AFRICARE/UGANDA
UGANDA FOOD SECURITY INITIATIVE
PHASE 2
FINAL EVALUATION REPORT
February 2006
Transfer Authorization Award No. FFP-A-00-02-00073-00
Prepared by:
Katrine Anderson (Team Leader)
Richard J. Basalirwa (Nutrition Specialist)
 Hans J.W.B Mwesigwa (Roads Engineer)
John Okorio (NRM Specialist)
Dick Sserunkuma (Agricultural Economist)
Table of Acronyms
ACDI/VOCA Agricultural Cooperative Development International/Volunteers
for Overseas Cooperative Assistance
ACDI/ AER Annual Estimate of Requirements
AFRENA Agro forestry Research Network for Africa
AHI African Highlands Initiative
ARD-COBS Associates in Rural Development-Conserve Bio-diversity for
Sustainable Development
ARDC Agricultural Research Development Center
BMI Body Mass Index
BYG Backyard Garden
CARE Cooperative Assistance for Relief Everywhere
CBO Community Based Organization
CFSC Community Food Security Calendar
CIAT International Center for Tropical Agriculture
CIP International Potato Center
CIMCI Community -based Integrated Management of Childhood
Illnesses
CR Country Representative
CS Cooperating Sponsor
CSP Country Strategic Plan
DAP Development Activity Proposal
DDHS District Directorate for Health Services
DDP District Development Plan
DIP Development Implementation Plan
FAO Food And Agricultural Organization
FFP Food For Peace
FFP/W Food For Peace/Washington
FFS Farmer Field School
FSCCI Food Security Community Capacity Index
FORRI Forestry Resources Research Institute
FSC Food Security Committee
FORI Forestry Research Institute
FY Fiscal Year
GDP Growth Domestic Product
GM Growth Monitoring
GMP Growth Monitoring and Promotion
GOU Government of Uganda
GP Growth Promoter
Ha Hectare
HIV/AIDS Human Immune Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
HH Household
HPI Heifer Project International
HRW Hard Red Winter Wheat
IEC Information, Education and Communication
IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development
KDA Kabale District Administration
KDPAN Kabale District Plan of Action for Nutrition
KPSPC Kabale District Private Sector Promotion Center
Kg Kilogram
Km Kilometer
LC Local Council
LOA Life of Activity
LGDP Local Government Development Plan
M& E Monitoring and Evaluation
MAAIF Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries
MBIFCT Mgahinga and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Conservation Trust
MFPED Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development
MOH Ministry of Health
MOST Micronutrient Operational Strategy and Technologies
MOU Memorandum of Understanding
MT Metric Ton
MTE Mid-Term Evaluation
MUK Makerere University, Kampala
NAADS National Agricultural Advisory Services
NARO National Agricultural Research Organization
NEMA National Environment Management Authority
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
NRM Natural Resources Management
OSP Orange Sweet Potatoes
PEAP Poverty Eradication Action Plan
PMA Plan for Modernization of Agriculture
PL 480 Public Law 480 (for United States of America)
PM Program Manager
PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal
PVO Private Voluntary Organization
SW Southwest
SO Strategic Objective
Title II Section of U.S. Public Law (P.L) 480, under which agricultural
commodities are provided through Non-Governmental
Organizations to foreign countries for development and
emergency activities
UBOS Uganda Bureau of Statistics
UFSI Uganda Food Security Initiative
UDHS Uganda Demographic and Health Survey
UNSPPA Uganda National Seed Potato Producers Association
UNFA Uganda National Farmers Association
UNHS Uganda National Household Survey
USAID United States Agency for International Development
VAP Village Action Plan
VNC Village Nutrition Centres
VF Volunteer Farmer
VOCA Volunteers for Overseas Cooperative Assistance
% Percentage
$ United States Dollar
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Chapter 1 Background and Project Evolution
1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
1.2 Project Context. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.3 UFSI-I (1997-2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .3
1.4 Transition form UFSI-I to UFSI-II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.5 Evolution of UFSI-II Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
1.5.1 Selection of Target Villages and Baseline Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
1.5.2 Objectives of UFSI-II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 5
1.5.3 Principal Project Interventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6
1.5.4 The Participatory Approach. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.5.5 The Partnership Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
1.5.6 Project Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.6 Performance Indicators and Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapter 2 Project Institutional Structure and Administration
2.1 Organizational Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.1.1 Africare Headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.1.2 Africare/Kampala and USAID/Uganda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.2 Africare/Uganda’s Medium-Term Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.3 Project Administrative Structure and Staff Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.4 Staff Capacity Building Efforts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.5 Training of Farmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .18
2.6 Project Financial Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..20
2.6.1 Project Procurement Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.6.2 Management of Project Inputs and Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.6.3 Management of Project Disbursements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.6.4 Funding Over the Remainder of the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2.7 Monitoring and Evaluation System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..23
Chapter 3 Agricultural Production, Post-Harvest Handling and Marketing
3.1 Problem Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 24
3.1.1 National Context of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 24
3.1.2 Regional Context of the Problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.2 Partners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ……… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3.3 Evolution of the Project’s Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 29
3.3.1 Intervention Identification Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
3.3.2 Interventions and Activities under UFSI-I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 30
3.3.3 Interventions and Activities under UFSI-II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...31
3.4 Mid-term Recommendations and their Implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3.5 Achievements at End of FY05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.6 Comparison of UFSI-II Achievements at end of FY05 in Relation to DAP
Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3.7 Cross Cutting Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
3.8 Lessons Learnt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
3.9 Opportunities and Recommendations for Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
3.10 Recommendations For the New MYAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Chapter 4 Natural Resources Management
4.1 Problem Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
4.1.2 National Context of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
4.1.3 Regional Context of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
4.2 Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4.3 Evolution of Project’s NRM Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
4.3.1 Intervention Identification Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
4.3.2 Interventions and Activities under UFSI-I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4.3.3 Interventions and Activities under UFSI-II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
4.3.3.1 Agroforestry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
4.3.3.2 Composting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
4.3.3.3 Water Harvesting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
4.3.3.4 Improved Cook Stoves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
4.4 Current Status of the Monitoring and Impact Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
4.4.1 Impact Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
4.4.2 Monitoring Indicators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
 4.5 Mid-term Recommendations and their Implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
 4.6 Comparison of UFSI-II Achievements in Relation
 to DAP Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
4.6.1 Summary of Component Performance Compared to Targets . . . . . . .61
4.7 Administration of the NRM Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
4.7.1 Component Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
4.7.2 Component Staffing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
4.8 Lessons Learnt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
4.9 Opportunities for Sustainability and Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
4.9.1 Factors Promoting the Sustainability of NRM Interventions . . . . . . . . .64 
4.9.2 Recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Chapter 5 Community Roads
5.1. Problem Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
5.1.1 National Context of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
5.1.2 Regional Context of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
5.2 Partners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
5.3 Evolution of Project’s Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
5.3.1 Intervention Identification Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
5.3.2 Interventions and Activities under UFSI-I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
5.3.3 Interventions and Activities under UFSI-II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
5.4 Current Status of Community Roads Monitoring & Evaluation Indicators. . . 72
5.4.1 Summary of community roads activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
5.4.2 Current Status of Community Roads Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
5.5 Implementation of the Recommendations of the Mid-Term Evaluation. . . . . .80
5.6 Lessons Learnt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
5.7 Opportunities for Sustainability and Exit Strategy . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
5.8 Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
5.8.1 Recommendations for Sustainability. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 84
5.8.2 Recommendations for the Next MYAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 85
Chapter 6 Nutrition
6.1 Problem Context. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
6.1.1 National Context . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
6.1.2 Regional Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
6.2 Evolution of Project Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
6.2.1 Intervention Identification Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
6.2.2 Interventions and Activities under UFSI-I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
6.2.3 Interventions and Activities under UFSI-II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
6.3 Partnerships. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
6.4 Status of Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
 6.5 Comparison of UFSI-II Achievements in Relation to DAP Targets. . . . . . . . 95
6.6 Implementation of the Recommendations of the Mid-Term Evaluation . . . . 96
6.7 Lessons Learnt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 97
6.8 Appropriateness of monitoring and impact indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
6.9 Opportunities for Sustainability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
6.10 Recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
6.10.1 Recommendations for the remaining UFSI-II Period . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
6.10.2 Recommendations for the MYAP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
 Chapter 7 Exit Strategy and Project Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
7.1 Exit Strategy and Sustainability of Project Activities . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .103
7.1.1 Exit Strategy and Sustainability for the Project as a Whole . . . . . . .. . . .103
7.1.2 Exit and Sustainability Strategies by Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
References
List of Tables
Table 1.1 Phase-out Activities under UFSI-II in UFSI-I Target Villages and Up-take of New Villages
Table 1.2 UFSI Indicator Performance Tracking Table FY 2002-2005
Table 2.1 Deployment of Extension Agents and their Qualifications
Table 2.2 Qualifications of Africare/Kabale Staff
Table 2.3 Training of Africare/Kabale Staff
Table 2.4 Project Staff Participation in District-level Coordinating Bodies
Table 2.5 Monetization Proceeds: Expected and Actual Title II Commodity Aid and Project Proceeds
Table 2.6 UFSI-II Funds Approved and Received
Table 3.1 Major Partners of the Agriculture Section of UFSI-II.
Table 3.2 Implementation Schedule for Project Activities for Agricultural Component from FY02-FY05
Table 3.3 Major Agricultural Technologies Disseminated by Africare’s Extension Staff
Table 3.4 Community Gardens of Key Intervention Crops Established During FY05 Season
Table 3.5 Mid-term Evaluation Recommendations and Action Taken on Agricultural Component
Table 3.6 Summary of Agricultural Component Performance
Table 4.1 Key UFSI-II Partners in Natural Resources Management Activities
Table 4.2 Natural Resources Management Activity Schedule FY02-FY06
Table 4.3Sunnary of NRM Component Performance
Table 4.4 Change in Soil Erosion Over the Life Span of the Project
Table 4.5 Mid-term Evaluation Recommendations and Action Taken on NRM Activities
Table 4.6 State of the NRM Indicators at end of FY05
Table 5.1 Status the Community Roads Component as of Jan 17th, 2006
Table 5.2 Summary of Roads Component Performancs
Table 5.3 Summary of Community Roads Activities Jan. 2002 to Jan. 2006
Table 5.4 MTE Recommendations and Action Taken on Roads Activities
Table 5.5 Recommended Actions for Community Roads
Table 5.6 Recommended Actions for Community Roads in a New Project
Table 6.1 National Malnutrition Rates of Children Under Five Years of Age
Table 6.2 Comparison of National and Southwestern Region Malnutrition Rates
Table 6.3 Key UFSI Partnerships in Nutrition Activities Related to Food Security
Table 6.4 Current Status of the Monitoring and Impact Indicators
Table 6.5 Summary of the Mid-term Evaluation Recommendations and Action Taken on Health Activities
List of Boxes
Box 3.1 Process of Village Action Planning
Box 3.2 Nyabyumba -Nandos Restaurant Market Linkage
 Box 6.1 Saving Angela’s Life
Box 6.2 GINA/AFRICARE Nutrition Broadcast
Lists of Tables and Figures
Figure 2.1 Africare Kabale Organizational Chart
Figure 3.1 Village Action Plan
Figure 5.1 How Africare Community Roads Make Miracles Happen
Annex I Statement of Mission Objective s
Annex II Management of Project Inputs and Equipment
Annex III Africare’s Activities in Uganda
Annex IV Project Targets
i
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
SUMMARY ASSESSMENT OF THE PROJECT
The Uganda Food Security Initiative (UFSI) is a remarkable project. It tackles the complex problem of
food insecurity in an impoverished rural area with few roads, where people rely on smallholder
subsistence agriculture, where population density is especially high, and the terrain is rugged and steep.
The area is ecologically fragile with considerable soil erosion from landslides, and where arable land is
shrinking rapidly. Poverty in this area is extreme, farms are usually less than one hectare, and barely
provide for subsistence. Because of a lack of improved seeds, yields are low, and food shortages common.
With no roads, any small food surplus is at the mercy of the few middlemen who make it to the villages
by footpath, offering prices well below those of nearby markets.
The rate of preventable diseases in children has been particularly high in this region, and malnutrition
common due to the protein-poor diet. As one independent analyst wrote: “This was a region where
extreme poverty and environmental deterioration were endemic. It seemed that if sustainable development
can be made to work here, it can work almost anywhere.1
” And this region, as both the medium-term and
this final evaluation documents, was where the UFSI project has shown such remarkable success.
FINAL EVALUATION
A final evaluation team visited Uganda from January 9 to 26, 2006 to undertake an independent and
comprehensive review of the achievements of UFSI-II with respect to the original goals, objectives, and
targets identified in the original project (DAP), and the results specified in the Detailed Implementation
and Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (DIP) of July 31, 2002. The team consisted of Katrine Anderson,
Team Leader, Richard Basalirwa, Nutrition Specialist, Hans Mwesigwa, Roads Engineer, John Okorio,
Natural Resource Management Specialist, and Dick Sserunkuma, Agricultural Economist. The team
benefited from the participation in the field of David Mutazindwa, USAID PMS/Food Security Specialist.
This report evaluates how well the project activities have been executed, assesses the adequacy of
measures taken to ensure sustainability of the project activities, and makes recommendations on
implementing the remainder of the project and on subsequent project activities of Africare.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The Uganda Food Security Initiative Project – phase two (UFSI-II) is a four and three-quarter years (57
month) USAID-funded Title II development activity program, implemented by Africare Uganda. The
project was initiated in January 2002 and is scheduled for completion on September 30, 2006. The project
has built on the success of phase one (UFSI-I) and has continued to pursue the goal of improving
household food security in Uganda, particularly in the south-western part of the country where rural
poverty and malnutrition are especially severe. The project seeks to increase the quantity of food
produced and reduce post-harvest losses, improve farm family access to food by raising family income,
and enhance the quality of food consumed at home. An estimated 21,252 households (around 150,000
people) in 144 villages in the districts of Kabale, Kisoro, Ntungamo, Kanungu, and Rukungiri were
targeted.
STRENGTHS OF THE PROJECT
1. The Participatory Approach. The participatory approach of the project has been instrumental to its
success. From the outset, farmers have been involved in problem identification, action planning, and
developing their Village Action Plans (VAPs). They decide the problems, nature of intervention, desired
change, activities to be conducted, the responsible party, and the time frame within which to attain the
 
1
Stevens, 2002, page 148.
ii
desired changes. The election by villagers of a Food Security Committee (FSC) to coordinate the
activities of the VAP and handle relations with external partners has been equally important.
Developing the VAPs takes time and resources, but they have been a crucial tool in promoting
community participation in the project. The evaluation team was impressed by how involved the
beneficiaries were in developing and implementing these plans, which have also proven to be a useful
tool in developing leadership skills, and especially in the empowerment of women. Building on skills
acquired in developing the VAPs, many women have subsequently campaigned and been elected to
leadership positions in the local administration.
This participatory approach has also been very important in developing cohesive and dynamic groups. As
in UFSI-I, the second phase has implemented its activities by developing the capacity of farmer groups
and partner sub-county governments to plan, budget, implement, and evaluate food security activities.
