Improving Food Security and Incomes in West Nile and South Sudan

Context and Project Objective

Rhino Refugee Settlement, located in the West Nile region of Uganda, hosts more than 125,000 people, the majority of whom are women and children from South Sudan. Due to significant underfunding of the World Food Programme, this UN agency has been forced to reduce its refugee relief food rations in Rhino Refugee Settlement by 40%, exacerbating chronic malnutrition among children in the settlement.

As part of its refugee response strategy, Uganda provides refugees with access to land measuring 30 meters by 30 meters, but refugees often lack the skills and knowledge to produce a wide range of nutritious vegetables to meet the dietary needs of both children and adults. Because the presence of refugees puts pressure on host communities, host communities are also included in the project’s food security, income, and nutrition interventions.

The primary aim of the Improving Food Security and Incomes project is to improve household income through vegetable production and increase the availability and consumption of nutritious vegetables, thereby enhancing food security and reducing chronic malnutrition in Rhino Refugee Settlement and host communities in the West Nile region of Uganda. A secondary aim is to equip refugees with profitable and sustainable vegetable cultivation skills that will position them for better income opportunities after they return to their home country. The scale-up phase of the project (2024-2025) also includes work in South Sudan with strategic stakeholders.

Activities

To achieve the project objectives, EWS-KT will promote a peer learning approach by increasing the capacity of key farmers to manage practical farming demonstrations showcasing profitable and sustainable cultivation techniques. In the successful pilot phase of this project (2022–2023), 280 demonstration plots were set up, with each acting as a training hub of best practices for other farmers. An additional 400 demonstration plots will be established in the scale-up phase. As in the pilot phase, half of the demonstration plots will be in host communities, with the other half in refugee settlements. The scale-up phase will also support the establishment of 120 kitchen gardens in the refugee settlements to address malnutrition and food insecurity at the household level. 180 kitchen gardens were set up in the refugee settlements in the pilot phase.

Training on a wide range of topics, from seedling production to harvest, will be delivered in a variety of ways, from intensive training of core farmer groups to farmer Field Days, radio programs, and digital learning. Farmers will not only be trained in agronomic practices but also learn about the economic aspects of vegetable production, including production planning and how to calculate the rate of return on their farming investment. In addition, farmers will be kept updated on prevailing prices and the latest trends in the vegetable market.

This project also has a training-of-trainers component. Through the use of EWS-KT learning farms, which showcase improved techniques for several vegetable crops, EWS-KT will sharpen the skills of staff, sector professionals, and agro-input dealers and will train local farmers as community-based trainers to ensure continuity of improved farming practices.

Developing a sustainable supply of high-quality agricultural inputs is a key project objective, and East West Seed will carry out market development activities to ensure increased access to seed.

Target Outcomes from Pilot Phase 

• 7,000 farmers trained on good agricultural practices through demonstration sites.
• An additional 3,500 farmers trained by agro-input dealers on good agricultural practices, including using quality seeds.
• An estimated 10,000 farmers in the project area and beyond benefiting from informal peer-to-peer learning, informative radio programs, and digital learning (Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, and GrowHow).
• 10 sector professionals—government extension officers and NGO/private-sector extension agents—trained in improved farming techniques.

Target Outcomes from Scale-Up Phase

• 13,000 farmers trained on good agricultural practices through demonstration sites.
• 5,000 additional farmers trained or advised by agro-input dealers on good agricultural practices, including quality seeds.
• 30,000 farmers in the project area and beyond benefiting from informal peer-to-peer learning, informational radio programs, and digital learning (Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, GrowHow, and the VeggieTap for Africa app).
• 20 sector professionals (government and NGO/private-sector extension agents) in Uganda trained on improved farming techniques.
• Selected strategic stakeholders from South Sudan trained and exposed to best practices.
• 10 agro-input dealers trained on good agricultural practices.
• 40 community-based trainers trained on good agricultural practices—to train 800 farmers in turn.

EWS-KT Partners

Funding partner: Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND)

Project Period

1 April 2024 – 20 March 2025 (scale-up phase)
1 September 2022 – 31 September 2023 (pilot phase)

Location

Uganda: West Nile
South Sudan: Juba