road in the village for which we were paid by AVSI. And while we were working on the road, AVSI trained us in setting up a VSLA. Later we were trained in business skills. This support has been a major catalyst in promoting our development as group. Before the VSLA and business training, people in Opete Central village did not have any knowledge on saving and business. The training marked a turning point in the members’ thinking. We set up and ran the VSLA according to the rules explained in the training.

The members had to save the money that was paid for working on the road. When we had enough money,

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

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Our Story

members started to borrow between 200,000 300,000 shillings and they all paid it back in full and added interest. This is a clear testimony to the fact that the VSLA in our village works well.”

The stories about how the power of saving in a secure and controlled environment has changed peoples life are everywhere in Northern Uganda. In fact, a study assessing the impact of Farmer Field Schools concluded that the most transformative component of the FFS was not agronomic training, or even the distribution of oxen and ox-ploughs, but the VSLAs.

Staff of Bank of Africa attending a training on how to deal with VSLAs

“VSLA members now feel very confident and empowered when you see them entering and freely transacting their account business within the bank. At the beginning of the linkage process group members felt very shy while entering and doing business inside the Bank but as time went on most of them now feel very confident while transacting business in the bank” Linkage Banking Officer Barclays Bank Soroti Branch.

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We talked to Christine Abong, a resident of Akwodong B village Alira Parish in Apac district.

She is a member of Alira Joint VSLA, with a membership of 40 women, men and youth.

Originally the group was formed to open a community access road, and was trained on how to save some of money they got for their labour.

While they were working on the road, CESVI gave them a VSLA savings box and a training on how to run a VSLA. Christine explains: “Immediately when we got the box, we started saving. When we broke the cycle in 2012, we had saved 9 million shillings. In 2013 we got 8 million shillings; that is 200,000 shillings per person. All of us gained tremendously from the system. I managed to educate my children without any problem, and in 2013, I bought some goats and piglets from the savings.”

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

Over the years some groups became so successful, that the cash box was not a safe option anymore to keep money. Members were also getting used to handling larger amounts of money, and got more ambitious in their financial and business planning. Enter ALREP’s partner CARE International, who midwifed the birth of the VSLA movement in Uganda in 2006.

ALREP contracted CARE to take the mature VSLAs in Northern Uganda to the next level by providing financial literacy training to over 800 VSLAs and connected more than 200 VSLAs to banks.

This enabled me to restart my shop. By now, I also have a small restaurant in this same trading centre.

The restaurant is under the care of my wife. ACTED, an NGO based in Gulu, awarded me a contract to prepare meals for their farmers’ training in the sub – county. Which I successfully concluded. I got a cheque worth 8,000,000 shillings.”

“My effort is now paying off. The financial literacy training opened my mind to plan and act accordingly for the future. I have bought six goats, fulfilling one of my savings goals. My investment plan is to buy two cows and acquire a commercial plot of land. I am looking forward to 2015 because I have 3,500,000 shillings in my bank and my rice is also doing well on the farm. I would like to extend my sincere thanks on behalf of my family and our group to our trainer from CARE, the agency that brought the training and most importantly the people of ALREP for funding the project.”

Cankara Andrew Modicame, a VSLA member in Bobi trading centre Gulu, narrates. Cankara’s VSLA received financial literacy training from CARE International, paid by ALREP funds. “I am a member of Acane Kikwo VSLA group since 2008. I run a shop and a small restaurant in Bobi subcounty, Gulu district. I used my own savings of 500,000 shillings to start a retail shop in 2011. Which I had to close due to lack of working capital. In order to raise more capital, I embarked on a saving drive and by 2012, I had saved 1.2 million shillings in my VSLA. In addition, I sold groundnuts, which earned me 2,418,000 shillings.

Our Story Akwang subcounty “AVSI trained two communities on village savings and loans associations. I wish it could train more. It also built a cattle crush in Pajimu parish,” says Ms Lamwaka Santa Oloya, the chairperson of Akwang subcounty in Kitgum District.

“The communities that engage in cash for work projects are encouraged to form Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) to save part of their wages. The members can then borrow from the association. The association lends a member three times he or she would have saved with the association, the interest is 10%. The amounts must be repaid in between one month and three months. Some VSLAs kept the amount one

2,231 The number of VSLAs supported by ALREP

can borrow at 150, 000 shillings or 300,000 shillings because it is believed that amounts above 300,000 shillings would be harder to repay because the volume of trade in the rural areas is low.”