This process is time-consuming, and it is to the credit of the project’s management and staff that it has
been done so well. The cohesion and drive of groups visited by the evaluation team, especially those
groups established in the early years of UFSI-II, were most apparent and will be crucial to sustaining the
project’s activities.
2. The Partnership Approach. A key feature of the UFSI approach has been the extensive collaborative
arrangements between farmers, project staff and a wide variety of partners. Through a collective effort
rather than working alone, Africare has been able to draw on the technical expertise of an impressive
range of partners. This benefits not only the farmers, but also the partner agencies that have been able to
field-test and disseminate their technologies. It also benefits the project, in that expertise and technologies
have been drawn upon and integrated into the project with minimal direct cost. This is a win-win situation
for all. Many project activities have been executed through formally negotiated partnerships, while others
have been less formal. This ability to utilise partnerships and the resultant synergies to achieve project
objectives has contributed in an important way to the project’s success. It will also be very important to
sustaining the project’s activities.
3. Project Design. The design of the project was extremely well conceived. Food security is a multi￾sectoral concept and requires a multi-sectoral approach. The project’s components mutually reinforce
each other and create a synergy that gives the project cohesion and dynamism. Road construction opens
up new areas to markets, agricultural activity and productivity is increased by introducing new species
and technologies, post-harvest losses are reduced by improved storage facilities, soil erosion control and
conservation measures improve soil fertility and hence land productivity, and nutrition interventions
promote a better utilization of food, more healthy communities and hence a less food insecure population.
PROJECT ADMINISTRATION.
The project’s strong and positive impact is due in no small part to its dedicated staff. The final evaluation
of UFSI-I noted that the project was extremely well managed. Partners and staff appreciated the project’s
transparency and accountability. This good performance continued during the initial implementation of
the second phase of the project, but by the time of the Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE), there was
deterioration in project administration reflecting staffing and remuneration issues. As a result, staff
turnover had been high.
The final evaluation (FE) team has been impressed by the speedy response of management to this
situation. The post of Program Coordinator (PC) was filled quickly, and equally impressive has been the
filling of vacant posts by well-qualified staff. New section heads have been recruited to the roads,
nutrition, agriculture and NRM sections. In addition, as recommended in the MTE, a new position of
marketing specialist was created and filled. Positions remaining unfilled are the M&E assistant, one
agricultural extension agent (EA), one nutrition EA, and three NRM EAs. The NRM positions were not
filled due to the closing of SUNAREM funding. An intern is presently working with the project for one
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year assisting the M&E activities and making recommendations concerning the M&E activities in the new
MYAP.
In addition, to address the remuneration issue, the FE team was pleased to note that there had been a
review of other NGO packages, and an across the board increase in salaries of 35% was approved in July
2005. The establishment of a salary scale for all positions to improve transparency, however, has not yet
been done. It is recommended that in future activities, project management review salary scales to ensure
harmony within the project team, and also to provide a solid salary scale base.
FUNDING
The MTE noted that planning and implementation of the project had been seriously hindered by the
unpredictability and delays in receipt of agreed project funding. This was the case with both the
monetization proceeds and ECOTRUST funding of the NRM activities. In the project’s first year, for
example, it was expected that the monetization would yield $689,000, but less than one-third was actually
received. The experience with ECOTRUST funds was also problematic. The agreement with them was
not signed until year two of the project, despite plans to begin NRM work in year one. As a result, it was
unlikely that the balance of ECOTRUST funds would be disbursed by end-September 2004, in line with
the agreement. The MTE team requested an extension, and a 9-month extension was subsequently
granted.
Since the MTE, project funding has continued to be problematic. FFD reduced the tonnage for Year 5
(FY06) from the originally approved level of 2,490 to 1,570 MT so that the expected balance at the end of
project would be zero. Due to the monetization cycle, the sales receipts in Year 5 were received later than
projected. As a result, a substantial amount of money was received late in the project, and overall, the
project will receive $211,167 less than approved, resulting in the inability to purchase 5 pickups and
several motorcycles, as recommended in the MTE. There has also been a delay in receiving funding for
Year 4 (FY05) (the project is still receiving Year 4 funds). The last installment of Year 5 (FY06) funds is
expected April 2006 i.e. 6 months late. The remaining balance for the project until closure is expected to
be fully utilized.
Simply put, the rhythm of the monetization cycle did not fit the resource demands of the project well:
monetization commodities arrived later than the needs of the project and problems with ECOTRUST
funding of the NRM activities also impeded project implementation. These funding issues demanded and
received an impressively agile response from the project’s management and staff, which minimized the
adverse impact on the project.
It is recommended that in future activities, funding be front-loaded to allow for a more rapid project start￾up. It is recognized that USAID prefers to designate a lead monetization organization within a group of
Cooperating Sponsors (CSs) who are implementing food security projects in a given country, and that
USAID prefers to receive DAPs and fund all CSs on the same cycle. Typically, CSs have the same heavy
start-up needs and costs making it difficult for the monetization agent to front-load the budget of any one
CS over the budgets of others. The team recommends that USAID consider staggering the start-up of
projects to enable the lead monetization agent to front-load those who need it.
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, POST-HARVEST HANDLING AND MARKETING
Objectives and activities: The objective of the agricultural component of UFSI-II was to increase
agricultural production and productivity through increased volume, quality and variety of foods produced
and made available for household food consumption and sale, as well as to improve post-harvest
handling/storage, value-added processing and marketing. Since findings at the end of UFSI-I showed only
modest achievements in marketing, the training of farmers in marketing was given more emphasis under
UFSI-II.
The main interventions were:
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ƒ Introduction and dissemination of improved inputs and technologies for food and cash crop
production for crops such as Solanum potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, and climbing beans;
ƒ Introduction and dissemination of improved technologies for post-harvest handling such as
drying, storage, and value-addition; and
ƒ Provision of market information and strengthening farmers’ groups through training in marketing
and management of small-scale farm businesses, and linking farmers to potential buyers.
Commercial seed growers were also promoted.
Agricultural interventions continued in 40 of UFSI-I communities that had been included towards the end
of UFSI-I to consolidate the gains achieved, and began in 36 new villages in early 2003 (phasing out
some of the UFSI-I villages). Early in 2004, another 36 villages were added bringing the total number to
113.
Partners: This component has worked closely and successfully with a wide range of partners. Among the
most significant is NARO which has been instrumental in producing start-up seed and planting materials
for various crops to support the project’s interventions. NARO has also provided technical backstopping
to ensure the promoted technologies are extended well (training of farmers as well as Africare staff).
Africare contributed to this partnership by developing farmers’ groups to work with and identify their
needs. CIAT has also been an important partner. In collaboration with CIAT, Africare has developed the
capacity of smallholders to penetrate competitive market chains using participatory market research
methodologies. As a result, Africare-supported groups now have contracts with restaurants and other
enterprises.
The evaluation team was impressed by the large number of Africare groups working with
NAADS.Farmer groups have registered at the sub-county and requested NAADS services. This is
working to everyone’s benefit: where Africare is working, progress of NAADS’ interventions has been
much faster, and NAADS also complements Africare by providing services for enterprises and groups
developed by Africare, so that when the latter pulls out, activities can be sustained.
To train farmers in marketing, Africare partnered with the Enabling Rural Innovations project,
implemented by CIAT, which seeks to enhance smallholder capacity to penetrate markets. An MoU was
signed between CIAT and Africare in October 2003, and this partnership has been highly effective.
Performance: Despite drought and crop diseases, interventions of this component have performed well
and clearly reduced food insecurity among the Africare communities. At baseline, the average months of
adequate household food provisioning was 4 compared to 6.2 at the end of FY05, or 103% of the LOA
target. Volumes of production and yields of Africare-supported crops have all increased, with yields of
beans and orange-sweet potatoes already exceeding LOA targets (e.g. bean yields have grown from 0.8
MT/Ha at baseline to 1.8 MT/Ha at the end of FY05—an increase of 120%, reflecting the adoption of
better varieties and integrated disease management training). Some 2,903 households (64% of LOA
target) are currently practicing at least 3 improved agronomic practices compared to the 450 reported at
the baseline of 2001. Post harvest losses have declined dramatically, especially for potatoes. Because of
the construction of diffused light potato stores built by farmer groups, potato losses have been reduced
from 40% to 10%, far exceeding the LOA target of 20%.
Regarding marketing activities, 680 farmers have been trained in marketing skills and 19 new agro-based
enterprises have been established (95% of LOA target of 20). These include honey production (one firm
exporting organic honey to Europe), potato suppliers for the crisps and chips market in Kampala, and
others exporting dried chili. This is an impressive performance.
Farmer Field Schools (FFS): It is clear that the practical and integrated training approaches used have
enhanced technology adoption among Africare farmers. Most notable among these approaches are the
FFS and on-farm demonstrations. By the end of UFSI-I, 16 FFS had been established and the final
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evaluation found them extremely popular among farmers and a very effective training method. Building
on this success, UFSI-II encouraged the best performing graduates of these FFS to start FFS in
neighboring communities, and this has produced 10 new farmer-run FFS under UFSI-II. In addition,
Africare facilitated graduates of FFS to have a contract with Nandos (a fast food restaurant in Kampala)
to provide Irish potatoes on a regular basis. As one of these graduates said: “What Africare has done in
this area can be seen by the blind and heard by the deaf.”
The success of this component reflects the choice of interventions, the participatory village action
planning and also the imaginative and resourceful partnerships that have been developed.
NATURUAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (NRM)
The goal of the NRM component has been to enhance the conservation and management of soil and other
natural resources for sustainable rural development. Interventions have been carried out through building
local capacity to plan and implement NRM interventions. Communities have been trained to identify
problems and opportunities, undertake resource mapping and develop and implement action plans to
conserve and enhance natural resource.
Partners: Extensive collaborative arrangements between farmers, project staff and a wide variety of
partners have been developed. Africare has drawn on the technical expertise of an impressive range of
partners to implement the NRM activities. Among the most important have been ICRAF/NARO, which
undertakes research on agro forestry and fruits. The collaboration with Africare involved backstopping
Africare-supported farmer groups, training Africare’s extension staff, and providing technical support.
This has been a very successful partnership, providing a crucial link between research, development and
farming communities. This is a lesson that Africare can use in future activities.
Also important has been collaboration with the Kigezi Private Sector, which trained farmers to conduct
farming as a business and also in apiary development for Africare groups. The participatory approach
of the project has also been instrumental to its success on the ground, particularly through the preparation
and implementation of theVillage Action Plans.
Main Activities of the Component
Agroforestry: The promotion of agroforestry technologies in UFSI-II has been done in close
collaboration with ICRAF/NARO that developed and tested the technologies promoted by the project.
These technologies have provided a range of benefits such as provision of tree products and services,
income generation and soil and water conservation. UFSI communities are assisted in raising tree
seedlings such as calliandra and greveillea for multi-purpose uses. Calliandra is especially important for
stabilizing contour hedgerows and terrace risers, improving soil fertility through nitrogen fixation, and
providing animal fodder, firewood and stakes.
Another important agro-forestry intervention has been growing fruit trees, particularly temperate fruits, to
enhance soil conservation, nutrition and income generation. Progress of this activity has been impressive.
Africare has assisted farmers obtain and plant apple fruit seedlings.
Water harvesting: Water harvesting has helped reduce soil erosion, has increased crop yields (e.g. the
digging of trenches has led to large increases in banana yields), and provided households with accessible
and cleaner water, which has meant a huge reduction in women’s time (often 2-3 hours/day) and energy
fetching water. Three technologies have been promoted: ground water harvesting using trenches and
ditches, roof water harvesting, and gravity water flow schemes.
Composting: Most households in the target communities cannot afford inorganic fertilizer, so the project
trained farmers on transforming household rubbish and crop residues into manure. Compost pits have also
improved the sanitary conditions around homestea.
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Improved energy saving cook stoves: The Lorena cook stoves were promoted since, compared to
traditional stoves, they use 40% less firewood, the major form of energy used by the communities for
cooking. The improved stove also produces much less smoke, and saves women time in cooking since
several pots can be placed on the stove at the same time.
Performance.
Impressive progress has been made towards achieving the NRM intervention objectives. New
technologies are being widely practiced, and their impact is clearly visible. The evaluation team was
impressed by farmers’ enthusiasm to adopt these new measures and they are also being adopted outside
the targeted communities. As of Sept. 2005, the project had conserved 1,550 ha of land against soil
erosion – 78% of LOA target, and it is expected that this target can be achieved by end of project. The
number of households using at least two improved land management practices was 3,378 – 97% of LOA
target.
Agroforestry. The evaluation team noted the strong understanding of the values of agroforestry among
beneficiaries and their enthusiasm to adopt the technologies.. However, the availability of seeds for tree
nursery development and raising seedlings are insufficient, causing bottlenecks. It is strongly
recommended that the project urgently purchase seeds in sufficient quantities and assist communities to
raise and plant the needed seedlings to achieve the desired result. Planting agroforestry trees was one of
the strategies to increase the supply of firewood to households. As of Sept. 2005, 1,583 MT (24% of LOA
target) had been harvested, and the amount conserved was 1,175 MT (147% of LOA target). The delay in
starting NRM activities due to difficulties in funding meant that the majority of trees planted by the
project have not yet reached harvesting stage, hence the achievement shortfall. It is recommended that
NRM activities be extended for at least another 6 months to realize this target (using non-Title-II funds).
Planting of fruit trees. This has significant benefits (ecologically and nutritionally) and is popular, but
requires time to become established. It is recommended that, after the end of UFSI-II, Africare retain a
“window” of a limited level of technical assistance to apple fruit farmers to ensure the sustainability of
this activity.
Watershed Approach: Five watersheds were identified in the region, and in each, collective community
action was promoted and regulated by community-developed byelaws, endorsed by local authorities. This
approach has proven so successful and is being copied in non-project areas. It is recommended that future
UFSI activities use similar watershed approaches. 
Water harvesting: Ground water harvesting has been popular and there is no doubt that farmers will
continue the practice. However, it is recommended that the length of trenches be recorded in future
project activity rather than the numbers of trenches per farm. Water harvesting from rooftops has
improved the quality and availability of water for households, but has not yet progressed to satisfactory
levels. The cement water tanks used communally are expensive; the water jars used by households are
cheaper but households lack the mould to construct them. It is recommended that the project looks into
using plastic jars and tanks which are cheaper, and explores providing molds for the water jars.
Composting: This practice could be improved by households having 2 or 3 compost pits so that manure
can be collected at different maturity stages. Also, the quantities of manure produced and applied were
not documented. Instead, the number of households involved in the activity was recorded which says
little about the intensity of composting. It is recommended that, over the remainder of the project, having
several pits at different maturity stages be promoted, and in future activities, the amount of compost
produced and applied be monitored.
Improved Cooking Stoves: This was a very popular intervention and much appreciated by beneficiaries.
However, as of Sept. 2005, only 1,279 cook stoves had been constructed (64 % of target) due mainly to
the lack of appropriate clay in the vicinity. It is recommended that groups be facilitated to overcome this
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constraint as these stoves have huge positive benefits for the household and the environment. For
example, in Kisoro where soil is volcanic, the project’s tipper could be used to transport clay from nearby
sites to those villages without clay.
