Teso farmers set for income boost with Shs 4bln commercial farming project

KABERAMAIDO, February 13, 2026 — Farmers in Teso Subregion are expected to improve their incomes if a multi-billion project aimed at pushing them to commercial agriculture is fully embraced.

A recent feasibility study revealed that 95 percent of the targeted farming population in Teso Subregion is engaged in subsistence farming and relies on increasingly unreliable rainfall to irrigate crops.

The effects of rain-fed agriculture include irregular rainfall patterns, high pest and disease burdens, weak market access, low prices and limited bargaining power, among other challenges.

According to Ben Boham Okiror, Project Coordinator at Ateker Development Foundation [ADEFO], losses incurred by subsistence farmers due to pests, diseases and poor post-harvest handling range between 30-40 percent.

The Multi-Actor Partnership [MAP] project under ADEFO has secured over Shs 4.1 billion to boost commercial agriculture across the Teso Sub-region.

The project, titled Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Value Chains among Smallholder Farmers in Teso Sub-region, commenced its first phase on 1 November 2025. Phase II is currently being launched across ten districts in Teso and will run until October 31, 2029.

Okiror explained that the project seeks to strengthen collaboration along agricultural value chains, particularly supporting women smallholder farmers, in order to increase productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, improve access to markets and finance, and ensure sustainability beyond the project’s lifespan.

The initiative targets 21,000 direct beneficiaries and 64,800 indirect beneficiaries, with women accounting for 60 percent of the direct beneficiaries and men and youth making up the remaining 40 percent.

“Farmers need to be supported and trained to embrace farming as a business, build their capacity for sustainability and resource mobilisation, engage in research, and access markets and other benefits,” Okiror said.

The project has already been launched in Kaberamaido, Soroti City and Katakwi districts. The remaining districts and two municipalities in Teso are expected to launch the project shortly.

Joseph Agaja, Production Officer for Kaberamaido district, said the project’s success will largely depend on changing farmers’ mindsets to embrace commercial agriculture.

He acknowledged the prevailing negative attitudes towards commercial farming and called for intensified sensitisation to encourage a shift from subsistence to business-oriented agriculture.

Agaja also stressed the need to form farmer cooperatives, link farmers to external markets, register both existing and new groups, and equip them with mechanised agricultural tools to enable large-scale production for local and export markets.

He added that transitioning from subsistence to commercial agriculture requires a multi-sectoral approach involving farmers, extension workers and other stakeholders.

Angela Rose Asio, Chairperson of Aberapila South Farmers’ Group in Kaberamaido district, welcomed the support. She said her group had benefited from skills training, tools and improved seeds provided by a partner organisation under Soroti Catholic Diocese Integrated Development Organisation [SOCADIDO], enabling her to build a modest permanent house for her family.

Kaberamaido Chief Administrative Officer, Haji Masoko Iwaswa, also cited poor mindset as a key factor hindering agricultural productivity in the district.

He noted that many farmers do not treat farming as a business, and those who attempt to do so often abandon it prematurely. Some, he added, only engage in agriculture when they receive support from government or non-governmental organisations, and withdraw once the assistance ends.

Iwaswa encouraged farmers to fully embrace commercial agriculture to enhance food production, incomes and livelihoods.

Victor Ekesu, Chairperson LCV of Kaberamaido district, welcomed the ADEFO project at its launch on February 4, 2026, urging farmers to take full advantage of the opportunity for the benefit of the wider community.

Rose Angela, one of the farmers present at the launch, expressed hope that the project would help co-ordinate co-operatives and link them to potential markets.

Hud Kisene, Deputy Resident District Commissioner for Kaberamaido, urged farmers to utilise the project to reduce agricultural losses and secure reliable markets for their produce.

https://thecooperator.news/teso-emyooga-team-launches-drive-to-recover-loans-from-defaulters/

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