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

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05

Rebuilding District Agricultural Ex tension Services

A newly built office district office block in Abia subcounty, Alebtong District

In 2010, the ALREP team sat down with the 15 Acholi, Lango and Teso districts and developed a capacity building workplan for the production department, with the main focus on enhancing the presence and functionality of subcounty staff and services. This is not rocket science. For district and subcounty staff to function in a rural setting, they need an office with power, a computer and printer, an internet connection, transport, training, and basic agronomic and veterinary tools and equipment. Once the plans were agreed, and formalised in a Memorandum of Understanding with the Office of the Prime Minister, ALREP and the districts worked closely together to deliver it.

T

hat close working relationship went beyond the direct support from ALREP to the production departments. The district teams were also part and parcel of the design and supervision of the other components of ALREP. The ALREP partners had to consult with the districts leaders on their deliverables, before their plans were approved and funded by ALREP. And district engineers served as clerk of works for ALREP construction works, water engineers supervised the boreholes and production department staff participated as trainers of farmer groups, and district leaders and the technical teams appeared on ALREP radio shows to sensitize and mobilise their people for the ALREP activities.

In fact, it would be fair to call ALREP a truly district grounded programme.

The cooperation was highly appreciated.

During a survey carried out during the closure workshop in October 2014, 95% of the 87 respondents rated the cooperation, coordination and communication between all stakeholders at district level as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.

100 The number of motorbikes distributed to extension officers by ALREP

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

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Lamwo on the path to transformation Lamwo district has benefited greatly from ALREP’s interventions. According to Florence Atii, Secretary Production and Marketing Lamwo district, ALREP’s contribution has been significant and cross cutting. The support covers both infrastructure and veterinary services, while including furniture and office equipment for the production department at the district headquarters and Lukung subcounty. But that was not all., Said Florence: “ALREP supported the construction of cattle crushes, and trained staff in environmental management, computer skills and extension methodologies.”

W

hen asked if the support had any notable impact, Florence replied, “what we have noted is that the population of livestock is gradually increasing, because of better health services.”

With the capacity built and infrastructure provided Lamwo is definitely on the path to transformation.

In Amuria, the production departments were equally under-resourced. Hon J. F. Oluma, Chairman Amuria District explains: “The district extension workers in Asamuk subcounty lacked office space and as if their role was not important enough, they had to share with other departments.

ALREP built them a new office, and now they can focus on their work much better. The motorbikes that were supplied by ALREP made a huge difference as well. The extension workers are now able to reach farmers deep in the villages.”

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19 The number of district and subcounty production department offices constructed by ALREP

Lamwo local government officials at one of the ALREP infrastructure projects

Indeed, in Asamuk subcounty Henry Opolot, LCIII Chairman explains that the communities really got around to understanding the work of ALREP

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

when they saw the new production department office block. LC III Chairman Opolot says with pride “I am impressed with the new office block the subcounty received from ALREP. The communities in Asamuk at the outset did not understand what ALREP was doing in the subcounty until they received an office block where all they could meet the production officers and discuss the important issue of increasing production.”

Thank you ALREP In expressing appreciation to ALREP, Hon J. F. Oluma Chairman LCV Amuria states “ALREP has done many things for Amuria as a whole. The production department in the district and the subcounty were sharing offices yet their services are very crucial for the development of the district. Today, the production department has sufficient space to execute its mandate professionally and comfortably. The district production department will thus be comfortably in the driving seat of the district development agenda.”

“

Today there is a goat improvement centre at the district, the stocks of local breeds can be improved and this will lead to increased earnings at household level. Owing to ALREP’s support the production department team is now highly mobile and is capable of providing support to communities in the various subcounties.

Reporting has also been made easier as a result of provision of computers and access to the internet.

Communities have been mobilized into project management committees to take care of the infrastructure.

Amuria is grateful to ALREP for the intervention that has contributed to improved infrastructure, and also the ability of communities to improve their lives and household income through income generating projects and training which has resulted in the establishment of vibrant VSLAs in the district. The district is working within its budget to ensure it exercises a strategy of maximum

ownership of the ALREP sponsored projects so that they may continue to serve Amuria for a long time.

programme draw to a close, one thing is certain, it has touched many lives positively. The district is poised for take-off, thanks to ALREP.”

As Amuria and Teso in general, we see this Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

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ALREP touched tens of thousands of lives in Nor thern Uganda Dr. Emmanuel Iyamulemye Niyibigira was the National Programme Coordinator of ALREP and KALIP. For 4 years he headed a team of 32 staff who together designed, planned and implemented the two programmes.

He looks back on an exciting period in his professional life.

Could you give us an overview of the proportion of the communities in Northern Uganda region touched by ALREP

With ALREP, we worked in 15 districts and 100 sub-counties of Acholi, Lango and two districts of Teso. We have touched between 100,000 -120,000 households altogether.

Tell us about the project management unit, did you encounter any challenges in the implementation of ALREP and how quickly did you address them to ensure that you succeed in achieving the objectives and goals of the project.