Given the progress registered so far, the NRM component will be able to accomplish most targets by the
end of project. This favorable performance can be attributed to the wise choice of interventions, excellent
partners, and the community participatory approach. As noted, however, some targets need more time to
be realized. An extension of at least 6 months with non-Title II funding is strongly recommended this for
component.
 COMMUNITY ROADS
The steep slopes and the high rate of soil degradation from adjacent agricultural areas complicate
community road planning, construction and maintenance in southwestern Uganda. Another complicating
feature is the area’s extremely high population density and land fragmentation, which exacerbate the
normal problems of finding compensatory landholding for populations displaced by road construction.
The land fragmentation makes it difficult to plan and construct a cost-effective road. For these reasons
both UFSI-I and UFSI-II placed a high priority on the development of community roads.
Under UFSI-I, Kabale District benefited through the upgrade of selected community roads, and under
UFSI-II, this was expanded to the other four districts. The project planned to develop 20 km of
community roads per district, targeting 100 km. To date, 75 km out of the 100 km targeted in the DAP
have been completed. Of these, 47 km of roads have been constructed and handed over for maintenance
to the districts of Kabale and Ntungamo.
The community roads activities evolved as follows:
ƒ Identifying the roads: Africare undertakes a road identification process together with the district
team, which gives Africare a list of priority roads. The selection of the roads from this list is then
made collaboratively by Africare and the District Government based on four criteria: the road
must link inaccessible areas; it must connect with targeted communities in the project; it must be
economically viable and feasible; and it must have a large potential benefit for those in most
need.
ƒ Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Community Sensitization: After obtaining
USAID and NEMA approval of the EIA, discussions are held with the communities alongside the
proposed road and other stakeholders to consider the road’s impact, both positive and negative,
and to anticipate needed actions. In particular, communities are sensitized on road construction
and maintenance, including the importance of growing trees and shrubs along the road.
ƒ Planning, design and constriction: Project staff mobilize the equipment to be used, assisted in
some cases by equipment from the district authorities. Construction begins, and communities
alongside the constructed roads, together with district authorities, maintain the roads.
Partnership and Participation: As with the other components, the partnership and participatory
approaches have been central to the community roads development. Key partners have been the District
Administration Officers of the project areas who have been fully involved in the choice, construction and
maintenance of the roads. Others are private sector garages, which service the vehicles, and other
organizations with which the project shares similar interests.
Road Name/District
Planned
Road Length
Road Length
Completed Remarks
Kabale District Total
(LOA target 20.0 km) 25.0 km 25.4 km Completed & handed over,
maintained by petty contractors
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Ntungamo District Total
(LOA target 20.0 km) 21.9 21.7 km Completed & handed over,
maintained by ‘road gangs’.
Kanungu District Total
(LOA target 20.0 km) 20.7 km 20.7 Completed but not yet handed
over.
Kisoro District
Ntebeko – Mgahinga 6.3 km 6.3
Murara – Foto – Muhangi 15.6 km 0
Total (LOA target 20.0 km) 21.9 km 6.3 km
Ntebeko – Mgahinga road section
completed but not yet handed over,
Murara -Muhangi road is under
construction.
Rukungiri District
Kacence -Nyakishenyi 11.8 km 0
Buyanja - Nyakaina - Mineera 10.8 km 0
Total (LOA target 20.0 km) 22.6 km 0
EIA approved by USAID and
NEMA. Construction to begin in
March/April.
Overall Total 112.1 km 74.1 km
Performance: The opening up of the roads has led to an impressive emergence of new markets, schools,
health centers, and businesses along the roads in all areas. As of Sept. 2005, 116 new businesses/services
had sprung up along the new road (64% of LOA target). It is expected that, once the Rukungiri roads are
completed, the LOA target will be realized. Maintenance of the roads is impressive and done mostly by
local communities and/or contractors. There are good opportunities for sustainability by training
community members in road construction and maintenance. With appropriate tools and equipment, these
members have the opportunity to start village enterprises in road construction and maintenance and other
activities such as water and irrigation schemes.
NUTRITION
High levels of rural poverty and malnutrition are particularly evident in southwestern Uganda, which has
the highest level of stunting in the country (39.3%). To address this problem, this component has sought
to improve household nutrition, particularly for women and children under five and sanitation. The main
activities have been:
Nutrition Education: The project set up community-based nutrition education centers where nutrition
and sanitation education sessions are held. Local community leaders have helped enforce the adoption of
good sanitation practices. Some communities have formulated bylaws to govern proper pit latrine
construction and and other practices. The end term survey results show that there have been huge
improvements in sanitation in the targeted villages, with 96% of targeted households now have a pit
latrine.
Child Growth Monitoring and Promotion: Volunteers in target villages were trained and equipped to
monitor the growth of children under five, in collaboration with district health officials. To date, a total of
7,218 children have registered in growth monitoring and promotion and 185 community-based growth
promoters (GPs) have been trained under a collaborative arrangement with the Ministry of Health and
district health officers. It is planned that a further 41 community-based volunteer child GPs from FY 04
and FY 05 villages be trained in FY 0, bringing the total number of volunteer mothers to 226.
Dark Green Leafy Vegetable, Fruit and Orange-fleshed Sweet Potatoes Promotion: The project has
emphasized strongly the importance of the communal and household backyard vegetable gardens (BYGs)
as an important way to increase the production and consumption of micronutrient-rich foods. To further
promote foods rich in vitamin A, the project promoted orange fleshed sweet potato production and
consumption. By the end of FY 04, a total of 1,080 households had established orange-fleshed sweet
potato gardens.
Small livestock promotion: Protein-Energy Malnutrition is extremely high in southwestern Uganda, so
the project promoted the practice of raising small ruminants particularly rabbits and pigs. Small
ruminants are traditionally not owned and controlled by men, giving women independent control over the
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animals, which they could then include in the family diets. Rabbits have a high multiplication rate, do not
require special feeding, making them a cheap source of animal protein for households. Under UFSI-II, 16
community-based rabbit multiplication centers and 16 community-based pig multiplication centers have
been established. These centers have been very successful..
Provision of safe water and sanitation facilities: To address domestic water needs, the project promoted
the water harvesting of water from rooftops, as discussed in the NRM section earlier. As a result,, women
save both time and energy by not having to walk long distances in very hilly terrain to collect water.
However, clean water is still a challenge especially in Kisoro during the dry season where women have to
go to water sources two to three hours away. The demand for water tanks far exceeds the present
availability.
Performance: This component has produced very good results. The enrollment of children in the GMP
has reached an impressive 83% of LOA target, with 106 UFSI-I and 103 UFSI-II villages covered. More
children are expected to be enrolled over the remainder of the project, and it is expected that the target
will be achieved. GMP activities have attracted mothers not in the targeted groups – a positive spillover
effect. On the other hand, the indicator on exclusive breastfeeding of babies up to 6 months of age has
only increased from 40% at baseline to 47% in FY05, and the LOA target of 80% is unlikely to be
reached. The reason for this shortfall is that mothers work in fields far from home and to where it is
difficult to carry a child. So they only breast fed until the child could be left in care of younger siblings.
This was not, apparently, taken into account when setting this target.
The reduction in stunting has been equally impressive. The stunting of children 24-25 months was 30% in
Sept. 2005, only slightly higher than the LOA target of 29%, and a considerable reduction from the 36%
at baseline. The target is expected to be realized by end of project.The percentage of underweight children
0-35 months as of Sept.2005 was 22% against the targeted 19% and well below the baseline figure of
28%. The household dietary diversity also improved in the targeted households from 4.3 at baseline to
more than 6.0 for all household members according to the Final Evaluation Report (no such estimates
were available in the FY05 Results Report). The project has emphasized women’s participation and
equipped them with relevant nutrition information, thereby benefiting all household members. The
improved utilization of vegetables and fruits is especially noteworthy. It is expected that the LOA target
of 7 is achievable given that the FY05 villages are increasingly following better nutrition practices and
that the rabbit multiplication will be accelerated.
Toilet coverage has improved in the targeted communities with 70% of households now adopting
adequate sanitation practices (compared tot only 37% in non-targeted households). Some groups,
however, had difficulty digging latrines because of underlying volcanic rock
Exit and Sustainability Strategies.
The project is scheduled to close on Sept..30, 2006. As noted both in the MTE and in this Final
Evaluation Report, the project has recorded some remarkable successes. In a region where extreme
poverty and environmental deterioration were endemic, where remote villages had few, if any, roads,
where children had very high rates of preventable diseases and suffered from severe malnutrition, and
where food shortages plagued the population, the impact of this project has been remarkable. This is
evident not only from the indicators, but from the palpable enthusiasm of the project beneficiaries, and the
obvious positive impact on their well-being. Yes, there have been setbacks – some administrative
difficulties, funding uncertainties, and unexpected weather extremes, but the considerable improvement in
the quality of life of the beneficiaries cannot be disputed.
The challenge now, before the project closes and within the available resources, is to ensure that systems
and linkages are in place to promote the sustainability of project activities. In many ways, Africare is in a
strong position to do this: having developed cohesive and dynamic farmer groups and worked in close
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partnership with many organizations contributes in a critical way to the sustainability of project activities.
Over the remaining project period, the following key issues need to be addressed:
The Farmer Communities. Do the supported communities have sufficient motivation and capacity to
continue on their own should no other partner or agency come to their aid? If not, what can the project do
to strengthen this motivation and capacity over the remainder of the project? It is recommended that
groups be identified that could benefit from additional training in group capacity building and the project
makes a special effort to provide such training over the remainder of the project. Leaders from these
groups should be given additional training in group dynamics, in how to approach potential
partners/agencies, and in what to request from local government officials. It is also recommended that
selected communities be trained in writing simple proposals that can be presented to development
partners for funding.
NGOs and other Agencies. Are there competent and relevant agencies or partners that will continue in
the villages when UFSI-II closes? What can feasibly be done to develop linkages with appropriate NGOs
and other agencies before the project closes? It is recommended that, over the remainder of the project,
staff identify such agencies or partners and a strategy to link them with appropriate farmer groups. It is
recommended that Project management holds a workshop (or workshops) where leaders of selected
farmers’ groups could meet with NGOs and other relevant agencies to discuss common interests and plan
joint activities. Local government officials should be also be invited. Special attention to the NAADS
program is recommended, and farmers be encouraged to register as a group and request services from
NAADS.
Local Government. What should be the role of the local government in this process, and what can
realistically be expected of them? It is recommended that section heads in collaboration with field staff
identify interested and motivated local government officials who would give support to farmers in
conjunction with NGOs and other agencies once the project closes. Once such officials are identified, it is
recommended that the PM (and if possible, the CR) together with the section heads visit with them and
formally request their continued support in specific activities.
Private Sector. How can the private sector play a role in supporting the communities, and what is needed
to facilitate this before the project closes? Linkages with certain private sector partners have already been
made, but more should be done. It is recommended that a concerted effort be made to promote linkages
between private sector partners (e.g. traders, entrepreneurs, retailers and wholesalers), and farmers. There
is already considerable informal trading in the area but, as the farmers’ capacity to produce a surplus for
sale increases, further linkages will be needed. Private sector partners should be invited to the
workshop(s) proposed above.
It is also recommended that linkages be made with any market information services in the area, and that
the possibility be looked into of using local radio to broadcast market prices of agricultural products and
inputs. The broadcast could also give information about transport availability for produce. The project’s
nutrition section head is already broadcasting weekly on nutrition advice (funded by the GINA project).
The possibility of the GINA project also supporting such a market information service should be
explored.
Africare. There is clear evidence that the longer the project has a presence in communities, the stronger
the cohesion of beneficiary groups and the more likely the adoption of promoted interventions. The field
visits of the evaluation team as well as the end-term survey findings clearly show that households that
have spent longer with the project are benefiting much more from Africare’s interventions than those
taken up later. This is because, while the groups formed first have adopted new practices well, those
formed towards end of the project (especially FY05 groups) lacked in-depth understanding of issues and
the adoption of practices was relatively low, thus requiring additional support.
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Request for an Extension of UFSI-II with non-Title II Funding The Final Evaluation team strongly
recommends an extension for the project after September 30, 2006. It is clear that funding would have to
come from non-Title II resources, and it is recommended that USAID together with Africare seek
possible funding sources to support the following activities:
ƒ A skeleton staff in the Kabale office for a twelve-month period to supervise remaining Africare
activities and facilitate the transition to complete phasing out.
ƒ Continuation of the NRM activities for a further period of at least six-months. This intervention
takes time to become fully understood and adopted by communities. New groups in the project
need continued support to encourage them to adopt recommended practices, and sustain them.
To ensure the commitment of groups, especially those formed in FY04 andFY05, to adopting the activities
promoted by these interventions, an extension of at least an additional six-month is strongly
recommended. Since the number of villages to be covered would be limited, the extension would be at a
reduced level of operation than the present level, but it is the view of this evaluation team that such an
extension would be invaluable to promoting the successful adoption of these interventions.
Preparation of a Documentary Video: There is much to learn from the success of the UFSI project. It is
recommended that a video be prepared to document the evolution of the UFSI project, to examine the
synergies of its multi-sectoral approach, to present the challenges of the funding process, and to
demonstrate the positive impact that the project has had on the lives of beneficiaries. Such a video would
need to be prepared before the end of the project
- 1 -
CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND AND PROJECT EVOLUTION
1.1 Introduction
The Uganda Food Security Initiative Project – phase two (UFSI-II) is a four and three-quarter year (57
month) USAID-funded Title II development activity program, implemented by Africare Uganda. The
project was initiated in January 2002 and is scheduled for completion on September 30, 2006. The project
has built on the success of phase one (UFSI-I) and has continued to pursue the broad goal of improving
household food security in Uganda, particularly in southwest Uganda where rural poverty and
malnutrition are especially severe. The project seeks to increase the quantity of food produced and reduce
post-harvest losses, improve farm family access to food by raising family income, and enhance the quality
of food consumed at home. The project targets an estimated 21,252 households (around 150,000 people)
in 144 villages in the districts of Kabale, Kisoro, Ntungamo, Kanungu, and Rukungiri.2
A final evaluation team visited Uganda from January 9 to 26, 2006 to undertake an independent and
comprehensive review of the achievements of UFSI-II with respect to the original goals, objectives, and
targets identified in the original project (DAP), and the results specified in the Detailed Implementation
and Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (DIP) of July 31, 2002. The team consisted of Katrine Anderson,
Team Leader, Richard Basalirwa, Nutrition Specialist, Hans Mwesigwa, Roads Engineer, John Okorio,
Natural Resource Management Specialist, and Dick Sserunkuma, Agricultural Economist. The team
benefited from the participation in the field of David Mutazindwa, USAID PMS/Food Security Specialist.
This report of the final evaluation team evaluates how well the project activities have been executed,
assesses the adequacy of measures taken to ensure sustainability of the project activities, and makes
recommendations on implementing the remainder of the project and on subsequent project activities of
Africare. All activities under UFSI-II are evaluated on their individual merits as well as on their impact as
complementary interventions launched in pursuit of the overall goal – enhancing food security in
southwestern Uganda The terms of reference for the team are presented in Annex I.
