Through the Pumpkin Project, 14,095 farmers in Uganda learned about growing nutritious pumpkins as a commercial crop. Find out how the project has opened doors to better income for farmers, created new market connections, and spurred value chain development.
When East-West Seed founder Simon N. Groot won the World Food Prize in 2019, he directed the award funds toward the Pumpkin Project. His aim was to develop a pumpkin production hub in Uganda, with the ultimate goal of accelerating the growth of the pumpkin sector in Africa.
Building on the Pumpkin Project’s achievements and momentum, we have integrated pumpkin production into other projects and activities in Uganda and are committed to scaling up the pumpkin sector in Uganda and beyond.
Become a pumpkin partner to accelerate this work!
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 simply the Pumpkin Project.
The objective of the Pumpkin Project was to accelerate the growth of the pumpkin sector in Africa. By centering project activities in Uganda, the goal was to develop a hub of expertise and knowledge that could then drive growth in other East African countries, and even in West Africa if the potential is there.
Outputs & Outcomes
EWS-KT Partners
Funding partner: East-West Seed founder and World Food Prize laureate Simon N. Groot
Project Period
1 July 2020 – 31 January 2024
Location
Uganda: Eastern Region, Central Region, and Northern Region (especially West Nile, Gulu, and Lira)
