When Farmers Find Their Voice, Roads Follow

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 absence of a motorable access road. During the rainy season, motorcycles became stuck in mud, vehicles could not pass, and farmers carried their produce on bicycles or on their heads for several kilometres to reach buyers. Pregnant women and sick children were carried on makeshift stretchers to health centres. Extension workers rarely visited, and traders often refused to travel to the area because of the poor road conditions.

"We grew food to feed others, yet getting it to the market felt like crossing a mountain. We carried our harvest on our heads while pregnant women and the sick struggled to reach health centres."— Woman Farmer, Umoja ni Nguuvu Community Agroecology School

Ironically, neighboring communities that did not have organized farmer groups or agroecology schools continued to accept these challenges as normal. Although they faced the same poor infrastructure and limited government services, they had no organized platform through which to collectively engage duty bearers, present evidence, or influence local government planning and budgeting.

At Umoja ni Nguuvu Community Agroecology School, however, something different was taking root. Established and supported by ESAFF Uganda, the school was instituted to strengthen agroecology, sustainable food systems, food and nutrition security, soil and water conservation, seed sovereignty, climate resilience, and farmer-to-farmer learning. Members established practical learning enterprises including fish farming, seed trial gardens, indigenous food plant conservation plots, apiaries, and tree nurseries. They are replicating these practices on their own farms with a vision to improve household nutrition, restoring biodiversity, increasing farm productivity, and reducing dependence on expensive external inputs.

But the school taught something even more powerful than farming. Members learned that lasting agricultural transformation depends not only on improved farming practices but also on responsive public institutions and accountable leadership. Through ESAFF Uganda's capacity strengthening using the Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS) model, farmers developed skills in advocacy, social accountability, policy engagement, public expenditure tracking, and constructive dialogue with local government.They learned how government plans are developed, where decisions are made, who is responsible for service delivery, and most importantly, how ordinary citizens can influence those decisions.

Instead of complaining among themselves, they organized. They documented the challenges caused by the lack of an access road. They collected testimonies from farmers, women, and village leaders. They mobilized neighboring villages to speak with one voice. They prepared clear messages and evidence before every public engagement. Whenever sub-county and district leaders organized barazas, community dialogues, budget consultations, election campaign meetings, or accountability forums, members of the school attended in large numbers.

Rather than accusing leaders, they respectfully presented facts. They demonstrated how the poor road limited market access, discouraged agricultural extension services, increased transport costs, delayed emergency medical care, reduced school attendance, and undermined government investments such as the Parish Development Model.

"We did not ask for favours. We presented facts. Every meeting we attended; we carried the voices of our community. We showed leaders how mothers struggled to reach health centres, how farmers lost income because buyers could not reach us, and how government programmes could not serve us effectively without a road. Eventually, our leaders responded. This road belongs to everyone because everyone advocated for it."— Grace Naluwende, Bugiri District Farmer Representative

The issue could no longer be ignored. Among those leading the process was Edith Naluwende, supported by fellow farmer leaders including Steven Emoit and many other members of Umoja ni Nguuvu Community Agroecology School.

For months—from November 2025 to April 2026—they consistently raised the issue during election campaigns and district open dialogue meetings attended by local government officials, political leaders, technical officers, civil society organizations, and the media. Their persistence transformed what had long been viewed as a local inconvenience into a recognized district development priority.

Then came the breakthrough. In May 2026, the district local government opened a motorable community access road connecting Umoja ni Nguuvu Community Agroecology School with surrounding villages, markets, schools, and health facilities. For many residents, it was the first tangible proof that organized citizens can influence public investment. Today, motorcycles, bicycles, and vehicles travel where only footpaths once existed. Farmers transport fish, honey, fruits, vegetables, seedlings, and other produce to markets with greater ease and lower transport costs. They are optimistic that Extension officers, veterinary workers, traders, financial institutions, and government programmes will soon flow and reach communities that had previously been difficult to access.

Perhaps most importantly, the community now believes that this road is only the beginning. "Before the agroecology school, many of us thought government only listened to educated people or politicians. Today, we know that when farmers organize, gather evidence and speak with one voice, leaders listen. This road is not simply a road—it is proof that our voices matter."— Steven Emoit, Chairperson, Umoja ni Nguuvu Community Agroecology School.

With improved accessibility, farmers expect increased participation in the Parish Development Model, better access to quality agricultural inputs, extension services, farmer organizations, buyers, financial services, schools, and health facilities. The greatest transformation, however, cannot be measured in kilometres. It is measured in confidence. People who once believed that government decisions were made without their participation now understand that organized communities can influence public policies and investments that affect their lives.

Umoja ni Nguuvu Community Agroecology School has evolved far beyond a farmer learning centre into a vibrant platform for building a strong agroecology movement—where ecological farming goes hand in hand with social justice, collective action, democratic participation, accountable governance, and community leadership. By putting agroecological principles into practice, the school has demonstrated that sustainable food systems are inseparable from strong social systems.

Farmers are not only restoring soils, conserving water, protecting indigenous seeds, and enhancing biodiversity, but are also strengthening solidarity, amplifying community voices, influencing public decision-making, and building resilient institutions that enable lasting transformation.

"Our agroecology school has taught us much more than farming. It has taught us leadership, unity and courage. We have learned that when communities organize themselves, they can influence decisions that improve the lives of everyone—not only today's generation but those to come."— Edith Naluwende, Farmer Leader, Umoja ni Nguuvu Community Agroecology School.

As other neighbouring communities continue struggling with poor infrastructure and limited engagement with government, Umoja ni Nguuvu Community Agroecology School stands as living evidence that investing in farmer organization creates change that extends far beyond agriculture. The community no longer sees itself as waiting for development. It has become a driver of development.

This story demonstrates that community agroecology schools are not simply centres for promoting sustainable agriculture. They are institutions that nurture informed citizens, strengthen local democracy, and catalyse public investment. By combining agroecological innovation with leadership development, social accountability, and constructive engagement with government, ESAFF Uganda has shown that empowering farmers can transform isolated communities into active partners in local development.

As members of Umoja ni Nguuvu often say: "We planted trees, raised fish, protected our seeds—and together, we also built a road. When farmers find their voice, development finds its way."