The Netherlands-funded CATALIST-Uganda project closed in September, leaving behind a legacy of improvements in crop yields, farm incomes, and technical capacity. The four-year project worked on multiple crops – rice, potato, cassava, sunflower, soybean, barley – and reached more than 70,000 farmers (53 percent women) in 23 districts.
Overall, CATALIST-Uganda enabled smallholder farmers to harvest an extra 100,000 tons (cereal equivalent) of food. Comparing before-and-after (2014 vs. today), CATALIST rice farmers have increased yields by 192 percent and annual household income by $870. Potato farmers have increased yields by 85 percent and annual household income by $430. In addition, the project helped build or rehabilitate 80 kilometers of rural roads, improving market access as well as delivery of health and other services.
![Farmers in Kenya spread organic fertilizer, developed by MIT spinout Safi Organics, to help improve the yield of their farmlands. [Safi Organics]](https://ifdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MIT-Safi-Organics-01-press_0-350x240.jpg)
