The USAID Feed the Future Uganda Producer Organizations Activity – POA
As Uganda Cooperative Alliance (UCA) in partnership with Techno Serve with support from USAID under Feed the Future we have been implementing The Uganda Producer Organizational Activity that is aimed at helping Producer Organizations to address three key objectives:
(i) Assisting POs to operate as viable business entities, as buyers of improved inputs and reliable suppliers in the coffee, maize, and beans value chains.
(ii) Assisting POs to provide demand-driven services to meet evolving member needs, including more broadly representing the interests and concerns of women and youth and
(iii) To strengthen the enabling environment for agricultural development through local advocacy.
Meeting with women Members of KAWODA and UMOJA cooperative in Kasese District. Such meetings facilitate issue identification in a consultative manner
In regards to the above activity, as UCA, our core mandate is under objective three to strengthen, the enabling environment for agricultural development through local advocacy. UCA engages a facilitative advocacy approach that empowers POs and their members through the use of the FACT methodology. UCAs focus is on developing producer organizations members’ capacity to carryout evidence based lobby and advocacy campaigns activities such as meetings, research, consultations, dialogues and structured engagements between POs and their members and the Local Government decision makers at sub county and District levels on the issues that are hindering the smooth running of agribusiness in their communities. The farmers always achieve this through the application of the FACT methodology (Farmers Advocacy and Consultation Tool).
This has also complemented government’s actions in delivering on the demand driven approach of services by empowering the demand side. The activity is implemented in 12 districts of Uganda including; Mubende, Kiboga, Masaka, Kasese, Kamwenge, Jinja, Bugiri, Sironko, Kapchorwa, Gulu, Masindi and Lira.
The leadership of Myanzi ACE in Mubende District through the use of the FACT methodology has been able to lobby the LG authorities of Mubende to construct an access road for easy transportation of produce from farmers to the ACE stores for bulking