Sustainable Agriculture

In Uganda, over 80% of the population is employed in agriculture. The majority of the people in rural areas own land. However, many families cannot efficiently farm their land because they lack the seeds to plant. As a result, such families suffer from shortage of food and agricultural products for sale, especially during the dry seasons. URF offers several programs to help address this problem.

Seed Loans/Food Security

Uganda Rural Fund purchases seeds at a fair market price from local farmers who have produce in abundance. URF in turn donates the seeds to poor families, widows, and orphans’ homes so they can grow enough produce for food and sale of the surplus to earn some income.

Depending on how the harvest turns out, at the end of the season, the families who received seed donations are expected to give back a portion of their harvest to URF. We then redistribute these seeds to other needy families. Through encouraging the spirit of giving back, the program becomes creates a long-sustained impact in the lives of many families in rural areas.

Farmers’ Workshops

URF has organized agriculture workshop inviting professionals in the field to train farmers in the community on improved farming practices and markets for agricultural produce.

Goats Project

In partnership with students from University of Florida and Davidson College, 50 goats were given to students from Hope Academy to raise at home for income generation to support their education. The project is self-sustaining; the first offspring is passed on to another student. Goats are sustainable income sources and are low-maintenance animals. They produce two to four kids per year, which can be sold or kept for reproduction.

In addition, a goat stable was constructed at URF to form the Hope Goat Farm, starting with 5 goats. It serves as a demonstration farm for students and people from the local community.

Piggery Project

Since 2013, Uganda Rural Fund has operated a piggery project to generate revenue to help the students of Hope Academy. The children help take care of the pigs, offering them valuable knowledge about raising these animals.

Vegetable Gardens

Uganda Rural Fund has set out to ensure that the kids in child-headed households have proper nutrition. We do this by helping each child-headed family plant a small vegetable garden in their backyard. The kids work hard to take care of the gardens. URF sends staff and volunteers every week to help out in these gardens as well.

Most of what they grow is for home consumption. However, sometimes they have excess produce that they can sell in the local markets to earn some income. The income in turn helps support their basic needs at the house and at school.