Together Harvesting Greater Prosperity

Barodilo Village, Teboke Sub-county, Apac district, is home to an ambitious Bediworo farmer group, which also doubles as a Farmer Field School (FFS).

Established in 2018, the group started as a small farmer association comprising 15 smallholder farmers who shared a common vision of improving household food security and incomes through collective learning and agricultural production.

Over the years, the group has steadily grown in membership and strength, reaching 45 active members who work together to improve agricultural productivity, strengthen local value chains, and enhance household livelihoods. The group is engaged in the maize value chain, with members focusing on improved maize production, aggregation (bulking), quality management, and collective marketing.

Maize is considered by farmers of Barodilo as a major income and food security crop for most households but despite its value they have faced numerous marketing challenges. Individual farmers harvested small quantities of maize and were often forced to sell immediately after harvest to local traders at very low prices due to urgent household financial needs and the lack of adequate storage facilities.

Buyers exploited farmers by offering low farm-gate prices, knowing that individual producers had limited bargaining power and few alternative market options. As a result, despite investing significant time and Labour in maize production, farmers realized minimal profits.

The introduction of the Farmer Field School approach into the group in 2024 by Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Framers Forum (ESAFF) Uganda through the Cultivating Change in Warming World (CCWW) project, implemented in partnership with Pelum Uganda, Community Integrated Development Initiative (CIDI) and supported by Oxfam in Uganda and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) provided an opportunity for farmers and members of Bediworo Farmer Group to reorganize themselves, learn together, and collectively address these marketing challenges.

Through regular Farmer Field School sessions, members acquired knowledge on improved maize production practices, post-harvest handling, quality management, record keeping, and collective marketing. These skills laid the foundation for developing a stronger and more profitable maize value chain within the community.

As membership expanded from 15 to 45 farmers, so did the group's production capacity and confidence in engaging with larger buyers. Members agreed to bulk their maize before selling, allowing them to negotiate collectively rather than individually. This approach significantly improved their bargaining power and enabled the group to secure more competitive market prices.

The commitment of Bediworo FFS members to work together has yielded remarkable results. During the most recent marketing season, the group successfully aggregated and collectively marketed 24 tonnes of maize, earning over 26,400,000 UGX. This is a new experience in a village dominated by middlemen who always offer low maize prices ranging from UGX 500 to 800 shillings, as opposed to what members of Bediworo FFS secured: 1,100 shillings through collective bargaining and marketing.

By selling as a group rather than individually, members negotiated better prices than those commonly offered by middlemen, resulting in increased returns for participating households.

Members are also recognizing that collective marketing reduces transaction costs, attracts larger buyers interested in quality grain supplied in bulk, and encourages members to maintain high standards in drying, cleaning, and storage of maize. The group's organized marketing system has strengthened trust among members and created a reliable platform for planning production and marketing activities together.

Many households are now able to meet essential family needs, including paying school fees, accessing healthcare services, purchasing farm inputs for subsequent planting seasons, improving household nutrition, and investing in other income-generating activities as a result of increased income generated from maize sales. This community initiative is one step towards attainment of income stability among the members of this great community.

"When we used to sell maize individually, traders determined the price because each farmer had only a few bags to sell. Today, we bulk our maize together, negotiate as one group, and earn much better prices. This has improved our incomes and given us hope that farming can truly support our families," shared Adongo Molly, a member of Bediworo FFS.

The group's journey from a small association of 15 farmers to a vibrant Farmer Field School of 45 members demonstrates the power of farmer organization, shared learning, and collaboration. Their success inspires other farmers to appreciate the benefits of working collectively and participating in local value chain development.

Members of Bediworo FFS are committed to building on the success by further strengthening its maize enterprise by increasing production volumes, improving storage and grain quality management, expanding market linkages, and exploring value addition opportunities. The group also aims to recruit more farmers, especially women and youth, to participate in collective marketing and benefit from improved market access.

The experience of Bediworo Farmer Field School illustrates that organized farmers can overcome market constraints through collective action. By working together to bulk and market their produce, members have transformed maize from a subsistence crop into a reliable source of household income, demonstrating how farmer-led value chain development can contribute to improved livelihoods and resilient rural communities in Apac district.