National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) and United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have signed an MoU to construct community grain stores in 10 districts of Uganda
This initiative is an effort to address challenges in grain storage in the country and also enhance the access of small-scale farmers to quality produce markets. Under the agreement, NAADS will provide US$1mn to WFP for the construction and equipment of the warehouses.
The stores will be set up in the districts of Adjumani, Hoima, Kibaale, Kiboga, Kiryandongo, Kyenjojo, Masindi, Mubende, Nakaseke and Napak. Each unit will have a storage capacity of between 200 and 300 metric tonnes and will support up to 400 farming households. WFP and NAADS will also jointly support small-scale farmer groups with soft skills and other capacity building for group marketing.
NAADS executive director Samuel Mugasi said, “This partnership with WFP will enable NAADS to achieve its purpose of assisting farmers to reduce post-harvest food losses, including through modern storage, benefit from group marketing and improve their household incomes and livelihoods.”
Describing that partnership with WFP, Mugasi pointed out that WFP has a good reputation in grain handling, mobilising farmers for production and supporting agriculture value chains. WFP has already established 60 storage facilities in the country, through funding primarily from the United States. According to the organisation, these stores have helped empower farmers to sell their grain more profitably. NAADS and WFP also have plans to work together in constructing another 10 stores next year.