The team first met with country office staff in Kampala for briefing. A briefing was also held with
USAID staff in Kampala. The team then proceeded to Kabale where project staff presented end-term
status reports for all project components and for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). The team undertook
field visits to villages in the districts of Kabale, Kisoro, Ntungamo, Rukungiri and Kanungu, and also met
with local officials in the districts, and staff from partner organizations to the project. Upon returning to
Kampala, the team debriefed staff at the USAID mission, and prepared this report presenting the findings
of the evaluation team.
In addition to the field visits, this evaluation is based on data collected during the end-term household
survey conducted September 2005, which provides a temporal analysis of the achievement levels for key
indicators as reported in the baseline survey in 2002 and in USFI-II Indicator Performance Tracking
Table (IPTT 2005).
1.2 Project Context
Despite the positive economic growth that Uganda has experienced over the past decade, it remains one
of the poorest countries in the world. The UN Human Development Index (based on life expectancy,
 
2
 In July 2001, Rukungiri was divided into two districts: Rukungiri and Kanungu.
- 2 -
educational attainment and standard of living) ranks Uganda 144th out 177 countries in the world with
38% of its population still living in absolute poverty (UNDP, 2004). About 80 % of its population are
involved in agricultural production, which forms the backbone of its economy. Although Uganda has long
been regarded as self-sufficient in food production, agricultural and population statistics indicate that
Uganda’s self-sufficiency in food production is threatened and the country faces a serious risk of food
insecurity. In 1970 when Uganda’s population was 9.8 million, total food crop output was 14.1 million
metric tons (MT), while in 1997, with a population of about 20.4 million people, total food output was
16.5 million MT. Thus, the per capita food production in 1997 was 44 percent less than in 1970. In the
27-year period (1970-1997), population grew by about 109 percent, while total food production grew by
about 17 percent only. The implication of these statistics is that Uganda had more food available per
person in 1970 than in 1997 (Bahiigwa, 1999).
Uganda’s population grew by a further 21% between 1997 and 2002, and food insecurity is reported to
have increased throughout the 1990s in many parts of the country (Appleton, 2001). Poverty remains
severe, especially in rural areas, and the problems of low productivity and land degradation are
worsening, resulting in declining yields for most food crops. Besides declining soil fertility, the problem
of low and declining crop yields is attributed to increased incidence of pests and diseases, and changes in
weather (Pender et al., 2001), as well as limited use of improved production and post-harvest
technologies.
Being a predominantly agricultural country, and because the majority of Uganda’s poor live in rural areas
and derive their livelihood from agriculture, the people are fully exposed to food insecurity when their
own food production fails. This problem is further compounded by the lack of an efficient distribution
insecurity (UFSI-II, Mid-term Evaluation Report, 2004) network to move food from surplus to deficit
areas, which causes pockets of food insecurity,
The problems of poverty and food insecurity are closely interrelated with those of land degradation and
malnutrition. Poverty and food insecurity can contribute to land degradation when poor and food-insecure
households are forced to plant crops on steep slopes or if they are unable to keep land fallow, invest in
land improvements, or use costly inputs such as inorganic fertilizer. The long-term effects of land
degradation are likely to lead to further impoverishment and food insecurity because of reduced crop
yields and income, thus completing a vicious cycle of land degradation-declining productivity-poverty￾further land degradation.
Malnutrition and food insecurity are also directly related problems in that the amount and nutrient content
of the food that one is able to access and consume in relation to the body’s requirements affects the
nutritional and health status of that individual. Consuming these nutrients in lower amounts than the body
requires leads to malnutrition. Therefore, the greater the food insecurity problem, the higher the
susceptibility of the population to malnutrition. The high prevalence of child malnutrition at the
household level (39 percent of children below 5 years of age being stunted in 2000/2001) clearly shows
that food insecurity is a serious problem in Uganda (UBOS, 2001)
The challenge for the Government of Uganda (GOU) and its development partners is to identify policies
to effectively address these interrelated problems in a sustainable and equitable way. The government has
responded to this challenge by formulating a poverty alleviation strategy3
 (Poverty Eradication Action
 
3
The government of Uganda is committed to reducing the proportion of the population living in absolute poverty
from 35% in 2000 to below 10% by the year 2017 (MAAIF and MFPED 2000).
- 3 -
Plan (PEAP), whose key strategies include the Plan for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA), and
improved healthcare, rural water, roads and primary education (MAAIF and MFPED, 2000). The PMA
seeks to eradicate poverty by transforming subsistence agriculture into commercially oriented farming.
Key priorities of the PMA include increasing the role of the private sector in commercial agricultural
activities, investing in infrastructure, decentralizing government functions, improving research-extension￾farmer linkages, and funding agricultural research and technical assistance to support development,
dissemination and adoption of high-yielding and labor-saving technologies by farmers (Ibid.)
Under the UFSI project, Africare is uniquely positioned to complement these government efforts through
its interventions. Against the background of a highly successful phase one of the UFSI (UFSI-I) project,
Africare developed a regional food security program—UFSI-II—with the goal of improving food security
in the southwestern districts of Kabale, Kisoro, Kanungu, Rukungiri and Ntungamo. The objective of
UFSI-II is to enhance food security through interventions aimed at increasing agricultural productivity
without degrading the natural resource base, improving household nutrition, and increasing accessibility
of households in the project area.
1.3 UFSI-I (1997-2001)
The first phase of the UFSI (October 1997- December 2001) aimed to improve food security in Uganda
through a four-pronged strategy:
1. Natural Resource Management (NRM): To protect soils against erosion and establish the
means of maintaining and increasing soil fertility.
2. Agriculture and Nutrition: To increase crop yields, reduce post-harvest loss of seeds and food
in storage, and improve food utilization.
3. Rural Roads: To provide year round road access for commerce, production and marketing.
4. Local Capacity Building: To strengthen the organization and capacity of Kabale farmers,
institutions, and associations, and the support they receive from the GOU and local NGOs in
organizing, implementing and monitoring food security initiatives.
The project began in 21 villages in 1998, expanding to 106 villages by 2000, comprising 5,133
households. By the fourth year, UFSI-I had achieved almost all its original objectives. Some objectives
were, in fact, impressively over-achieved. The final evaluation report of UFSI-I, prepared December 12,
2001, concluded: “This is truly a remarkable project. In a relatively short space of time, and with not a
large amount of money, it has been a catalyst for positive and effective change among some 90,000
farmers, not counting the many farmers who have learnt by demonstration the possibilities of progress.”
(Executive Summary, pg. xi)
The report also concluded that the participatory and partnership approach was key to the project’s
success, particularly the full participation of farmers in the project design and implementation. The
project’s success was also due to dedicated and well-trained project staff, and an innovative project
design, involving a multi-sectoral approach to meet the multi-sectoral needs of food security. UFSI-I
programming. The final evaluation report recommended a continuation and expansion of project activities
in the next phase (UFSI-II).
1.4 Transition from UFSI-I to UFSI-II.
It was against this backdrop that Africare developed a regional food security program, at the request of
the GOU. The UFSI–II project was designed: (1) to consolidate the gains achieved by UFSI-I in the 12
sub-counties covered by the first program; and (2) to expand the benefits of the UFSI-I model and
- 4 -
“lessons learned” to four new districts not covered by the previous project: Kanungi, Kisoro, Rukungiri
and Ntungamo. The project objective was to enhance food security through interventions aimed at
increasing agricultural productivity, improving household nutrition (particularly for women and under￾five children), and increasing accessibility of households in the program area.
The project continued most of the core activities outlined in UFSI-I but adapted to the extremely varied
microclimates in the new extension zones. To support this transition from UFSI-I to UFSI-II, UFSI-I was
extended through December 30, 2001. Other carryover activities included continued support for nutrition
education and monitoring in the 12 sub-counties covered under UFSI-I as well as in the 9 new sub￾counties covered by UFSI-II (Table 1.1). The project has, however, phased out its agricultural and roads
construction support for the UFSI-I target villages. The phasing out strategy and the up-take of new
villages under UFSI-II is presented in Table 1.1.
Parallel to the transition from UFSI-I, UFSI-II took on 36 villages annually up to the fourth year of
implementation (FY05), so that by the end of UFSI-II, 144 villages will have benefited from the project.
Table 1.1. Phase-out Activities under UFSI-II in UFSI-I Villages and Up-take of New Villages
Phase-out Interventions/Activities under UFSI-II in UFSI-I Target
Villages
Districts and Villages
Targeted by UFSI-I and
UFSI-II Agriculture and Natural Resource
Management
Nutrition4
FY02
(# of villages
phased out by
end of FY02)
FY03
(# of villages
that will be
phased out
FY03.
FY02
(# of continuing
villages)
FY03
(# of continuing
villages)
UFSI -I
Kabale District 106
villages
66 40 106 106
 Up-take of New Villages for Agriculture and NRM and Nutrition Interventions
FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05
UFSI-II
1.Kabale
2.Kisoro
3.Ntungamo
4. Kanungu
5. Rukungiri
9
9
9
3
6
9
9
9
3
6
9
9
9
3
6
9
9
9
3
6
144 villages 36 36 36 36
1.5 Evolution of the UFSI-II Activities
1.5.1 Selection of Target Villages and the Baseline Survey.
 
4
 Unlike the agriculture and post harvest handling and natural resources management components, the nutrition
component continued operating under UFSI-2 in 106 villages of UFSI-I and will continue until the end of FY 03.
This is due to the late start of the nutrition component under UFSI-I.
- 5 -
UFSI-II began operations in 2002 in the target sub-counties of Kabale, Kisoro, Ntungamo, Rukingiri and
Kanungu Districts in southwestern Uganda. The region has a high population density of 280 people per
km2
 and significant land shortages and fragmentation. Agricultural production in the region is derived
from an average of 0.2 ha per person, or 1.2 ha (< 1 ha in the highlands) for a typical household of 7
persons on average. Due to the high population density and intensive cultivation on steeply sloping land,
land degradation critically threatens the region’s food security. Yet, as discussed above, sustainable
poverty reduction and economic growth are highly dependent on the intensification of agricultural
production. The challenge is to achieve this without further degrading the environment. The region also
suffers from a higher level of malnutrition than the rest of the country and the level of stunting among
under-five children is 48%, the highest in the country and well above the national average of 39% (UBOS
2000/2001).
Project activities have been carried out in 144 villages located in 12 sub-counties and 36 parishes in the 5
districts. The selection of the 12 sub-counties was based on the severity of food insecurity. At the outset
of the project in 2002, to provide a base against which the future impact of the project would be
measured, Africare conducted a Baseline Survey in 36 LC-1s from 9 intervention sub-counties in each
district. The survey revealed that about 50% of the households experienced food shortage, with household
members being unable to eat to satisfaction for a period of 3-6 months in a year. The most important
causes of food insecurity were reported to be unreliable rainfall, crop diseases and pests, and depleted soil
fertility. Post-harvest losses were high (40% for potatoes and 30% for beans in a period of 3 months).
Some 79% of households had a problem of soil erosion on their fields and 88% of these households noted
that the problem was increasing. 96% of households reported declining crop yields, and 34% said their
land was no longer useful for crop production because of fertility loss; 31% of these had abandoned it or
left it bare. On average, the survey found that 45% of the under-five children were stunted and 21% were
under-weight, findings closely in line with the UBOS survey of 2000/2001.
1.5.2 Objectives of UFSI-II.
The three main objectives of UFSI-II were:
Objective 1.0: Increased Agricultural Productivity
Sub-Objective 1.1: Increasing the volume, quality and variety of food produced and available for
household consumption.
Sub-Objective1.2: Increasing the value of household agricultural enterprises through enhanced
production, post-harvest handling/storage, value-added processing and
marketing.
Sub-Objective 1.3: Enhancing conservation of soil, water and other natural resources in the project
area.
Objective 2.0: Improved Household Nutrition, Particularly for Women and Children Under
Five
Sub-Objective 2.1: Reduction in malnutrition in young children and women; and
Sub-Objective 2.2: Increased nutritive value of family diets, especially for women and young
children.
Objective 3.0: Increased Accessibility of Households in the Activity Area through Community
Roads Construction
1.5.3 Principle Project Interventions
- 6 -
To achieve these objectives, interventions focused on four main areas: improving agricultural production,
post-harvest handling and marketing; better management of natural resources, household nutrition, and
farm-to-market road improvements in target villages in each district.
1. Agricultural Production / Post Harvest Handling / Marketing (AG/Mon)
ƒ The introduction and dissemination of improved inputs and technologies for food and cash crop
production (including improved seeds and agricultural technical packages).
ƒ The introduction and dissemination of improved technologies for post harvest handling such as
drying, storage, value-added products and transport.
ƒ The provision of market information and training to strengthen farmers’ marketing groups.
2. Natural Resources Management (NRM)
ƒ The dissemination of improved technologies for controlling erosion and increasing soil fertility
including crop rotation and terrace construction and maintenance.
ƒ The promotion of economically viable agro-forestry techniques.
ƒ The promotion use of fuel-efficient stoves, backyard composting, rainwater harvesting, and zero
grazing.
ƒ Roadside planting and slope stabilization in conjunction with the roads component
3. Household Nutrition (HN/Mon)
ƒ The establishment of a village-based growth monitoring program for children aged 3-35 months,
promotion of exclusive breast feeding to six months, provision of adequate complementary foods
thereafter, and implementation of activities for the recuperation of malnourished children in the
homes of “Model Mothers” (Hearth Model Program).
ƒ The training of mothers in household diet diversification, improved nutrition, vegetable
production and animal husbandry (dairy, rabbit and pig production).
ƒ The training of communities in proper sanitary practices, HIV/AIDS awareness, and other
primary health care issues.
4. Community Road Improvements (AG/NUT/Mon)
ƒ The rehabilitation of farm-to-market community roads to ensure year round vehicle access.
ƒ The conducting of NEMA5
 and USAID Environmental Reviews prior to construction.
ƒ The training of communities in labor-intensive road rehabilitation and maintenance practices.
1.5.4 The Participatory Approach.
UFSI-II continued the participatory approach followed under the first phase. Farmers have been involved
from the outset in problem identification, action planning, and developing their Village Action Plans
(VAPs). The election by villagers of a Food Security Committee (FSC) to coordinate the activities of the
VAP and handle relations with external partners is equally important. This participatory approach has
been very important in project implementation and developing cohesive groups. As in UFSI-I, the second
phase also sought to implement its activities by developing the capacity of farmer groups and partner sub￾county governments to plan, budget, implement, and evaluate food security activities.
1.5.5 The Partnership Approach.
 5 NEMA is the National Environmental Management Authority (of Uganda)
- 7 -
An important feature of the UFSI approach has been the extensive collaborative arrangements with a wide
variety of partners. Many project activities have been executed through formally negotiated partnerships;
others have been less formal. This ability to utilise partnerships and the resultant synergies to achieve
project objectives has contributed in an important way to the project’s success. Through a collective effort
rather than working alone, Africare draws on the technical expertise of a wide range of partners. This
benefits not only the farmers, but also the partner agencies. Specific examples of such partnerships are
given in subsequent chapters of this report.
1.5.6 Project Design.
The design of the project was extremely well conceived. The components mutually reinforce each other
and create a synergy that gives the project cohesion and dynamism. Road construction opens up new
areas to agricultural inputs and outputs, agricultural activity is raised by introducing new species and
technologies, post-harvest losses are reduced by new storage facilities, soil erosion control and
conservation measures improve soil fertility and hence land productivity, and the nutrition interventions
promote a better utilization of food, and hence a less food insecure population.
