Pumpkins in Africa

Context and Project Objective

Pumpkin is one of the high-potential but still untapped vegetables in East Africa, including Uganda. Although it has excellent nutritional value and a long shelf life and is relatively easy to grow, its production for markets remains eclipsed by other vegetables.

In 2019, East-West Seed founder Simon N. Groot was awarded the World Food Prize for his transformative work, which has enabled millions of smallholder farmers to earn higher incomes through enhanced vegetable production and has benefited hundreds of millions of consumers with greater access to nutritious vegetables for healthier diets. Groot dedicated the majority of his prize money to the Pumpkins in Africa project, often called the Pumpkin Project.

The objective of  the Pumpkin Project is to accelerate the growth of the pumpkin sector in Africa. Although activities will be centred in Uganda, the goal is to develop a hub of expertise and knowledge that can then drive growth in other East African countries, and even in West Africa if the potential is there.

Expected Outcomes

• 7,200 farmers intensively exposed to best practices and trained in pumpkin production; after 3 years, 70% of these farmers are expected to invest in improved varieties
• 27,000 farmers exposed to pumpkin production through radio, TV, and social media and through field demonstrations supported by other EWS-KT projects

EWS-KT Partners

Funding partner: East-West Seed founder and World Food Prize Laureate Simon N. Groot

Project Period

1 July 2020 – 31 December 2023

Location

Uganda: Eastern Region, Central Region, and Northern Region (especially West Nile, Gulu, and Lira)