Developing sustainable, Resilient, and Inclusive local food systems in the West Nile Region of Uganda (DRIVE)

The DRIVE project will benefit 12,690 smallholder farmers (50% South Sudanese refugees). Women and youth will be intentionally targeted throughout. To strengthen the food supply chain, the project will target 10 processors, 15 aggregators and work with 150 marketing groups. 111 communities will benefit from a community Participatory Integrated Plan (PIP) plan.The DRIVE project will contribute to building a resilient local food system in West Nile. This will be achieved by increasing agricultural productivity and production sustainably (Outcome 1) and increasing the participation of smallholder farmers in profitable markets (Outcome 2). The project will adopt the tried, tested, and easily scalable PIP approach. Activities related to this approach include PIP Innovator selection, training, PIP creation, and scale up, as well as community vision development. PIP creation will be accompanied by a series of practical and technical trainings on climate smart agroecological practices, post-harvest handling, and sustainable land/water management. These will be offered through in-person training, demo plots and the iKnowFarm app.To facilitate market access, the DRIVE project will conduct a market assessment and based on the results stimulate the formation of marketing groups among PIP households. Business to business exchange visits, multi-stakeholder platforms and digital market price information sharing will improve the competitive position of the marketing groups. Processors, buyers, and agribusinesses including women and youth-led businesses, will be identified in the midstream of the food system. They will benefit from regular mentoring and coaching to expand and strengthen their business. The project will organize business expos for agribusinesses to enhance market linkages.