1.6 Performance Indicators and Targets.
The performance indicators are summarized in Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT Table 1.3).
The annual targets in IPTT are based on the projected annual increase in population to be served,
resources available (personnel, materials) at the time of initiating an activity. The UFSI-2
accomplishments with respect to annual targets are summarized in Table 1.3. The progress of project
interventions was tracked against the annual targets set in the Detailed Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
(DIP). A more detailed discussion of annual results is presented in Chapters 3 – 6 which evaluate
progress by sector.
- 8 -
Table I.2 Africare UFSI-II Indicator Performance Tracking Table, FY 2001-FY2005
Indicator Base￾line FY 02 Tgt FY02
Ach
FY 02
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 03
Tgt
FY 03
Ach
FY 03
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 04
Tgt
FY 04
Ach
FY 04
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 05
Tgt
FY 05
Ach
FY 05
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 06
Tgt
FY 06
Ach
FY 06
Ach vs.
Tgt
LOA
Tgt
LOA
Ach
Objective 1: Increased agricultural productivity
Impact
Indicator 1.1
Avg. months of
adequate household
food provisioning
4 4.34 NA 5 4.5 90% 5.5 6.2 113% 6 6
Impact Indicator
1.2
Capacity of
communities &
local govt. to plan
and implement
Food Security
Interventions
(measured in terms
of scores on
FSCCI)
20 40 43 107% 55 50 91% 70 59 84% 80 80
Sub Objective 1.1: Increased volume, quality and variety of food produced and available for household consumption and sale
Impact Indicator
1.1.1
Avg. annual vol.
(kg) of HH
production of:
Potatoes Beans
OS Pot.
Bananas
600
100
812
2500
650
120
850
2500
600
100
812
2500
92%
83%
95%
100%
1000
 150
 920
2800
950
120
1000
2650
95%
80%
108%
95%
1200
200
980
3000
1220
140
1000
2650
102%
70%
102%
89%
1400
210
1000
3200
1,148
183
540
3160
82%
87%
54%
 99%
1500
250
1040
3300
1500
250
1040
3300
- 9 -
Indicator Base￾line FY 02 Tgt FY02
Ach
FY 02
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 03
Tgt
FY 03
Ach
FY 03
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 04
Tgt
FY 04
Ach
FY 04
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 05
Tgt
FY 05
Ach
FY 05
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 06
Tgt
FY 06
Ach
FY 06
Ach vs.
Tgt
LOA
Tgt
LOA
Ach
Impact Indicator
1.1.2
Average yield in
(MT/HA) of:
Potatoes
Beans
OS Potatoes
Bananas
9
0.8
3.9
16.0
9.5
0.87
4.3
16.5
9.0
0.8
3.9
16.0
95%
92%
91%
97%
10.0
0.96
4.3
17.5
13.2
0.85
4.2
17.0
132%
89%
98%
97%
10.5
 1.05
 4.3
 18.0
13.2
0.87
4.6
17.0
126%
83%
107%
94%
11.2
1.5
4.6
18.0
10,2
1.8
5.0
17
91%
120%
109%
94%
12.2
1.25
5.0
19.0
12.2
1.25
5.0
19.0
Monitoring
Indicator 1.1.1
 # HH adopting at
least 3 improved
agronomic
practices 450 1,360 450 33% 2,360 1,080 46% 3,000 2,860 95% 3,500 2,903 83% 4,536 4,536
Sub-Objective 1.2: Increased household agricultural incomes through enhanced production, post-harvest handling/storage, value-added processing and marketing
Impact Indicator
1.2.1 Avg. value
per participating
HH of crop
production
(Constant
2002Ug.sh 000)
385 476 tbd6
552
94.8% 561 561
Monitoring
Indicator 1.2.1 %
losses post harvest:
Potatoes
Beans 40%
30%
40%
30%
40%
30%
100%
100%
37%
27%
36%
28%
103%
96%
30%
22%
32%
24%
94%
92%
22%
16%
9.9%
16.5
%
222%
97%
20%
10%
20%
10%
Monitoring
Indicator 1.2.2
 # of newly
established agro￾based enterprises 0 12 1 8.3% 20 16 80% 20 18 90% 20 19 95% 0 72
6 To be determined during an end-line survey.
- 10 -
Indicator Base￾line FY 02 Tgt FY02
Ach
FY 02
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 03
Tgt
FY 03
Ach
FY 03
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 04
Tgt
FY 04
Ach
FY 04
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 05
Tgt
FY 05
Ach
FY 05
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 06
Tgt
FY 06
Ach
FY 06
Ach vs.
Tgt
LOA
Tgt
LOA
Ach
Sub-Objective 1.3: Enhanced conservation of soils and other natural resources
Impact Indicator
1.3.1: Area of
Land Protected/
Used Per
Environment
Action Plans (HA) 0 80 0 0 320 700 218% 760 985 130% 1,360 1,550 112% 2,000 2,000
Impact Indicator
1.3.2: MT of wood:
Harvested
Conserved
0
18.0
0
118
0
43.2
0
36.6
0
350
0
NA
0
NA
640
600
576
642
90%
107%
1,920
700
1,583
1,175
82%
168%
4,160
800
6,720
800
Objective 2: To improve household utilization of nutritious food, particularly for women and children under-5
Impact Indicator
2.1. Reduction in %
stunting of children
aged 24-59 mos. 36.4% 33% 30% 97% 29% 29%
Impact Indicator
2.2
Reduction in %
underweight (<-2
standard dev.
Below norm)
children (0-35
mos.)
27.8% N/A N/A N/A 25% 26.9 32% 23% tbd 21% 22% 95% 19% 19%
Impact Indicator
2.3 Avg. Dietary
Diversity Scores at:
HH level
Men
Women
Children 6mos.+
 4.3
3.6
4.2
4.0
4.39
3.8
4.32
4.2
NA
NA
NA
NA
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.5
5.5
5.5
5.5
6.3
6.2
6.2
6.4
115%
113%
113%
116%
7.0
7.0
7.0
7.0
7.0
7.0
7.0
7.0
- 11 -
Indicator Base￾line FY 02 Tgt FY02
Ach
FY 02
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 03
Tgt
FY 03
Ach
FY 03
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 04
Tgt
FY 04
Ach
FY 04
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 05
Tgt
FY 05
Ach
FY 05
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 06
Tgt
FY 06
Ach
FY 06
Ach vs.
Tgt
LOA
Tgt
LOA
Ach
Monitoring
Indicator 2.1
Number of children
registered in GM
program of UFSI 0 1,620 0 0 3,420 2872 84% 7,020 5,269 75% 8,640 7,151 83% 8,640 8,640
Monitoring
indicator 2.2: %
mothers
exclusively breast
feeding children
up to 6 mths
40% 40% 40% 100% 60% 46% 77% 65% 49% 75& 80% 47% 59% 80% 80%
Monitoring
Indicator 2.3
% households
adopting adequate
sanitation practices
according to UFSI
index
41% 45% 41% 91% 50% 48% 96% 60% 59% 98% 65% 70% 108% 70% 70%
Objective 3: Increased accessibility of households (HH) in activity area
Impact Indicator
3.1
# of new
businesses/ services
along upgraded
roads by type. 0 0 0 0 63 56 89% 108 84 78% 144 116 81% 180 180
- 12 -
Indicator Base￾line FY 02 Tgt FY02
Ach
FY 02
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 03
Tgt
FY 03
Ach
FY 03
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 04
Tgt
FY 04
Ach
FY 04
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 05
Tgt
FY 05
Ach
FY 05
Ach vs.
Tgt
FY 06
Tgt
FY 06
Ach
FY 06
Ach vs.
Tgt
LOA
Tgt
LOA
Ach
Impact Indicator
3.2
Avg # of daily trips
of autos & trucks
on upgraded roads:
Planting season
Harvest season
0
trip/da
y
0
trip/da
y
2
3
1
2
50%
66%
2
3
4
7
200%
233%
10
11
57
11
570%
100%
11
15
61
15
555%
100%
10
15
10
15
Monitoring
Indicator 3.1
# km motorable
road rehabilitated
to GOU
Standards
0 20 45 31.2 69% 70 607 88% 95 75 79% 100 100
Monitoring
Indicator 3.2
km of roads
maintained by local
government/
communities 0 0 0 0 30 0 0% 55 47 86% 80 47 59% 100 100
7 25.3 Km in Kabale and 21.7 Km in Ntungamo Districts were handed over to Local governments for maintenance; 13 Km in Kanungu District is motorable but
not yet handed over.
- 13 -
CHAPTER 2: Project Institutional Structure and Management
2.1 Organizational Structure
2.1.1. Africare Headquarters
Africare’s Uganda Food Security Initiative is one of nine food security projects developed by Africare’s
Food for Development (FFD) Unit in the Africare headquarters office in Washington, D.C. The direct
administrative link of the project to Africare’s headquarters office is through the East Africa Regional
Office with support for proposal development, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and
monetization provided by the Africare/Food for Development Unit. The Africare/FFD unit is the main
administrative link between Africare and the USAID/FFP office that oversees USAID’s FFP Title II
programs as well as various support services for these programs such as the FANTA (Food Aid and
Nutrition Technical Assistance), the Food Aid Management (FAM) consortium in which Africare is
particularly active, and the Monetization Task Force in which Africare plays a prominent role.
2.1.2. Africare/Kampala and USAID/Uganda
All Africare activities in Uganda are under the direct oversight of the Africare Kampala office. The
country office is the major source of backup on procurement of items for the project. The country office
is also the main administrative link between the project and Ugandan government as well as USAID and
other NGOs. Given the amount of time these activities involve, a percentage of the country office’s
support (approximately 30% of the salaries of the Africare Country Representative’s salary, the
administration officer, one secretary and one accountant) is paid for by the UFSI project. The project
works with the different USAID development experts responsible for different strategic objectives and
M&E, but the main link between the Africare Country Office and the USAID/Uganda Mission is the
USAID/Washington Food For Development officer.
The USAID/Uganda office considers the UFSI/Africare project an important support for its strategic
objectives. In 2002 USAID initiated the development of a new Integrated Strategic Plan (ISP) for the
period 2002-2007 with the goal of directly supporting the PEAP’s objective of reducing poverty to 10%
or less by 2017. Three Strategic Objectives (SOs) contribute to this goal: SO 7: Expanded sustainable
Economic Opportunities for Rural Sector Growth, SO 8: Improved Human Capacity; and SO9: More
Effective and Participatory Governance.
SO 7: Expanded sustainable Economic Opportunities for Rural Sector Growth: This strategic Objective
directly supports the PEAP objective of creating an enabling environment for rapid and sustainable
economic growth. It also supports the PEAP objective of directly increasing the ability of the poor to raise
their incomes. In addition, it supports Administration objectives of trade, agriculture, and private sector
development. It is expected that the main results of this SO will be: (1) Increased food security for
vulnerable populations (IR 7.1); (2) Increased productivity of agricultural commodity and natural
resource systems (IR 7.2); (3) Increased competitiveness of enterprises in selected sectors (IR 7.3); and
Improved enabling environment for broad-based growth (IR 7.4).
SO 8: Improved Human Capacity: This strategic objective directly supports the PEAP objectives of
improving the quality of life of the poor and increasing the ability of the poor to raise their incomes. It
also supports Administration objectives of improved education and global health improvement. It is
expected that the main results of this SO will be: (1) Effective use of social sector services (IR 8.1); (2)
Increased capacity to sustain social sector services (IR 8.2); and (3) strengthened enabling environment
for social sector services (IR8.3)
- 14 -
SO 9: More Effective and Participatory Governance: This strategic objective directly supports the PEAP
objective of improved governance and reduced conflict and improving the quality of life of the poor. It
supports Administration objectives of conflict mitigation and improved governance. It is expected that the
main results of this strategic objective will be: (1) Devolution and separation of powers strengthened (IR
9.1); and (2) Conflict mitigated and reduced (IR 9.2).
2.2 Africare/Uganda’s Medium -Term Strategy
Africare/Uganda’s Medium -Term Strategy targets issues concerning agriculture and food security,
HIV/AIDs, democracy and governance, water resources and sanitation, environment, agro-micro￾enterprise development and education. Regarding the agriculture and food security activities, it is
anticipated that, following the closure of UFSI-II, activities will be relocated from Southwestern Uganda
to Northern Uganda. This will mean phasing out UFSI-II at the end of its life of activity and
developing a new DAP for the area(s) to be identified after an exploration survey.
In Southwestern Uganda, Africare will continue with non-USAID funded programs to address
challenges in agricultural production, natural resources management, agro-micro-enterprise
development, and access to credit for farm inputs and agro-processing building on current
partnerships. In health, Africare will seek partnerships with other development agencies and national
programs, thereby enabling Africare to expand Community-based Integrated Management of Childhood
Illnesses (CIMCI), HIV/AIDS, malaria, water, and sanitation activities into the districts of Kabale,
Kanungu, Kisoro and Ntungamo. Further details of Africare’s program in Uganda are given in Annex III.
2.3. Project Administrative Structure and Staff Deployment
The organogram of the Project’s organizational structure presented in Figure 2.1 shows staff deployment
levels and the reporting hierarchy. The main elements of the administrative structure are as follows:
Project Management Level: The Project is headed by a project coordinator, who oversees the project
administration and the budget, as well as the technical programs administered by four section heads. The
project coordinator is also the main administrative link between the project and the five District
administrations and managers of other NGO activities in the region. He reports to the CR. The M&E
officer evaluates and reports on the progress of the project and reports to the PC. UFSI-II covers five
districts and the District Coordinators oversee implementation of project activities in their respective
districts. The District Coordinator based in Rukungiri town oversees implementation of UFSI activities in
Rukungiri and Kanungu. These report administratively to the PC.
Heads of Sections and their Staff: The Project has four technical sections, each with a section head.
Marketing is a sub-section of the agriculture section. The extension agents in Kabale serve as acting
section heads in the absence of the section heads. The section heads supervise extension agents who work
directly with farmer groups. In addition to the Community Mobilizer, currently there are 9 extension
agents, 3 in Kabale, 2 in Ntungamo, 2.
- 15 -
Figure 2.1 Africare Kabale Organizational Chart
 UFSI-II Project (Kabale District)
National Level Partners
Country Office, Kampala
Country Representative
Monetization/Admin. Assistant
USAID Kampala
Country Office Staff
(Admin, Logistical and Fin support)
Country Office Support
(Technical/Program Officer Vacant)
Kabale Office UFSI
Program Manager
Kisoro
Cord.
Ntungamo
Cord.
Rukungiri
/Kanungu
Cord.
A.g.
NRM
Officer
Roads
Officer
Nutrition
Officer
M&E
Officer
Marketing
Officer
Water
Officer
Accountant Admin
Asst.
Field
Officers
Field
Officers
Field
Officers
Field
Officers
Roads
Supervisors
Driver Driver Driver
Receptionist/
Office
attendant
Receptionist/
Office
attendant
Receptionist/
Office
attendant
Accts
Asst
Receptionist
Drivers
Security
Guards
Cleaner
Field
Officer
- 16 -
Table 2.1 Deployment of Extension Agents and Their Qualifications
District No. Specialty No. of
Farmer
Groups
Qualifications
Kabale 3 Agric (1), NRM (2)
(1 agric EA & 1 nutrition
EA vacant)
36 Diploma (2), Certificate
(1)
Ntungamo 2 Agric (1), Nutrition (1).
