Young Farmers Strengthen Ugandan Agriculture
With one of the youngest populations globally, Uganda is focusing on creating more economic opportunities for youth, especially in the agriculture sector. This is vital for young people in rural areas, allowing them to contribute to an industry that is a cornerstone of the country’s economy. By empowering youth to participate as farmers while modernizing the sector, agriculture is becoming a viable business opportunity for the next generation.
Simon Mumbere established a nursery bed business that supplies vanilla, tree, coffee, and cocoa seeds to farmers in his community. This support enables the farmers to diversify their crops and build resilience in their farming operations.
Photo by Maxine Kampire/CRS
Touton, an agricultural processor and supplier that includes vanilla processing, is leveraging the youthful population in Kasese, Uganda by encouraging them to participate in vanilla growing. The company is creating an environment where young people can make a living from farming while bringing crucial services closer to vanilla growers.
"We collaborate with young farmers who can establish agriculture-related projects in their communities to address the needs of fellow growers," says Steven Mbusa, a Touton agronomist.
The company is achieving this through its agripreneur model, decentralizing its vanilla growers' management and support.
"We noticed that our growers required support and services that the company alone could not provide. We established this structure in 2022 to see if the agripreneurs would be able to service the needs of the farmers at the community level," Steven says.
“I now have clients in different districts in western Uganda including Kanungu, Shema, Rukungiri, and Fort Portal.”
Touton enlisted 10 agripreneurs, each serving a sub-county. One of them, Simon Mumbere, a 32-year-old vanilla and coffee farmer, exemplifies the success of this initiative. Simon, who cultivates vanilla on half an acre in Kasese, began his journey with Touton in 2021 as a vanilla grower.
Through a partnership between Touton and Vines, a USDA-funded project, Simon was selected as an agripreneur under the Vanilla Innovation and Expansion Fund. The fund provides a co-investment opportunity to private sector partners to enhance their facilities and systems, ensuring they meet food safety standards and establish traceable supply chains.
Simon received extensive training, equipping him with the knowledge and skills to provide key services to the community and kick-start his business.
“Touton took us through a one-week training that covered topics like mindset change, farming as a business, nursery bed management, record-keeping, and the use of soil scanners and crop insurance,” Simon says.
Simon Mumbere has gained skills in soil testing and provides this essential service to vanilla farmers in his community. The agripreneur model empowers youth to start businesses within the vanilla supply chain while making services more accessible and affordable for vanilla farmers.
Photo by Maxine Kampire/CRS
"Farmers needed seedlings, especially shade trees. They complained of low yields and needed assistance," says Steven.
After receiving training, Simon could offer services and training on good agronomic practices by offering seedlings, soil testing to improve yields and crop insurance.
Touton also supported the agripreneurs with a revolving fund to bolster their businesses.
“We provide $537 to be repaid over two years without interest, with the first payment starting three months after receiving the funds,” says Steven.
Simon invested in his nursery bed business, expanding his seedling stock from 2,000 to 5,000 seedlings.
"I used the money to increase my stock and attract more customers," Simon says. He now sells vanilla, coffee, shade trees, and cocoa seedlings. By selling each seedling at $0.1 and making a profit of $0.05 per seedling, Simon has expanded his business, earning a profit of $403 in the last year.
Simon also offers soil testing services charging $8 per half acre.
"I collect samples from the farmers' fields and use a soil scanner to determine what nutrients the soil is lacking. I then provide the results to the farmers and explain what the soil needs to become more productive," he says.
Currently, services like soil testing and crop insurance are not in demand by growers.
“Many growers do not see the value of spending money on these services with low prices for vanilla,” Simon says. However, Touton works to connect the agripreneurs to other growers in the region. “I now have clients in different districts in western Uganda including Kanungu, Shema, Rukungiri, and Fort Portal.”
Beyond his business, Simon is committed to uplifting his community. He trains other youth to start their nursery bed businesses and employs three young people each season to support his operations while they learn the trade.
Simon’s journey illustrates how youth can be empowered to transform agriculture into a thriving business, driving economic growth in Uganda’s rural areas.
