Where We Work : Uganda : Livelihood Development

How to improve harvests of poor farmers

BRAC is targeting 20,000 poor Ugandan women farmers, helping them improve crop harvests and livestock yields.

The programme is designed to increase agricultural output, decrease livestock mortality, raise farm income, and increase rural employment.

We train hundreds of volunteer agriculture and livestock extension workers with farming experience selected from our microfinance groups.

We provide them with:

• Intensive training for two weeks
• Microfinance loans to increase yields on their own farms
• Supplies to assist other farmers such as high quality seeds and vaccines

Through this network of extension agents, we are able to reach out to tens of thousands of small scale farmers. We introduce and demonstrate modern farming practices.

Specialist branch officers and community organisers are appointed to train the extension workers, model farmers, poultry and livestock volunteers and livestock artificial inseminators, as well as supervise their activities.

In Uganda, 77% of women are involved in farming or some form of agriculture. For rural areas, this number increases to 92% (compared to only 52% of men).

Agriculture and livestock extension workers

We extend our services to tens of thousands of farmers across Uganda by setting up a wide network of entrepreneurial extension agents – supervised by specialist BRAC field staff.

Model Farmers/Agricultural Workers

BRAC’s primary outreach for agricultural activities is through self-employed model farmers/agricultural workers. These individuals are selected from within BRAC’s microfinance groups, and are responsible for identifying and training farmers within the community under the following categories:

• General farmers
• Horticulture nurseries
• Vegetable and kitchen farmers

They also make additional income by selling higher-quality seeds and other agricultural inputs.

Poultry and Livestock Volunteers

BRAC’s Poultry and Livestock Volunteers also operate outreach activities as self-employed volunteers. These women, selected from BRAC’s microfinance groups, are experienced poultry and livestock rearers. 

Once trained, they generate income from charging fees for their services. They help identify and train:

• Model poultry farmers
• Key rearers
• Poultry feed sellers
• Model livestock rearers
• Sheep and goat rearers
• Fodder cultivators

Artificial Insemination Workers

BRAC’s artificial insemination workers are trained for three weeks on how to run their own artificial insemination services as a franchise business.

BRAC provides them with initial supplies,  enabling them to operate at a village level to help produce calves that give higher milk yields.