In northern Uganda, 35-year-old Joseph Kojo is championing peer learning and collaboration to improve agricultural productivity and community success.<\/p>\n
It was a bright, warm morning in\u00a0northern Uganda\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0Oyam District when I paid a visit to Joseph Kojo. The 35-year-old was inspecting seedlings in his greenhouse and looked pleased to see their growth. The seedlings are slated to be collected by farmers in his community once the rainy season starts.<\/p>\n Joseph has many roles. He is a devoted father to his two children and a skilled farmer who works with his wife to grow a variety of cash crops near their neatly kept homestead. Joseph is also an agricultural officer, an extension worker in the district\u2019s local government, and a lead farmer supporting TechnoServe initiatives in his community.<\/p>\n Finally, Joseph is a member of the Green Generation Farmer Group, which brings farmers in his community together to learn, collaborate, and network.<\/p>\n As an agricultural officer and extension worker, Joseph plays a key role in promoting agricultural development and improving farmer livelihoods. When Joseph started collaborating with TechnoServe two years ago, he faced a variety of challenges.<\/p>\n He did not know how to effectively tackle some pests and diseases on the farm. Joseph also needed to learn innovative farming approaches and techniques to share with the farmers he supported. Collaborating with TechnoServe was the perfect opportunity. Joseph joined the\u00a0Northern Uganda Horticulture Market Acceleration Program<\/a> (NU-HortiMAP) in 2022, one of over 7,000 smallholder farmers in the program.<\/p>\n Over a period of seven months, NU-HortiMAP teaches farmers holistic and inclusive approaches to sustainable horticulture development in the region. Joseph learned good agronomic and regenerative adaptation practices such as mulching and the use of high-breed, high-yield, and pest-resistant seeds.<\/p>\n \u201cI got training on nursery bed establishment and management, agronomy, pest and disease control, as well as spraying techniques,\u201d he shared. \u201cWe also learned how to make organic manure, which I now produce and use on my farm. The training built my capacity and confidence to venture into other fruit markets. As a result, I have bought three more acres of land to grow passion fruit and pawpaw.\u201d<\/p>\n NU-HortiMAP was active in eight districts of Uganda between 2022 and 2024, with funding from the\u00a0Agricultural Business Initiative<\/a>\u00a0(aBi).<\/p>\n Joseph\u2019s participation in the project improved both positively impacted his life and farming practices.<\/p>\n \u201cThe improvement I have seen on my farm and my colleagues\u2019 farms has inspired me a lot,\u201d Joseph shared. \u201cMost importantly, I have benefited from the collaborations that TechnoServe has fostered among different stakeholders. The collaborations have encouraged peer learning among farmers, especially on innovative farming approaches and techniques.\u201d<\/p>\nOvercoming Challenges Through Collaboration<\/h2>\n
Horticulture in Uganda<\/h2>\n
Fostering Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing<\/h2>\n