Standing tall: A proud farmer shows off the Jujumbu group’s maize fields
A communal farm in Uganda, run by refugees and nationals, is expanding and has big plans for the future
Connie Akware
The Jujumbu farmers’ group in Uganda is proof that pooled resources and diversity of people can lead to great financial success.
The co-operative was formed in 2017 and is owned equally by refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ugandan nationals. The group, which was registered this year as the Jujumbo Multipurpose Farmers’ Co-operative, comprises 560 members
The co-op is dedicated to promoting its members’ resilience and self-reliance by bridging the gaps that farmers experience, such as access to credit and markets.
Produce
Jujumbu produces a range of vegetables and crops, including maize and cassava, across their communal acres of land. Each person is entitled to one acre, but pooling these gives the group a greater yield which they can market together.
“The co-operative has helped us in marketing our produce since members bring all their commodities to a central place for easy selling at a competitive price, rather than selling individually,” says member Margaret Baifa, 56.
Jujumbu also benefits from its own Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) whereby all profits are saved and can be accessed by individuals as loans with reasonable interest rates.
“We share out the money in January, where part of the money is used for paying school fees, renovating homes, buying seeds or hiring more land,” says VSLA treasurer Aisha Apiya.
The savings have allowed the group to purchase a motorised tri-cycle utility vehicle and to apply for a handwheel tractor – a self-propelled machine used for ploughing, harrowing, and levelling of fields – from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
The two machines have improved their efficiency, allowed them better access to markets and have also created employment for two young people.
Farmer group dynamics
Being in the group has also encouraged unity among the community members where people come together and forget about their differences, adds Aisha.
“It has improved the peaceful existence between the host community and the refugees since it’s a mixed group. Some of the hosts are landlords and have been able to give access to land. It has strengthened the friendship since they work together, decide together, plan, eat, laugh and cry together, this has made us become family.”
Jujumbu has big plans for the future. They envisage expanding their production of both vegetables and crops and want to install an irrigation system for the off season.
“We plan to construct a store, since that has been a challenge for us as hiring one is quite costly. If we can store our produce properly, we will attract new customers at the market. We also want to build an office for information sharing and marketing. We plan to work harder and be the leading co-operative in the whole West Nile region,” Aisha says with a big grin.
Connie Akware is Monitoring & Evaluation officer in Uganda
