Background – For decades, Uganda suffered under the tyranny of a succession of dictators. The war that has been simmering in the north of the country for more than twenty years has forced 1.6 million people to flee their villages. Nevertheless, the steady rates of growth in the south have been impressive. Little or no benefit from this positive development have filtered up to the north. Uganda is one of the poorest countries in the world. The average income hovers below one dollar a day. In the south, around 40 per cent of the population are living below the poverty line and in the north this figure rises to 70 per cent. Uganda is an agrarian country. If the people are to escape this poverty through their own efforts any support provided must be centred on agriculture.

Project – In Uganda, Swisscontact has started up a project which is strengthening agriculture as a means of existence. The project is being implemented in the Luwero District, part of the former conflict zone. Working in five different sectors (coffee, pineapple, honey, banana and mushroom), the project goal is to increase income and employment opportunities of small farms and micro enterprises in the rural area. Swisscontact is supporting these supply chains from production through processing to the actual marketing. The farmers are acquiring the knowledge and information they need directly from their suppliers. One example of this is the way in which the honey dealers are keeping the beekeepers up to date on modern production processes and provide them with new beehives. This enables the beekeepers to increase their production, expand their marketing opportunities and further cement their business relationships. Honey production does not require land ownership, which makes it interesting for women. All five products have interesting markets. Organic coffee and pineapples are particularly sought after. For this reason, Swisscontact is encouraging the farmers to cultivate in an organic way and is assisting them to complete the certification process. Each of these measures improves the quality of the product and thus increases the marketing potential. In this way, the farmers’ incomes increase. Expanding production and processing creates new jobs. By the end of 2012, 15,000 people will have benefited directly or indirectly from the project in Uganda and, in doing so, they will have taken their first steps out of poverty.