(1 NRM EA vacant)
36 Bachelor’s Degree (1),
Certificate (1)
Kisoro 2 Agric (1), Nutrition (1)
(1 NRM EA vacant)
36 Diploma (1), Certificate
in Nursing (1)
Rukungiri/Kanungu 2 Agric (1), Nutrition (1)
(1 NRM EA vacant)
35 Diploma (1), Bachelor’s
Degree (1)
in Rukungiri/Kanungu and 2 in Kisoro (Table 2.2). There are also 3 roads supervisors. There are presently
5 vacant EA positions, and given the short remaining time for the project, the filling of these posts is not
planned. The agricultural extension staff in Ntungamo, Kisoro and Rukungiri/Kisoro must also cover the
NRM activities, since there are no NRM EAs in these districts, and this was adding considerably to their
workload. But, as noted above, given the few months remaining in the project, it is not recommended that
these NRM EA posts be filled. Should there be any extension to the NRM component, then the filling of
these posts should be seriously considered.
A community facilitator for Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) (with a Master’s degree) was recruited March
2005 to train farmers particularly on the treatment of potato blight. These EAs work with the section
heads and serve 143 farmer groups. In addition, there are 4 FFS’s groups served by the FFS facilitator
who works closely with the community mobilizer. On average, each EA serves 35-36 village groups in
each district. In some instances, the groups are more than 100 kms. apart within each district. The staff
interviewed by the evaluation team were clearly dedicated to their work, but need to travel long distances
to do their work effectively. This is especially the case in the new districts.
Earlier in the project, management had rented simple furnished houses in strategic sub-counties to
facilitate extension agents when in the field, but the MTE found that these were not being used and
recommended they be closed and emphasis placed on improving the mobility of the EAs. All these houses
have now been closed and, as also recommended by the MTE, a review of existing motorcycles and
vehicles was undertaken to assess whether they are worth maintaining or whether it would be more cost￾effective to replace them. Also, as recommended by the MTE, additional motorcycles have been procured
to facilitate transport of field staff. The team was pleased to note that the mobility of extension staff has
been improved by regular maintenance of the motorcycles and by the purchase of 8 new motorcycles. All
extension staff now have well-functioning motorcycles to facilitate their work.
The MTE also noted that there was a need to replace the pick-ups for agriculture and roads, which are
among the oldest of the project vehicles. In particular, the vehicle used by the District Coordinator in
Rukungiri is not in good condition. New pick-ups have not yet been purchased because of the difficulty of
accumulating adequate funds due to the monetization process and its associated cash-flow problem. The
team was pleased to note that a request is presently being submitted to USAID to purchase two new
pickups.
- 17 -
Project Financial Administration and Management Staff: An accountant and an accounts assistant
attached directly to the office of the project coordinator handle the accounting for the project and the
procurement and stores. The accountant also handles the accounting for other Africare projects, in
addition to the operational budget for the UFSI Project.
Office Support Staff: In addition, the project has a secretary, two office attendants, nine drivers, and five
security guards.
Staff Capacities: There is no doubt that the success of the project is attributable in large part to its
capable and dedicated staff. In all the sections, heads are graduates and computer literate. One has a PhD.
A few have been with the project since inception and have gained considerable experience. A number of
EAs are also graduates. Table 2.2 shows staff deployment levels and their qualifications. As can be seen
from the table, about 50% of the project staff hold at least a diploma.
Table 2.2: Qualifications of Africare/Kabale Staff
Qualifications PhD Masters
Degree
Bachelors
Degree
Diplomas Certificates Others
No. of staff 1 3 9 7 4 11
Assessment of Management: The final evaluation of UFSI-I noted that the project was extremely well
managed. Partners and staff appreciated the project’s transparency and accountability. This good
performance continued during the initial implementation of the second phase of the project. However, by
the time of the MTE, the team noted some deterioration in project administration reflecting staffing and
remuneration issues. Staff turnover had been high and, in line with Africare’s policy of encouraging
rotation after two years in assignment, the project coordinator (PC) left in March 2004 (he had been in the
assignment almost 5 years). The acting PC had the difficult task of continuing project implementation,
now expanded into four new districts, with this high staff turnover.
The evaluation team was impressed by the speedy response of management to this situation. The post of
PC was filled quickly by an experienced project manager. Equally impressive has been the filling of some
vacant posts by well-qualified staff. New section heads have been recruited to the roads, nutrition,
agriculture and NRM sections. In addition, as recommended in the MTE, a new position of marketing
specialist has been created and filled. Positions remaining unfilled are M&E assistant, one agricultural
EA, one nutrition EA, and three NRM EA that were not filled, as noted above. The NRM positions were
not filled due to shortage and subsequent closing of SUNAREM funding. An intern is presently working
with the project for one year reviewing and assisting the M&E activities in order to make
recommendations to improve the M&E activities in the new MYAP.
Remuneration: The Mid-term Evaluation noted that, compared to other NGOs in the districts, the
remuneration of project staff had lost competitiveness and needed to be improved. There had been no cost
of living adjustment to salaries since January 2003. Moreover, there was also no salary scale. Discussions
with staff indicated that an important reason for the high staff turnover had been the relatively low level
of staff compensation. The FE team was pleased to note that there had been a review of other NGO
packages, and an across the board increase in salaries of 35% was approved in July 2005. The
establishment of a salary scale for all positions to improve transparency, however, has not yet been done.
It is recommended that in future activities, project management review salary scales to ensure harmony
within the project team, and also to provide a solid salary scale base.
- 18 -
2.4 Staff Capacity Building Efforts
The final evaluation of UFSI-I noted that staff training was an extremely important factor contributing to
the project’s success. It motivated project staff, and helped them maintain their technical knowledge and
expertise at a highly proficient level. The MNT strongly encouraged that continued and diverse training
be provided during the second project phase. The MTE team noted that, while some training had been
provided, particularly for the agricultural and nutrition components, training in other components lagged
behind. The MTE recommended a more intensive training effort, and to some extent, this has been done.
A list of the training courses in which project staff have participated is provided in Table 2.3. Further
details are provided in later chapters.
Table 2.3 Training of Africare/Kabale Staff
Training
Beneficiary
Training Recommended in
MTE Report
Training Provided and Planned
All Section
Heads and
M&E Head
ACCESS and Epi-Info;
SPSS or STATA
MS WORD & EXCEL
Training in Epi-Info provided to M&E head, and planned
for other staff during remainder of project. Training on
other mentioned programs scheduled for second quarter of
FY 06.
Other training provided: M&E officer was trained in
participatory M&E in collaboration with CIAT.
NRM staff Training in soil erosion,
conservation and watershed
management
Training of Section Head in
ACCESS and SPSS, who would
then train other staff.
One staff trained on watershed management Further
training not necessary because of staff changes and skills of
recently hired staff.
Not yet done due to closure of SUNAREM and hence lack
of funding.
Roads staff Maintenance staff should be
trained in EIA
AUTOCARD installation and
training.
Roads supervisors need training
in labor-based roads’
maintenance.
Train roads staff and selected
community members on road
maintenance.
Liaise with other consultants and
Local Govt. To obtain technical
personnel & technologies.
One staff received one day’s training in EIA. Others not
done due to shortage of funds.
Not yet done
Not yet done
Not yet done
Done in Kanungu in collaboration with Local Govt. More
training planned in Kisoro and Rukungiri Districts in FY06.
Discussions between Sec. Head and COI (Ministry of
Works) and with the municipal engineer for Kabale District
to develop a Roads Manual for Africare. This may be
outsourced to ensure its completion before end of project.
2.5 Training of Farmers
Farmers participating in the project have benefited from training, both locally and at national events. For
example, 40 farmers went to the Annual National Agricultural Show in Jinja, 32 participated in an agri￾business farmer training workshop, 16 participated in farm enterprise training, 13 undertook training in
- 19 -
horticulture/fruit tree management at AFRENA/ICRAF, and 192 participated in training in growth
monitoring and promotion with district health staff and the Ministry of Health from Mulago Hospital.
The UFSI intervention model is based on the concept of reinforcing the technical and administrative
capacity of the Food Security Committees (FSC) in villages where Africare intervenes. Women are
especially involved in the training; estimates by the project staff place women’s participation in the
training programs at approximately 80%. Capacity building is a critical element in the project
implementation. Currently Africare is focusing on institutional capacity building that will later translate
into autonomous activity implementation by farmers in order to achieve sustainability. The role of the
FSCs is discussed further in Chapter 3.
An important strength of the project is the close integration of its staff in the varied coordinating agencies
operating in the project area. This is evident from Table 2.4, and has facilitated a good integration of
activities in the project area.
Table 2. 4 Project Staff Participation in District-level Coordinating Bodies
Category of Committee Member Attend meetings (not
standing member)
District Coordination Adm Tech Adm Tech
District NGO Coordinating Committee (Kabale
district) X
District Planning Committee—Plan for
Modernizing Agriculture (PMA) XX
Sector Committees
Production and Marketing Committee (Kabale
District) X
District Natural Resources Management Forum X
Kabale District Technical Services (roads) X
Sub-County Planning Meetings
Kaharo X
Kitumba X
Bubare X
Muko X
Bufundi X
Rubaya X
Kamugangaguzi X
Rwamucucu X
Maziba X
Buhara X
Kashambya X
Hamurwa X
Nat’’l Steering Committees/Task Forces
AFRENA (Agroforestry Research Networks for
Africa)
X
African Highlands Initiative X
Uganda Agroforestry Dev. Network (UGADEN) X
National Agroforestry Network X
National Environmental Management Authority
(petition filed for membership)
Filed
- 20 -
Category of Committee Member Attend meetings (not
standing member)
Nat’l & International Professional
Associations
Soil Science Society of East Africa X
Uganda Institute of Professional Engineers Filed
Agriculture Nutrition Advantage Project X
Vitamin A for Africa Partnership X
Certified Public Accountants Assoc. of Uganda X
2.6 Project Financial Management.
The project’s system of financial reporting follows seven steps. Following the resignation of the
accountant in April 2004, a new accountant was hired and he is working closely with the Administration
Officer in the Kampala office to become fully conversant with the project’s accounts and procedures. One
important problem with the accounting procedures is that it follows a « cost-center » approach only and
not by component. As a result, it is difficult to estimate how much has already been spent by component
and how much remains. The exception to this was for the NRM component that had its own source of
funding through ECOTRUST. While it was recognized that Africare may need to modify budgets and
their elements at any time, the MTE recommended that more effort be made to maintain and make
available to staff up-to-date budgets on a component basis. The FE team was pleased to note that efforts
have been made to improve this situation. Work plans are now submitted to the PM for approval. When
the cash flow is inadequate, this is communicated to the staff and the proposed activities are discussed and
reduced to conform to available funds.
The MTE also recommended that project management have a clear view of the current state of the budget
and of the plans for the disbursement of the balance over the remainder of the project. It was
recommended that this be discussed in a transparent way with section heads, and made known to all the
project staff. The FE team was encouraged to note that is now the regular procedure. Discussion on the
plans for the remainder of the project have taken place among staff in a most transparent manner, and the
technical staff have prepared a draft of the sustainability strategy and the closeout plan for their respective
components. This will soon be compiled as a project sustainability strategy and shared with all staff.
2.6.1 Project Procurement Procedures
The project has followed a standard process of procurement of items requested by the EAs through their
section heads. The process is well understood by most agents and section heads. The strength of the
system is its simplicity and clarity. The process is as follows:
1. User/user section fills in a requisition and forwards the request to the section head.
2. Section head makes a recommendation on the request and surveys the market for availability and
prices.
3. Program manager reviews request and approves/disapproves. If approved, the PM sanctions the
acquisition of the invoices.
4. Supplier/vendor is chosen to supply. For large supplies, all sections are involved in the decision.
5. Supplies are received and invoice is presented together with delivery note.
6. Payment is then processed on receipt of goods.
2.6.2 Management of Project Inputs and Equipment.
UFSI operates two major containers that are used to store equipment needed by the field program and two
other storage facilities connected with the main office in Kabale. Since 1999, the project has had a strict
- 21 -
system for managing the four storage units and in honoring requests for project goods. This system is
shown in Annex II. The same system of store management has been used to manage field storage units
and project roads construction equipment. This tight management system has discouraged theft.
2.6.3 Management of Project Disbursements.
The MTE noted that planning and implementation of the project had been seriously hindered by the
unpredictability and delays in receipt of agreed project funding. This had been the case with both the
monetization proceeds and the ECOTRUST funding. In the first year of the project, for example, it was
expected that 2650 MT of hard red winter wheat would be monetized (Table 2.5), providing an amount of
$689,000, but only $223,103 was received (Table 2.7). Similarly in year two of the project, the amount
received from monetization was only $425,039 compared to an expected and budgeted amount of
$689,000. The experience with ECOTRUST funds was similar. The agreement with them was not signed
until year two of the project, despite plans to begin the NRM work in year one. As a result, it was
extremely unlikely that the balance of the ECOTRUST funds amounting to $360,815 would be disbursed
by end of September 2004, in line with the agreement. The MTE team requested an extension, and a 9-
month extension was subsequently granted.
Table 2.5 Monetization Proceeds: Expected and Actual Title II Commodity Aid and Project
Proceeds
Year 1
(FY02)*
(Jan.2002-
Sept. 2002)
Year 2
(FY03)
(Oct. 2002-
Sept.2003)
Year 3
(FY04)
(Oct.2003-
Sept.2004)
Year 4
(FY05)
(Oct.2004-
Sept.2005)
Year 5
(FY06)
(Oct.2005-
Sept.2006)
TOTAL
(Jan.2002-
Sept.2006)
Hard Red
Winter Wheat
Requested
(MT)
2,650 2,650 2,650 2,810 2,490 13,250
Hard Red
Winter Wheat
Received (MT)
2,650 2,650 2,650 2,650 1,570 12,170
Expected
Proceeds ($) 689,000 689,000 689,000 730,572 647,428 3,445,000
Actual Proceeds
($) 223,103 464,800 886,999 1,229,851 462,800 3,267,553
*FY refers to the FY in USAID recording system.
FFD reduced the tonnage for Year 5 (FY06) to 1,570 MT. The originally approved commodity level for
FY06 was 2,490 MT. However, when working on the FY06 Resource Request, Africare/Washington
reduced the tonnage so that the balance at the end of project would be zero. Due to the monetization
cycle, the sales receipts in Year 5 were received later than projected during the life of the project. As a
result, a substantial amount of money was received late in the life of the project, and overall, the project
will receive $211,167 less than approved.
In order for the budget to be fully expended by end of project, the tonnage was reduced. Additionally,
some project equipment was not purchased. It was not possible to purchase 5 pickups and several
motorcycles, as recommended in the MTE. In addition, needed office equipment was not purchased.
There has also been a delay in obtaining funding for Year 4 (FY05) budget (the project is still receiving
Year 4 funds). The last installment of Year 5 (FY06) funds is in March/April 2006, i.e. 6 months late.
