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Project Record

Objectives:

Sustainably reduced post harvest losses of sweet potato and increased incomes from sweet potato and its products in central Uganda.

Background:

The proposed project is in line with Uganda's Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA), the framework within which government efforts to improve the livelihoods of poor rural Ugandans who depend on agriculture will be implemented. The PMA states that poverty eradication must focus on transforming poor farmers from producing predominantly for their own households to producing for the market. The project will achieve this aim by addressing the livelihood problems identified in the following manner:

*Linking rural sweet potato producers directly with markets (schools, local processors, large-scale processors and exporters) such that by 2004 at least 120 farmer groups will be linked to existing internal and export markets and many new ones identified and registered.

*Developing the post harvest capacity of the rural farmers such that by 2004 at least 100 farmer groups, including women and youth will have been trained in improved post harvest technologies, and the post harvest losses among target farmers are reduced by at least 20%.

*Creating income-generating opportunities (through formation of rural processor groups) for resource poor youth and women (including victims of HIV/AIDS) such that at least 3 pilot rural-based sweet potato processing enterprises are created by 2004.

*Developing an institutional mechanism that empowers poor farmers and rural processors to participate in a sweetpotato technology and knowledge innovation system, and thus creating a hub of this mechanism within a robust cultural institution by 2004:
-A self-sustaining coalition of relevant stakeholders (farmers, processors, researchers, NGOs, service providers, schools, etc) will be in place.
-Farmers/ entrepreneurs operating in at least 40 farmer groups will be linked to appropriate sources of credit.

*Creating a sustainable mechanism for dissemination and promotion of improved post harvest knowledge and technologies to rural communities through schools such that by 2004:
-at least 6 schools will have nutrition and post harvest clubs with a community knowledge and technology transfer plan being implemented.
-the awareness of the value of Vitamin A-rich sweetpotatoes will be appreciated in target communities.

*Developing and promoting effective strategies for linking rural production to supply target markets.

*Creating effective means for the flow of market information such that by 2004 target farmers incorporate market information in their decision-making.

Intended Outputs:

Rural Sweet potato (SP) farmers in central Uganda linked to local and export markets.

Post harvest capacity of rural sweet potato farmers and processors in Central Uganda enhanced.

Sweet potato based income-generating opportunities created for resource poor youth and women.

An institutional mechanism that empowers poor farmers and rural processors to participate in SP technology and knowledge innovation systems (TKIS) developed.

Progress and Impact:

Rural sweetpotato farmers in Central Uganda linked to local and export markets.
Thirty-seven farmer groups, each with an average of 20 members, were linked to over 20 locally identified markets consisting of schools, universities, hospitals, and food processors for sale of vines, fresh and processed sweetpotato products. Over 300 potential importers of both fresh roots and sweetpotato-based products were identified in Europe. One of them called JIMMY PAN IMPEX LTD - London, expressed interest in importing large quantities of fresh sweetpotato in future, starting with an initial import of 80 tonnes/month.

Post harvest capacity of rural sweetpotato farmers and processors in Central Uganda enhanced.
Twenty-three trainers representing farmers, agricultural extension workers and teachers were equipped with knowledge and skills of rapid multiplication techniques (RMT) of sweetpotato production and post-harvest technologies in the areas of handling, storage, processing, packaging and marketing in a 'training of trainers' scheme. The trained trainers, supported by the coalition and its partners, trained 16,910 project beneficiaries on post harvest technologies and another 120 on RMT. In addition, 14 sites for demonstrations and validation of sweetpotato storage technologies (pit, clamp, brick and mud stores), processing technologies such as drying trays, chippers, juice processing, baking ovens and snack products were established.

Sweetpotato based income-generating opportunities created for resource poor youth and women.
Resource poor youth and women and other farmers appreciated, and some adopted, a range of potential sweetpotato-based income generating opportunities, which included: multiplication of vines, sweetpotato chips and flour, baked products and sweetpotato juices, that were demonstrated at the established pilot processing centres. A cost benefit analysis of these income generating activities indicated that with the exception of chips and juice production, sweetpotato production is a financially viable enterprise with a low start-up capital, above average profit margin, pay back of less than one year and with positive net present values. Profits were highest when the different income generating options were combined in a household. It was observed that production of juices needs technical support in ensuring acceptable quality standards of the Uganda Bureau of Standards.

