The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Bugiri, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Youth farmers in Nankoma Town Council, Bugiri District, are sharing their story of transformation from a self-help project to a registered cooperative in just one year. They have grown to 290 members organised into 12 self-help groups under the umbrella of the Nankoma Youth Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited.
The members include 181 young women, 80 men, and 29 persons with disabilities (PWDs), all engaged in agricultural activities that enable them to access better markets for their produce. The journey began with a 10-member youth group operating under the name Nankoma Frontline. They started with daily savings but lacked a clear direction, and many members defaulted on agreed contributions.
This slowed their progress, hindered their ability to attract new members, and left them stagnant without meeting their set goals. With the rollout of the Stimulating Agribusiness for Youth Employment (SAYE) project across the Busoga sub-region, the youths received training on the benefits of working together to access better markets, which inspired them to form a cooperative.
Mohammed Balaba, the cooperative’s secretary, recalls that previously, members would save at least 2,000 shillings daily, mainly to fund ludo games with peers, with the surplus often spent on drugs. Balaba says this was unsustainable and yielded no meaningful results, making them a subject of ridicule in the community.
Through SAYE, they were encouraged to form groups with clear leadership structures, leading to improved savings and investment in viable agricultural ventures. When the cooperative was ready, they were linked to a bulk oilseed supplier who provided farm inputs on affordable credit. They resolved to jointly plant 36 acres of soybeans, expecting a yield of 18 tonnes.
To boost income, they secured a certification mark to trade as a seed company, enabling them to operate beyond Bugiri to the wider Busoga sub-region. Balaba, who also serves as production manager, says that after repaying the input supplier, each member will earn 2.1 million shillings in three months. He adds that after covering operational costs, the cooperative will retain a surplus of four million shillings to fund the next planting season.
Beyond improving members’ incomes, the cooperative has created 100 jobs along the soybean value chain—from planting to bulking at their warehouse. Balaba hopes that with consistency, they will venture into value addition, producing poultry feeds, soya nutritional porridge, soya flour, and more. They also plan to buy soybeans from other farmers year-round, store them, and process them later—helping to stabilise prices and discourage farmers from abandoning commercial agriculture due to market fluctuations.
Member Esther Nangobi says there is “power in numbers” because collective action makes it easier to mobilise investment funds than working alone. She adds that this collective strength has enabled them to access quality inputs through SAYE’s linkages to certified agricultural value chain actors.
Previously, Nangobi’s one-acre garden earned her about one million shillings annually. After contributing half an acre to the joint farming project, she now earns 4.1 million shillings in just six months, while using the remaining land for family food crops. Another member, Annet Nampumo, says the cooperative has helped address the land challenge by enabling youths to use pooled savings to hire land from large owners.
However, she notes that most of the hired land is 5–10 kilometres from their homes, leading to high transport costs. To address this, the leadership is mobilising nearby residents to join the cooperative for easier supervision. She also cites the challenge of unstable weather but credits SAYE for linking them to drought-resistant seed suppliers, which has helped maximise yields.
Nampumo, a PWD, appeals to the government to subsidise protective gear such as gumboots and facemasks for farmer cooperatives. This, she says, would help safeguard crops from pests and diseases while protecting farmers’ health.
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