For years, the members of Yelekeni Farmers’ group in Tee Okuto village, Pabbo Sub-county, Amuru District watched something precious slowly disappear. Erudu White, a local groundnut variety treasured for generations because of its rich taste, strong market demand, and resilience was gradually losing the very qualities that had made it valuable. Harvests became smaller. Plants succumbed more easily to groundnut rosette disease and aphid attacks. Every season, farmers feared the

Visitors to Umoja ni Nguuvu Community Agroecology School often admire the fish ponds, apiaries, thriving tree nurseries, and trial gardens where farmer members test indigenous food plants and climate-resilient crops. Today, they drive directly to the school. Just a few months ago, that would have been impossible. For decades, the communities surrounding Umoja ni Nguuvu Community Agroecology School in Bugiri District—a member district of ESAFF Uganda—were cut off by the absenc

A student explains to the visiting team how mixed cropping in the school agroecological garden, that incorporates vegetables and pumpkins improves nutrition security at the school Uganda's transition towards sustainable food systems is increasingly being shaped not only by what happens on farms, but also by what young people learn in classrooms. While agriculture remains central to livelihoods, employment and national development, understanding of sustainable food production

Small-scale farmers, university scientists, and policy advocates convened at Fairway Hotel in Kampala on June 12 to jointly develop a farmer-rooted, evidence-based research framework for measuring the pace and impact of agroecological transition in Uganda. The workshop was organized by the Eastern and Southern Africa Small-Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF) Uganda under the ECOTOPIA programme, a community-owned initiative operating in Mayuge and Kumi districts with support from DKA

In Uganda and across the globe, small-scale farmers form the backbone of food security and rural livelihoods. They contribute significantly to local economies, biodiversity conservation and cultural heritage, despite often facing challenges such as limited access to resources, markets and knowledge. Recognizing their critical role, innovative platforms such as the Agroecology Business Hub (ABH), a unit under ESAFF Uganda have emerged as essential tools to empower these farmer

Eastern and Southern Africa Small-Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF) Uganda on June 5, 2026, launched the 4th Edition of the National Schools’ Agroecology Poem Writing Competition at Serere Township Secondary School, Serere district. The competition was launched in collaboration with partners such as Humundi, Oxfam in Uganda, Agroecology Fund, Ministry of Education and Sports, and National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) under the theme, “Agroecology in Action: Cultivating Heal

Uganda's forests are among the country's most valuable natural resources, providing essential ecosystem services including rainfall regulation, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, soil protection, water catchment management, and livelihoods for millions of people. Forest ecosystems are globally significant biodiversity hotspots and serve as critical habitats for wildlife, including endangered primates and numerous bird species. Despite their importance, Uganda co

Every year on 7 June, the global community commemorates World Food Safety Day to raise awareness and inspire action against foodborne risks. In 2026, the campaign adopts the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) theme: “From Burden to Solutions: Safe Food Everywhere.” This theme shifts the conversation from merely highlighting the devastating impacts of unsafe food to implementing practical, evidence-based solutions across the entire food

The Earth is not breaking down alone, we are breaking her systems, and she is responding. From Uganda’s drying wetlands to collapsing soil fertility, Mother Earth is sending urgent signals. But within the crisis lies a solution already in the hands of small-scale farmers: Agroecology. As the global community commemorates International Mother Earth Day 2026 under the theme "Our Power, Our Planet,” Eastern and Southern Africa Small-scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF) Uganda calls fo

Across the world from the drylands of Karamoja in Uganda to the terraced hills of Nepal, small-scale farmers stand on the frontlines of a crisis they did not create. They produce nearly one-third of the world’s food, sustain biodiversity, and defend ecosystems, yet remain systematically excluded from climate finance. This is not an accident. It is a political choice. Climate finance was promised as a bridge between historical responsibility and climate justice. Instead, it ha

A farmer in Wakiso district spraying his lettuce with insecticide. Photo: African Newsletter Europe bans hazardous pesticides to protect its citizens. Yet the same chemicals are exported to African countries like Uganda, where farmers apply them with minimal protection, in unlabelled containers, and without legal recourse. This is not a regulatory gap. It is a business model, and one of the most consequential double standards in the global agricultural system. A landmark Swed

Small-scale farmers from Kobwakol Farmer Field School in Serere district are being guided on agronomic practices for cowpea cultivation Despite the Ugandan government’s efforts to improve nutrition through policies like the Uganda Nutrition ActionPlan (UNAP), Health Sector Development Plan (2015/16–2019/20), and the Food and Nutrition Policy (2003), many regions remain below key nutrition targets. Malnutrition continues to undermine human capital, economic productivity, and n

Uganda's small-scale farmers feed the nation. They account for 89% of all farmers and produce around 80% of the country's annual agricultural output. So why does the proposed national budget appear to be moving in the opposite direction? Nearly 9 in 10 farmers in Uganda are small-scale producers, yet the proposed FY 2026/27 National Budget Framework Paper signals a troubling shift away from investing in them. At a time when food security concerns are rising and climate shocks

In rural Uganda, the responsibility of feeding families and sustaining communities often rests on women working on small plots of land—often less than two acres. As climate change disrupts rainfall patterns and degrades soil fertility, these women are not just coping; they are innovating. Across the country, small-scale women farmers are using agroecology to rebuild resilience, restore their soils, and secure food for their households. Agriculture remains the backbone of rura

Uganda’s Mailo land tenure system continues to generate landlord–tenant tensions, largely centered on the payment of Busuulu (nominal ground rent). In Gomba and Mityana districts, rising complaints of absentee landlords and refusal to accept legally prescribed Busuulu have increased tenure insecurity for tenants and contributed to persistent land disputes. The Constitution of Uganda (1995) recognizes Mailo tenure under Article 237(2) and protects lawful occupants from arbitra

Land in Uganda remains one of the most politically and socially charged assets, shaping identity, belonging, livelihoods, and economic security for most small-scale farmers. Yet, despite the centrality of land to national development, Uganda continues to grapple with persistent land conflicts underpinned by cultural norms, weak legal literacy, corruption, and inadequate formal documentation. For rural women in particular, these challenges are intensified by the complex relati

Globally, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that 33% of soils are degraded. Uganda’s situation is even more critical, with 46% of the country’s soils degraded, according to national assessments. In a region already losing 5 to 12 tons of topsoil per hectare annually, the implications for rural livelihoods, food systems, and national development are severe. In Uganda, where 80% of arable land is managed by small-scale farmers, soil degradation directly transl

ESAFF Uganda in collaboration with partners, will host the 7th Women in Agriculture (WiA) Conference from 8th–9th December 2025 at Les Foyers de Charité (Namugongo, Kyoto) This year’s conference will convene rural women farmers, policymakers, youth leaders, civil society, and development partners to confront two interconnected challenges: insecure land rights and the rising cases of gender-based violence (GBV). These persistent barriers continue to undermine women’s empowerme

Uganda’s agricultural sector is at a crossroads. Rapid population growth, coupled with extremely low land registration, leaves most rural...

The question of Land ownership and control in Uganda remains indistinct especially for peasant women. Generally, women in Uganda with...