Institutional mechanism that empowers poor farmers/rural processors to participate in sweetpotato technology and knowledge innovation systems (TKIS) developed.
The institutional framework and mechanism adopted to empower farmers to access sweetpotato post-harvest technologies and knowledge included:
*forming and mobilising farmer and rural processor groups. Nine have transformed into business groups;
*evolving the coalition into a sweetpotato development association to further support the poor farmers/rural processors based on the following key principles (a) forge a balance between collective approach and respect of personal ownership sentiments, (b) have a feel of ownership of the association by all stakeholders (c) optimise interactions between crops, resources, institutions and sectors for economic gains and also sustainability;
*establishing mechanisms for dissemination of coalition activities via (a) user-friendly promotional materials both in English and the local language - Luganda, (b) a website (www.sweetpotatocoalition.org), (c) national agricultural shows, (d) weekly radio programmes and (e) TV broadcasts on 'Farmer Programmes,;
*training trainers' to provide services to communities and schools;
*establishing rural processing centres for continued training and on-farm trials;
*introducing post-harvest technologies to schools. Fifteen schools formed post-harvest clubs as part of a mechanism designed for sustainable dissemination and promotion of improved post-harvest knowledge and tech

Project Conclusions:

The national and international crop post-harvest systems now respond more effectively to the needs of the poor. Uganda's Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture has been helped by equipping farmers with post-harvest knowledge, innovations and technologies which have a potential to increase household incomes by reducing losses and improving market access. Post-harvest innovations were made available through the involvement of multiple partners drawn from the public and private sector institutions to ensure sustainability. Further examples of outputs of the project are: *using on-farm storage technologies, farmers were able to store fresh roots for up to three months. Savings from one hectare using this technology are sufficient to take a family of eight through a dry season of 30-45 days; *diversification of household diets through value addition was introduced to about 100 farmer groups, each with about 20 members; *two of the project's three target districts produce several sweetpotato-based snack products and juices for commercial purposes; *out of the 14 sites that were set up to demonstrate post-harvest technologies in the target districts, five are operating on a commercial basis, of which women run four; *the Coalition evolved into an association and this will ensure sustainability of the project activities and beyond. The association is designed to be economically viable and responsive to the rural community's economic, knowledge and technological needs; *the export market by sea freighting, if operational, will be of a huge economic benefit not only to the project sites, but to the whole of East Africa.

Publications:

SWEETPOTATO COALITION PROJECT (2004) (2003) Improving the livelihoods of small-scale sweetpotato farmers in Central Uganda through a crop post-harvest-based innovation system. Presented at the International Symposium of Root & Tuber Crops, Arusha, Tanzania [Poster]



KATENDE, M., J. NSUMBA, R. KAPINGA, S. TUMWEGAMIRE, B. LEMAGA, and B. SERWADA. (2003) Linking farmers to export markets of fresh sweetpotato experiences from Uganda. pp 39. In: Thirteenth Symposium of the ISTRC. Tropical root and tuber crops: opportunities for poverty alleviation and sustainable livelihoods in the developing world. Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), ISTRC, 10-14 November 2003. Arusha, Tanzania. [Abstract]



NAMUTEBI, A., NATABIRWA, H., LEMAGA, B., KAPINGA, R., MATOVU, M., TUMWEGAMIRE, S., NSUMBA, J. and OCOM J. (2004) Long-term storage of sweetpotato by small-scale farmers through improved post harvest technologies. Journal of Agricultural Sciences (Uganda), 9 (1): 922-930.



NSUMBA, J., S. TUMWEGAMIRE, B., LEMAGA, R., KAPINGA, R.O.M., MWANGA, and SERWADA, B. (2003) Development of farmer based seed systems for increased sweetpotato production. pp 160. In: Thirteenth Symposium of the ISTRC. Tropical root and tuber crops: opportunities for poverty alleviation and sustainable livelihoods in the developing world. Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), ISTRC, 10-14 November 2003. Arusha, Tanzania. [Abstract]



SWEETPOTATO COALITION PROJECT (2003) Improving the livelihoods of small-scale sweetpotato farmers in Central Uganda through a Crop Post-Harvest Based Innovation System. Thirteenth International Symposium of the Roots and Tuber Society, Arusha, Tanzania, 3-5 November 2003. PRAPACE, (The Regional Network for Improvement of Potato and Sweetpotato in East and Central Africa), Kampala, Uganda [Poster]

Paper File Reference:

ZB0342