In the lush landscapes of Rwenzori Region, Uganda, a tale of transformation unfolds, woven from the dedication of individuals like Mutegeki Johnson, whose journey represents the impact of the Building Resilience and Inclusive Growth of Highland Farming Systems for Rural Transformation (BRIGHT) project.
Nestled in Rwano Village, Kabonero Parish, Mutegeki’s story evolves with each step he takes toward sustainable agriculture. Empowered by the project, Mutegeki embarked on a quest to elevate his banana plantation. Through the adoption of soil and water conservation techniques, alongside strategic utilization of goat manure, Mutegeki’s farm has flourished. What once yielded a modest 10 bunches per week now boasts a bountiful 20 bunches, a testament to the cascading effects of good agronomic practices. This has resulted in better income for his household, and he now plans to build a better home for his family.
“I have a vision to construct a bigger house in the next five years. I have bought 30 iron sheets and already have some timber. We want to buy one cow, three more pigs, and five more goats. We hope to get money from the sale of bananas and tomatoes,” Mutegeki says.
Mutegeki’s journey embodies the spirit of communal advancement. He assumed the role of a mentor, imparting invaluable knowledge on post-harvest handling to fellow community members. Together, they have erected solar dryers and granaries, breathing life into the landscape with each harvest preserved and every crop protected.
This is one of the many stories of change that the project shared with a team from the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands (EKN) in Uganda March 4-7, 2024, in Rwenzori.
The EKN team also paid a visit to Kabonero Mountainous Coffee Growers Cooperative Society Limited, which is being supported by BRIGHT through project partner Agriterra. The partnership is aimed at strengthening cooperatives, savings and credit cooperative organizations (SACCOs), and farmer groups to improve financial access for smallholder farmers.
“Before partnering with BRIGHT, we were not exporting our coffee because we were not certified. But we now have become certified, and we are selling more coffee at better prices. We were also facing governance challenges internally, which have been solved, and now we have a streamlined corporative management system. We have also been linked to Uganda Development Bank, where we have accessed finance at a lower interest rate,” said Enos Muthahinga, one of the cooperative leaders.
With support from BRIGHT, the cooperative has since recruited a quality control officer and an environmental officer as extension workers to improve the quality of their products.
Hans Raadschilders, Thematic Expert on Food Security and Agriculture of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized to cooperative members the need for several income-generating ventures to ensure sustainability. BRIGHT assists with making the necessary connections. Raadschilders encouraged the members, saying, “You have ambitious goals as an entity, but you need to have income streams for you to offer better services to the farmers. BRIGHT should link you to actors to lobby for funds and market linkages. The improvement seen at cooperative level should be visible at smallholder farmer level.”
The Building Resilience and Inclusive Growth for Highland Farming Systems for Rural Transformation (BRIGHT) project, funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, seeks to build the resilience capacity of farm households and farming systems in Uganda to increase income and food and nutrition security of all farmers and transform households from subsistence to more market-oriented in Kigezi, Mount Elgon, and Rwenzori regions. The project is being implemented by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) in cooperation with Agriterra, the Uganda Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), district local governments, and private sector partners.