One of the few challenges we had were the contractors who would not complete their works in time. Sometimes they were barely on site, sometimes they were slow in implementation. We formed Project Management Committees who would supervise the contractors on a daily basis and report to us their performance. That helped us to monitor implementation very closely.

Secondly, when a contractor would not complete his work in a stipulated time, we cancelled the contract

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and recovered the money from the insurance company which guaranteed their performance.

We also hade to be very concise in our tendering procedures and financial management. The rules of the European Union are such that any error in contracting and accountability would result into the government of Uganda paying back to the EU. I am proud to say that we have not lost a single shilling for the government and the people of Northern Uganda.

Now that the programs have ended, does that mean the end, what is the way forward?

As a Program Management Unit we have done our work and am proud of what we have delivered. Of course there is much more to do and the government of Uganda is discussing with the EU about a follow-up programme.

This PMU is going to be dismantled and I will certainly miss my colleagues with whom I have worked with very hard for the last five years.

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

ALREP transformed dreams into realities Ambassador Kristian Schmidt The European Union has supported Northern Uganda for the last twelve years. The Norther Uganda Agriculture Livelihoods Recovery Programme (ALREP) was specifically designed to rebuild the livelihoods in the rural area that were devastated by the LRA insurgency.

Why has the EU funded agriculture development programmes specifically for Northern Uganda?

Above all, we strongly empathize with the plight of the people from the North, who have suffered so much during the last 20 years. The EU is committed to help the poorest sections of the population to work themselves out of poverty, and the North is still one of the poorest regions of Uganda. Also, we all know that agriculture is the motor for economic growth in Uganda. Finally, it is a question of equity and supporting the cohesion with the country.

How do you assess the performance of ALREP?

ALREP has been very successful. The beneficiaries in the region are the first to say so. It responded to real needs, and the funds have been fully absorbed, with excellent accountability by the programme management unit. This success should also be attributed to the constructive dialogue

between the European Union, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, and the Office of the Prime Minister. Finally, ALREP has been planned and implemented in a highly participatory manner, with District Local Governments contributing to local involvement and ownership. Listening carefully to your partners at all levels is a key ingredient for success!

Will the EU continue to support development programmes in the North?

Yes! We cannot walk away from a success, when there is still work to be done. The EU will continue to work alongside the Government of Uganda to support the social and economic transformation of Northern Uganda. We have already agreed with the Government of Uganda on the main objectives of our support up to 2020, and we are now working hard on the detailed design. So the EU will soon be back in Northern Uganda with a major new development programme!

Ambassador Kristian Schmidt EU Head of Delegation to Uganda

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

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ALREP/KALIP Staff Left to Right: (Back row) Nyeko Francis Lakop (A), Mugerwa Godfrey (K), Reint Bakema (K/A), Alex Gumisiriza (A), Jude Asiimwe (A), Anthony Kyabaggu (K/A), Nsanze Ignatius Kanya (A), Kironde Yowasi (K/A), Julius Mwesigwa (K), Ronald Kasozi (K/A), Peter Loruk (K), Christopher Otena (A), Christopher Birungi (K/A), Lomongin Simon (K), Ewaru David (K), Emmanuel Iyamulemye Niyibigira (K/A), Jimmy Ochien (K), Alastair Taylor (K), Adolf Gerstl (A), Samuel Owen Ocaya (A), Ngorok Godrey (K), Moses Ramadhan (A). (Front row) Christine Teko (K), Helen Akello (K/A), Doreen Binen (A), Beatrice Arach (A), Faith Nakut Loru (K) and Aminah Ochom (K/A)

ALREP PMU senior management

Dr Emmanuel Iyamulemye Niyibigira, National Programme Coordinator 44

Beatrice Arach, Programme Coordinator ALREP

Adolf Gerstl, Technical Advisor- ALREP

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

Reint Bakema, Chief Technical Advisor

Ronald Kasozi, Finance and Administration Technical Advisor

Andrea Ferrero, EU Northern Uganda Operations manager

ALREP par tners ALREP is the first EU funded project in Uganda to go Carbon Neutral

Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme

The Northern Uganda Agricultural Livelihoods Programme (ALREP) was a â‚Ź20m special programme of the Government of Uganda financed by the European Union.

Implementation started in 2010 and was completed in 2014. During that time ALREP worked in fifteen districts in Acholi, Teso and Lango and affected the lives of around 900,000 people, or about 25% of the population.

There is hardly a corner of Northern Uganda that has been left untouched

by ALREP. This book contains some of the many stories that could be told.

Office of the Prime Minister New Government Building, Apollo Kagwa Road, Kampala Website: www.opm.nulep.org