- 22 -
Simply put, the rhythm of the monetization cycle did not fit the resource demand of the project.
Monetization commodities have arrived and continue to arrive later than the needs of the project.
Table 2.6 UFSI II Funds Approved and Received
PERIOD Funds Approved in the
DAP
Total Monetization Funds
Received
Total Ecotrust Funds
Received
Y1
(Jan. 02-Sept. 02) $689,000 $223,103 $0
Y2
(Oct. 02-Sept. 03) $689,000 $464,800 $422,454
Y3
(Oct. 03-Jun. 04) $325,000
(Jul. 04-Sept.04)
$689,000 $886,999
$360,815 *
Y4 & Y5
 (Oct. 04-Sept. 06) $1,379,000 $886,719 $0
Total LOA $3,446,000 $2,464,621 $1,108,269
* $83,000 was received August 10, 2004; $67,000 was received Nov. 10, 2004; and $210,815 was
received Dec. 18th 2004.
As can be seen from Tables 2.5 and 2.6, the project planned for equal sales of wheat (2650 MT) in each of
the first three fiscal years. In retrospect, it would have been advisable to « front-load » the project
funding, with larger volumes of sales in the early years. This would have allowed for a more rapid start￾up of the project.
It is recommended that in any future UFSI activity, that the funding be front-loaded to allow for a more
rapid project start-up. It is recognized that USAID prefers to designate a lead monetization organization
within a group of Cooperating Sponsors (CSs) who are all implementing food security projects in a given
country. In the Uganda/Africare program, the monetization role has been given to ACDI-VOCA. In
addition, USAID prefers to receive DAPs and fund all CSs on the same cycle. Typically, CSs have the
same heavy start-up needs and costs making it difficult for the monetization agent to front-load the budget
of any one CS over the budgets of others. The team recommends that USAID consider staggering the
start-up of projects to enable the lead monetization agent to front-load those who need it.
2.6.4 Funding Over the Remainder of the Project. The DAP approved budget for the life of project was
$3,445,000 for monetization. As of December 31, 2004, there was a balance of $819,523 from
monetization. In January 2005 the Annual Estimated Requirement (AER) for FY06 was reduced by
Africare from 2,490 MT (in the DAP) to 1,570 MT of wheat to be monetized. This was done, apparently,
in the expectation that the balance of $819,523 could not be effectively utilized by the project before
closure end-September 2006. In FY05 the funds the project expected from monetization was $871,100
(after selling 2810 MT of wheat). In fact, the actual for FY05 (up to Jan. 25, 2006) was only $475,861,
and a balance of $395,239 is expected by end-April 2006. It is important to note that these are funds that
should have been received by the end of FY05, i.e. end Sept. 2005.
The funds for FY06 could then be expected. These would be from the sale of 570 MT of wheat that had
been approved, which, at the call forward price of $310 per MT, amounts to $486,700. Hence the
expected remaining balance for the project until closure is $486,700 plus $395,239, amounting to
- 23 -
$881,9398
. Of this amount, an estimated $175,823 will be for overheads and the balance of $706,116
would finance direct project costs. No funds are likely to be available for any discretionary expenses.
2.7 The Monitoring and Evaluation System
The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system collects, tabulates and reports on progress in
implementing the project. The system also evaluates the impact of the project and the changes that have
occurred as a result of the project initiatives. Performance is assessed by achievement in activities in the
four components and summarized in the Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT). The extension
agents are responsible for assembling the data, and the section heads interpret and report findings. Data
collection techniques used include data collection forms, yield sampling, and questionnaires in periodic
surveys (annually and semi-annually). Project staff, the FSC and other implementing partners track,
interpret and report upon the timing, quality and magnitude of outcomes generated by use of project
inputs as well as the impact of external factors.
A key element of the project is that the local population are actively involved in the monitoring and
evaluation, especially the beneficiaries and field level-staff. Data collection, analysis and communication
of field findings are done in close consultation with farmers. Adoption rates have been found to be higher
and faster when this M&E is done with the beneficiaries because they become more aware of the different
interventions and strategies for improving their productivity and development.
The M&E system obtains information to improve project planning and implementation in a timely and
effective way. The system communicates the way resources/project inputs are used and whether the
intended beneficiaries use them and use them effectively. The system enables project evaluation and
allows for problem identification and solving. The project has harmonized its M&E system by working
closely with USAID/Uganda mission and other Cooperating Sponsors (CSs) to ensure consistency of
activities, results, impact and monitoring indicators, and objectives with those of the Mission and FFP/W.
The M&E plan has performance indicators derived from USAID Mission ISP, other Cooperating
Sponsors (CS) in Uganda, and those developed by Africare for food security programs in other African
countries. The principal responsibility for assembling, interpreting and reporting monitoring data rests
with the project staff based in field stations in the districts of Kabale, Kisoro, Ntungamo and Rukungiri
but the process used is highly participatory, involving the direct beneficiaries of the project. Project staff,
Food Security Committees and other direct beneficiaries, and other implementing partners undertake the
following, as detailed in the DIP:
1. Track, interpret and report on the timing, quality and magnitude of outcomes generated by use of
UFSI inputs as well as the impact of external factors and unanticipated constraints.
2. Provide and ensure transparency and accountability on the use of activity resources.
The Final Evaluation team noted that the M&E system has worked well. The data are collected and
analyzed in a timely way, the farmer beneficiaries are clearly involved in the process, and most field staff
 
8 Note: the difference between the balance of $819,523 and $881,939 was due to the change in sale price of
wheat/MT/year.
- 24 -
and section heads have a good level of understanding of the system. It does, however, appear that some
field staff would benefit from a better awareness of the IPTT indicators and also from training in data
collection techniques and analysis. It is recommended that future activities give field staff more intensive
training on the importance of the IPTT indicators and also on data collection techniques such as random
sampling, and triangulation.
Chapter 3: Agricultural Production, Post-Harvest Handling and Marketing
3.1 Problem Context
3.1.1 National context of the problem
Per capita food production in Uganda has declined significantly since the 1970s. The country’s self￾sufficiency in food production is threatened, putting the country at the risk of food insecurity. Moreover,
poverty remains severe, especially in rural areas (Appleton, 2001), and the problems of low productivity
and land degration are worsening, causing declining yields for most food crops. By reducing crop yields
and income, land degradation fuels further impoverishment and food insecurity, thus completing a vicious
cycle of land degradation-declining productivity-poverty and further land degradation.
3.1.2 Regional context of the problem
The problems of land degradation, poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition are particularly evident in the
southwestern region. Soil surveys conducted in 2000 in 32 districts of Uganda show that the average
annual depletion rates (net of inputs) of soil macronutrients range from 43 kg of nitrogen (N), 5 kg of
phosphorous (P) and 31 kg of potassium (K) per ha per year in sparsely populated and relatively flat
districts of northern Uganda (such as Gulu) to 279 kg of N, 162 kg of P, and 134 kg of K per ha in the
densely populated and mountainous districts of Kabale and Kisoro in southwestern Uganda (Ssali et al.,
2005). The main farm nutrient flows are through erosion losses (32% of N, 85% of P and 35% of K
outflows), crop harvest sales (28% for N, 14% for P and 65% for K) and leaching for N (30%).
The major challenge for the Government and its development partners is to identify strategies to
effectively address these problems in a sustainable and equitable way. A key strategy in the
Government’s Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP)9
 is the Plan for Modernization of Agriculture
(PMA) (MAAIF and MFPED 2000). The PMA seeks to eradicate poverty by transforming subsistence
agriculture into commercially oriented farming. Key priorities of the PMA include increasing the role of
the private sector in all commercial agricultural activities (including commodity processing and
marketing, input supply and provision of rural finance), improving research-extension-farmer linkages,
and continuing to fund agricultural research and technical assistance programs to support the
development, dissemination and adoption of high-yielding, labor-saving technologies to increase total
factor productivity and farm income (ibid.)
These efforts are well complemented by the agriculture and post-harvest marketing interventions of
UFSI-II. Following the highly successful phase one of the UFSI project in one district (Kabale), Africare
developed a regional food security program—UFSI-II—with the goal of improving food security in the
five southwestern districts of Kabale, Kisoro, Kanungu, Rukungiri and Ntungamo. The objective of the
agricultural component of UFSI-II is to increase agricultural production and productivity through
increased volume, quality and variety of foods produced and made available for household food
consumption and sale, as well as improvement in post-harvest handling/storage, value-added processing
and marketing. Household food security and income would be increased through the following
interventions:
 
9
 Described in Chapter 1, Section1.2.
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1. Introduction and dissemination of improved inputs and technologies for food and cash crop production
(including improved seeds and agricultural technical packages) for various crops (e.g., Solanum potatoes,
sweet potatoes, bananas, and climbing beans).
2. Introduction and dissemination of improved technologies for post harvest handling such as drying,
storage, and value-addition, and
3. Provision of market information and strengthening farmers groups through training in marketing and
management of small-scale farm businesses, as well as linking farmers to potential buyers.
To ensure the sustainability of UFSI-II achievements, Africare also undertook to strengthen the capacity
of farmer groups and local (sub-county) governments in the project area to prioritize, plan, budget,
implement and evaluate food security activities to meet their needs.
The UFSI project was funded by USAID, and during its implementation, Africare together with its
partners received funding for three small but related projects on agriculture, namely, (1) the Farmer Field
School (FFS) for control of Bean Root Rot (BRR) disease; (2) the Integration and Scaling Up
Technologies for Resource-Poor Potato Growers; (3) and the Enabling Rural Innovations (ERI)
project10/BAPPA.
Project I: Farmer Field School (FFS) for control of Bean Root Rot (BRR) disease. The National
Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) and Maendeleo Agricultural Trust Fund funded this project
(US$ 14,171). It was implemented in Kisoro from April 2003 to April 2005, and aimed to improve food
security and income of the people in Kisoro district through restoring bean production by using bean
varieties resistant to root rot coupled with using integrated methods for controling BRR. Africare
implemented the project in partnership with the national bean program based at Namulonge Agricultural
and Animal Research Institute (NAARI) and Kachwekano Agriculture and Development Centre (ARDC),
using the FFS approach to research and development. Africare was responsible for day-to-day running of
the FFS, for developing a syllabus in collaboration with national program scientists, and for supervising
the multiplication and management of bean plots at the farm level and reporting on the project’s progress.
Project II: Integration and Scaling-Up Technologies for Resource-Poor Potato Growers. This
project (US$390,000) is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) through
the International Potato Center (CIP) Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) 652. It is implemented in four
countries (Uganda, Ethiopia, Bolivia, and Peru), and in Uganda, the project is located in Kabale.
Implementation started in June 2004 and ends in March 2007.
The goal of this project is to improve competitiveness and food security of resource-poor potato growers
through sustainable technologies developed and disseminated by appropriate methodologies. Project
implementation is on-farm and involves participatory research and technology dissemination through
FFS. Africare implements the project in partnership with the NARO-Kachwekano ARDC. Africare also
partners with NAADS and AAMP on this project, and these provide the extension staffs who work with
the farmers. The role of Africare is to implement activities that involve facilitation and management of
day-to-day activities at the farm level in collaboration with NARO-Kachwekano. The activities
implemented address Integrated Disease Management (IDM) on potato-using farmer research groups.
In integrating and scaling up technologies for resource-poor potato growers in Kabale district, the project
seeks to improve farmers’ competitiveness in the market, household food security, and production
techniques to sustainably improve the quality and quantity of food, and subsequently, reduce poverty
levels among the farmers.
Project III: Enabling Rural Innovations (ERI) –(BAPPA-2). This project (US$ 90,000) started in
October 2003 in three sub-counties of Kabale and ends in October 2006. It is funded by the Swiss
 
10 BAPPA stands for Beyond Productivity to Poverty Alleviation. The current name for this project is ERI.
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Development Corporation (SDC) and the Canadian International Development Corporation (CIDA)
through the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropica (CIAT). The objectives are to improve
organizational capacity in pilot communities; support farmers’ experimentation and application of
technical skills; develop an approach to strengthen the community’s capacity to invest in poverty￾reducing enterprises; assist farming communities to protect their natural resources; and support women’s
empowerment and participation in leadership at the community level.
Africare implements the project and facilitates CIAT scientists in conducting collaborative research and
development activities. During implementation, Africare empowers women economically and socially,
improves sustainable use of communities’ resources, and trains farmers that graduate from the UFSI
project’s FFS and from other participating communities in marketing skills as well as linking them to
markets.
These three projects complement well the objectives of the agricultural component of UFSI-II.
3.2 Partners
Key to the success of Africare’s interventions is its strategy and ability to utilize partnerships and
synergies to achieve its objectives through a collective effort rather than working alone. Besides being
more efficient and cost-effective, working in partnership with other organizations contributes to the
sustainability of UFSI-II project interventions because the partners can continue with the interventions
when the UFSI project closes. Since the start of UFSI-II, Africare has worked in partnership with many
organizations. Table 3.1 below summarizes the nature and roles of most significant of these partners.
Some of the partnerships listed in Table 3.1 were operational before the MTE and ceased after serving
their intended purpose. For example, Agro-genetic laboratories LTD and CABI international collaborated
with Africare at a contract (MOU) level before the MTE, but these contracts ended when the companies
involved completed their respective tasks of improving and providing clean banana planting materials,
and undertaking studies on plant population density to achieve optimum seed size. Among the informal
partnerships, Africare maintained active collaboration with NAADS, AAMP, UNSPPA and KPSPC after
the MTE. Africare’s collaboration with the rest ceased or weakened after achieving the objectives of the
partnerships.
Africare’s efforts to link farmers to markets are in line with a key strategy of the PMA, which is to
promote household food security through the market, rather than through household self-sufficiency, and
to encourage households to specialize according to their comparative advantage and acquire what they
don’t produce through the market. In its efforts to link farmers to markets, Africare sought collaborative
arrangements with CIAT because of its expertise in participatory market research methodologies Africare
and CIAT share a common objective of enhancing food security and rural livelihoods for the poor while
protecting the environment. Under the Enabling Rural Innovations (ERI) Project, CIAT develops
technologies (such as optimum fertilizer use rates, spacing and de-haulming time for Solanum potatoes)
through participatory research, which are then promoted by Africare among farmers in the project area..
CIAT also provides training for Africare staff, helps to mobilize resources to facilitate farmer group
activities and provide technical backstopping in the efforts to link farmers to markets. Africare does the
monitoring and evaluation, and the scaling up of the developed technologies to new communities.
Africare also identifies and supports the development farmers’ groups to work with the CIAT-Africare
partnership, in addition to contributing staff time and funds to meet the cost of demonstration materials.
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Table 3.1 Major Partners of the Agriculture Section of UFSI-II.
