| Sumario: | Agriculture serves as a cornerstone of Uganda’s economy, employing 70% of the labour force and covering half of the national land area. However, smallholder farmers, comprising 90% of the farming community, face barriers hindering agricultural productivity and food security. These barriers include limited access to quality seeds, limited market access, and lack of access to agricultural information. Dissemination of baseline findings and development of social and behaviour change strategies workshop was conducted in Mbale, Uganda to address these issues.
Workshop Overview: The workshop gathered 35 participants from government agencies, research and development, private organizations, and smallholder farmers to discuss the rice and bean value chains baseline study findings and co-design a social behaviour change strategy for the project.
Project Overview: The project, in collaboration with IRRI, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, CBCC, and NARO, seeks to improve smallholder farmers’ livelihoods by scaling equitable access to quality, climate-resilient, and market-preferred seed varieties for women and marginalized farmers to enhance agricultural productivity and nutritional security in Butaleja District, Uganda.
Strategic Project Activities: The project will establish a seed information and delivery model, forge partnerships with stakeholders, build capacity for women and youth in seed enterprises, and roll out behaviour change initiatives.
Workshop Outcomes: Key outcomes included understanding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices among smallholder women and youth farmers in Butaleja District, Uganda, based on the baseline study findings and co-creating social and behaviour change strategies.
Key Findings from the Baseline Study Findings: The rice and bean value chains in Butaleja District had the following overarching barriers to seed access and development of the value chains: limited availability of improved seed varieties, inadequate knowledge and awareness of improved seed varieties, logistical challenges in distribution and socio-economic constraints faced by marginalized groups.
Conclusion: The workshop provided a platform for collaboration and co-creation of social and behavioural change strategies to enhance access to quality rice and bean seeds in Butaleja District, Uganda. Implementing the co-designed strategy and strategic partnerships will improve livelihoods and food security among smallholder farmers.
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