Uganda and Tanzania transforming the horticulture sector through inclusive business models

Challenges

• Inadequate access to improved planting materials (seeds, seedlings and cuttings) and other inputs e.g. fertilizer, pesticide;
• Limited knowledge of production practices and inputs, due to inadequate research and extension services;
• Unorganized marketing system resulting in quality deterioration and huge post-harvest losses;
• Inadequate storage, processing facilities and packing technology, which in turn create gluts and severe shortages of these items during off season;
• Lack of low cost, high quality packaging materials.
• The poor state of the feeder roads also leads to significant losses during transportation to markets
• Policies which do not encourage investment especially those related to land and taxes.

There is also an additional challenge (as well as opportunity). Climate variability is encouraging investment in irrigation, for which horticulture is well suited. However as studies have shown in the Pangani Water Basin (Northern Tanzania) the uncontrolled expansion of irrigation can exacerbate water stress and cause severe problems for downstream users.

Results

Rikolto established a partnership with Uganda Fruits and Vegetable Processors Association and is building on the strong results achieved in the past with Tanzania Horticulture Association. Together with these partners a fresh assessment of business opportunities has been conducted and business clusters have been chosen and initiated. These multi-stakeholder processes are expected to bring about coordinated action to enable the business potential to be realized. The clusters chosen contain a mixture of continued work with current farmer organization partners (e.g. MUVIKHO in Tanzania and Kwapa in Uganda) and new farmer organization partners.