The Issue:
The project in Uganda is being implemented by SOCADIDO within 3 districts in the Teso sub-region, Eastern Uganda, i.e., Katakwi, Amuria, and Kapelebyong. These districts are prone to extreme weather conditions that oscillate between long dry spells and waterlogging. The farming communities rely on rain-fed agriculture and the majority practice traditional methods of farming which have resulted in unsustainable agriculture production hence affecting the resilience of these communities.
The Project:
To strengthen the communities’ capacities to adopt sustainable agroecological practices and land use management
The Change:
The DCA innovation project seeks to test the hypothesis that cash grants will stimulate small-scale farmers’ adoption of agroecological farming approaches. Small scale farmers are faced with challenges associated with climate change and Agroecology provides a holistic way of dealing with such challenges. However, they are likely to experience risks associated with implementing innovative agroecological approaches. And cash-based transfers shall be used to bridge the risk gap in the transition period. It is expected that when the farmers are accessed with cash-based transfers, they will have Increased diversification (crop and livestock), Improved water conservation/ soil management, and agroecological products sold on the market for a premium price.
SOCADIDO previously implemented the CRA project that supported an agroecological performance evaluation of communities in the three districts and revealed there was low soil health arising from heavy reliance on external inputs and low co-creation and sharing of knowledge on agroecology. Also, in a follow-on project SCRAPA, 48 model farmers were identified and trained on sustainable agroecological practices. However, there have been low adoption levels associated with the high costs of establishing improved farming systems.
This innovation project is timely and shall build on the CRA and SCRAPA projects to further build the capacity of farmers on selected Agroecological practices and support the scaling of such practices through incentivized cash-based transfers.
The project will target 30 farmers selected from among the 48 farmers that were formerly identified under the SCRAPA project. Before the disbursement of the cash grants, a baseline survey will be conducted to ascertain the current practices and the level of agroecological performance of the 30 farmers. The capacities of the 30 farmers will further be built before delivering the cash grants that are expected to boost their agroecological investments. At end of the project, an end-line evaluation will be conducted to assess if the cash grants approach has brought about increased adoption of agroecological farming approaches.
About this project
Project Period: May – November 2022
Donor: Danida
Funding: 150,000 DKK (from Danida)