Name of Partner Type of
Partnership Collaborative Activities
CIAT M.O.U -Implementing a joint ERI project (addressing socio￾economic issues and how they affect marketing and
social well-being, as well as linking farmers to markets)
-Capacity building for Africare staff in participatory
market research methodologies and Agro-enterprise
development
CIP M.O.U -Implementation of FFS emphasizing integrated disease
management of late blight and bacterial wilt
-Germplasm exchange
-Provision of training materials
-Technical backstopping on Solanum and sweet potatoes
NARO M.O.U -On-farm research activities
-Seed certification
-Post-harvest storage conservation
-Training (technical backstopping)
-Foundation seed supply
-Joint monitoring (yields and diseases)
-Joint implementation of farmer field schools (FFS)
-Joint experimentation to achieve size and quality of
produce that meets potential buyers’ requirements
District Local
Governments
M.O.U -Joint training of farmers
NAADS and AAMP Informal -Training of farmers
-Provision of seed, other inputs and services to farmers
-Exchange visits between Africare farmers and NAADS/
AAMP farmers
-Linking farmers’ groups to potential buyers
-Collecting & dissemination of market information
UNSPPA Informal -Joint training in seed production technology
-Developing distribution networks of improved seed
- Marketing activities
-Seed certification
Kigezi Private Sector
Promotion Center
Informal -Training farmers in agribusiness skills
PRAPACE Informal -Regional networking (Sub Saharan Africa-Sweet potato
and Irish potato)
-Training of staff and facilitating of exchange visits
-Germplasm exchange
Kabale District
Farmers’ Ass. (KADFA
Informal -Facilitating Exchange Visits
-CEED (NAADS action research)
Care international Informal -Joint Training
-CEED (NAADS action research)
Africa 2000 Network Informal -Exchange visits
-Exchange of reports
-CEED (NAADS action research)
Africa Highlands
Initiative (AHI)
Informal -Developing communication materials
-Facilitating exchange visits
-CEED (NAADS action research)
-Joint workshops to share experience on watershed
management
Source: Africare reports and personal communication with partners.
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In collaboration with CIAT, Africare develops the capacity of smallholders to penetrate competitive
market chains using participatory market research methodologies. The process involves assisting
farmers’ groups to diagnose, prioritize, plan, and evaluate income-generating activities (enterprises) in a
participatory manner; and to conduct market research to identify potential markets for their enterprises.
Meetings between potential buyers and farmers’ group representatives are then arranged to discuss
quantity, quality, prices, packaging and frequency of delivery, and if successful, contracts are signed and
production begins. As a result of CIAT-Africare collaborative effort, one of the Africare-supported
groups (Nyabyumba United Farmers’ Group) signed a contract with Nandos (a fast food restaurant in
Kampala) in July 2003 to supply 11.28 MT of potatoes per month (see Box 3.1). CIAT and Africare are
currently finalizing the process of linking farmers groups in Nyabyumba and Nyakibande to a potato crisp
processing factory in Kampala, with a capacity of 2.4 MT of potatoes per week. Other efforts by Africare
to link farmers to markets are discussed later in this chapter in the section on marketing activities.
NARO is also a strong partner of Africare and has been instrumental in producing start-up seed and
planting materials for different interventions (such as Solanum potatoes, climbing beans, maize, cassava
and sweet potatoes) undertaken by Africare. Besides conducting research and developing new
technologies for use by Africare farmers, NARO also trains these farmers as well as Africare staff.
Through training, NARO gives technical backstopping to Africare to ensure that the technologies
promoted are handled well. For example, under the ERI project which links farmers to markets, NARO
and Africare have conducted on-farm participatory research to establish the optimum fertilizer rate, de￾haulming time (time to cut off shoots to enable potatoes to attain desired size) and plant spacing required
to produce the right size and quality of potatoes needed by potential buyers.
In addition, NARO is collaborating with Africare to develop and multiply a potato variety with good
qualities for processing crisps, and has facilitated Africare to control the bean root rot disease in Kisoro
by mobilizing funds to run Farmer Field Schools (FFS). The main contribution of Africare to this
partnership is supporting the development of farmers’ groups that NARO can work with and the
identification of farmers’ needs (in a participatory manner). Africare also provides staff time and funds to
help meet the cost of demonstration materials.
NARO is also managing a collaborative research program with the International Potato Center (CIP) and
Africare on farmer field schools (FFS), using funding from the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD). Through CIP, IFAD is funding a project (US$ 390,000) on Integrating and scaling
up technologies for resource poor potato grower. This project runs from June 2004 to March 2007 and is
being implemented in four Africare facilitated villages namely; Habubare, Ryakarimira, Nyakibande, and
Kabanyonyi communities. Implementation of this project is involves participatory research and
technology dissemination through FFS, with the aim of improving competitiveness (on the market) and
food security (in homes) of resource use.
A key result of this partnership between Africare, NARO and CIP is the demonstration and promotion of
fertilizer and integrated disease and pest management options among Africare farmers. This wouldn’t be
possible if Africare was working alone because the organization (USAID) funding UFSI-II does not allow
using its funds to purchase inorganic fertilizers11. The demonstration and promotion of fertilizer has been
beneficial in Kabale particularly on Solanum potatoes, saving farmers the burden of having to apply tons
of organic manure (compost) to increase yield when they can apply a few kilograms of NPK and get the
same or even better results.
UFSI-II supports the development of community based commercial seed growers. Africare selects and
trains farmers (usually through FFS) and recommends them to Uganda National Seed Potato Producers
 
11 However, Africare received some inorganic fertilizer training information from the USAID Mission to Uganda in
FY 05 which was used to train some communities in the safe use of inorganic fertilizers, and will continue in the FY
06
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Association (UNSPPA) for enrollment as commercial seed growers, and the majority of UNSPPA’s
members are graduates of Africare’s FFS. UNSPPA absorbs some of the graduates from the Africare FFS
who take up potato growing as an enterprise. Africare and its partners also support UNSPPA in terms of
capacity building, inspection of seed gardens and linking its members to potential markets for their
produce. In return, UNSPPA produces quality disease free seed for use by Africare farmers. It also
collaborates with Africare and NARO in inspecting farmers’ potato gardens and certifying those that are
disease-free for supplying seed for next season’s planting.
Other Africare collaborators include Kigezi Private Sector Promotion Center (KPSPC) and local
governments in the project area. KPSPC trains Africare farmers in business skills and enterprise
development. Several farmers groups have been trained by KPSPC in Apiary management.
UFSI-II also partners with local government from the parish up to district level and at all levels, both the
politicians and technical staff are involved in UFSI-II activities. At the lowest level, the Local Council
One (LC1) chairman sits as an ex-official member on the Food Security Committee and is directly
involved in mobilization of the communities to undertake tasks of the agricultural related activities. At
district level, the politicians are involved in policy making and mobilization of farmers in UFSI-II project
areas, while the technical staffs under the production directorate conduct agricultural training in the
communities together with Africare staff. This helps the scaling up of interventions as well as the rate of
adoption of the disseminated technologies. The project also partners with NAADS and AAMP who train
and provide quality seed and other inputs to Africare farmers’ groups.
3.3 Evolution of the Project’s Activities
At the time of inception of UFSI-I, the major constraint identified by farmers was the lack of high quality
planting materials to increase production. At that time, planting materials were obtained from the market
or farmers’ own seed saved from the previous harvest, but these were of poor quality with low genetic
potential. Because of limited resources, local governments and institutions did not make any significant
effort to help farmers’ access good quality planting materials. Thus, the agricultural component of the
project undertook to address this problem by providing farmers with improved crop varieties and training
them in appropriate cultivating and post-harvest techniques.
 According to the 1997 baseline survey and the PRA processes, farmers placed high priority on Solanum
potato, sorghum and beans. Sorghum was not included in the project design because of the lack of high
quality seed, long maturity periods and being a major source of local alcohol. Priority was given to
Solanum potato, followed by climbing beans and sweet potato production. The project developed a
strong partnership with the NARO, which helped in the technology selection of the most preferred crops,
i.e., climbing beans and Solanum potatoes.
By the fourth year of UFSI-I, the agricultural component had achieved or over-achieved nearly all its
original objectives, i.e., to increase crop yields and reduce post-harvest loss of seed and food in storage. A
clear indication of this success was the multiplicity of partnership arrangements and collaborative
research outputs handled. UFSI-II built on these successes to expand efforts to improve food security
beyond Kabale district to the entire southwestern region. The agricultural component of UFSI-II focuses
on better agricultural extension and education, strengthening the organizational capacity of community,
and improving the market access and promotion of non-farm activities.
The baseline survey conducted in 2002 in the target districts of UFSI-II identified sorghum, beans, and
Solanum potatoes as the most important cash crops for farmers, followed by bananas, pineapples, sweet
potatoes and maize in that order. Thus, the activities of UFSI-II continued to support the priority crops of
UFSI-I (climbing beans, Solanum potatoes and sweet potatoes) and added bananas—an important crop in
the new districts of Ntungamo and Rukungiri. Sorghum was omitted for the reasons stated above.
3.3.1 Intervention Identification Process
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The agricultural component of UFSI was implemented at the village level in both phase 1 and 2. The
project extension agents involved farmers from the selected villages in problem identification, planning
and prioritization of problems as well as analyzing existing opportunities. Village action plans (VAPs)
were then developed (see Figure 3.1and Box 3.1). These formed the basis for implementing the
component’s activities.
Africare’s entry to the communities has been guided and facilitated by the area sub-county and parish
chiefs – thus involving the sub-counties in the planning and subsequent implementation processes. The
extension agents helped to set up village production (food security) committees. The production
committee includes the chairperson, vice chairperson, treasurer, secretary, security officer/store person, a
woman representative, two members and an LCI chairperson. The monitoring and evaluation system
targets were set based on the baseline information in target communities and the time frame for the
project. It was anticipated that collaborative arrangements and partnerships would help achieve some of
the set targets. For the agricultural component, more indicators than those monitored in UFSI-I were
added to capture income change and enterprise development.
Figure 3.1 – Village Action Plan of Entekateka
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3.3.2 Interventions and Activities under UFSI-I
A total of 5,133 households were supported by the agricultural component in target villages and groups.
Activities included village action planning, training and supervision of farmers on recommended crop
agronomic practices (Solanum and sweet potatoes and climbing beans), construction of light diffuse
stores, training on grain post harvest technologies, development of commercial seed growers, on-farm
trials, FFS for integrated disease management, study tours and training of farmers in marketing, small
scale farm business management, basic accounting and record keeping. All activity targets were met
except in marketing. Project activities were well integrated and complemented each other.
3.3.3 Interventions and Activities under UFSI-II
The agricultural activities of UFSI-II concentrated on agriculture extension and education, organizational
capacity of community, improving access to the market and promotion of non-farm activities (UFSI-II
DAP). Under UFSI-II, agricultural interventions continued in 40 of UFSI-I communities that had been
included towards the end of UFSI-I to consolidate the gains achieved.
Agricultural interventions began in 36 new villages and thus remained active in 40 UFSI-I villages in
2002. This is because, while the groups formed first were found to have successfully adopted the new
practices, those formed towards end of UFSI-I lacked both understanding of issues and adoption of
practices, thus requiring additional support (UFSI-I, Final Evaluation Report, 2001). Interventions
expanded to 36 villages in early 2003 and phased out of the 35 UFSI-I villages in Kabale District. Five
sites were maintained as case studies for the production to consumption continuum activities in a
collaborative arrangement with CIAT. Early in 2004, another 36 villages were added bringing the total
number of villages to 113.
The selection procedure of beneficiaries started with parishes, based on severity of food shortage in the
past as perceived by the district administration and backed by secondary information, proximity to
planned UFSI community roads and willingness of the farmers to be included. Absence of other
development NGOs doing similar activities was also considered. Villages within those parishes were then
randomly selected and willing farmers from those villages began participating. Early in 2005, 36 more
villages were taken up, and another 4 villages were taken up as experimental sites for the FFS in mid￾2005. Thus, the agricultural interventions are currently being implemented in 153 villages throughout the
five districts. Table 3.2 shows the progress of the agricultural component of UFSI-II at the end of 2005.
Training and supervision of improved agricultural technologies and practices
Box 3.1: The Process of Village Action Planning
Each farming community develops its own village action plan (VAP) through participatory methods
involving farmers and extension staff of Africare and its partners. The process ensures that the plans are
developed according to priorities of the target community, and within the available resources of the
farmers, Africare and its partners. During the planning meetings, problems constraining increased
agricultural production are identified and ranked. Africare then selects those that fit in the project design
(DAP), and Africare’s partners select what they can address within their means. In some cases, where
Africare and its partners lack the mandate, new collaborators are sought. The farmers, facilitated by
Africare, conclude the process with the drafting of an action plan. The plan contains the identified
problems, nature of intervention, desired change, activities to be conducted, the responsible party, and
time frame within which to attain the desired changes.
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Farmer training by Africare’s extension staff has been mostly on improved agronomic practices,
integrated disease and pest management and post-harvest handling. The technologies and practices
disseminated to farmers Africare’s extension staff are summarized in Table 3.3.
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Table 3.2 Implementation Schedule for the Project Activities for Agriculture Component
from FY02-FY05
Nature of target/ activity 2002 2003 2004 2005 Remark
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 34 1 2 3 4
1 Village action planning x x x x 143 village action plans
developed
2. Train and supervise on recommended
crop agronomic practices (potato, sweet
potato, banana, & beans)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
3. Developing New partnerships x x x x Six M.O.Us signed
4.Construction of diffuse light stores x x x x x x x x x x x x
5. Training on grain post harvest
technologies
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
6.Development of community based
commercial seed growers
x x x x x x x x x x x Selected from graduates of
FFS
7. On farm trials x x x x x x x x x Partnered with NARO
8. Farmer field schools for integrated
disease management
x x x x x x x x x x x Using farmer run field
schools
9. Study tours/ exchange visits x x x
10. Training of farmers in marketing,
small-scale farm business management,
basic accounting and record keeping
x x x x x x x x x x x Linking farmers to markets
in partnership with CIAT
Table 3.3 Major Agricultural Technologies Disseminated by Africare’s Extension Staff
Crop Technologies and practices disseminated
Solanum
potato
• Suitable land identification
• Selection of clean seed and timely planting
• Appropriate spacing and line planting
• Manure application, weeding, and earthing-up
• Integ rated disease management (IDM) of Late blight and Bacterial wilt
• De-haulming and harvesting time
• Sorting and grading of potato
• Packaging and post harvest handling
Banana • Identification of disease free suckers
• Spacing, weeding, mulching and composting manure
• Trench construction for soil and water conservation
• De-suckering and de-leafing
• IPM of banana pests (weevils and nematodes) and IDM of bacterial and Fusarium
wilts
Legumes and
cereals (beans,
peanuts,
soybeans, and
maize)
• Land identification, plant spacing, weeding, and intercropping/ crop rotation
• Staking for climbing beans
• Selection of clean seed and timely planting
• Manure/fertilizer application
• Disease and pests management
• Time of harvesting and seed sorting
• Post harvest handling
- 34 -
Sweet potatoes
and cassava
• Identification of disease free planting materials
• Timely planting, appropriate spacing, and weeding
• Crops for intercropping/crop rotation
The agricultural section of UFSI-II uses various approaches to train farmers. These include farmer field
schools, demonstration gardens, leaflets and video messages, and farmer exchange visits.
(a) Farmer Field Schools (FFS)
The FFS concept rests on the assumption that conventional extension methods do not provide farmers
with adequate information to enable them to make decisions on crop and pest management, which deters
adoption. But through weekly sessions of self-teaching under FFS, farmers have the opportunity to
recognize the factors that affect their crops. The purpose of these FFS is to train farmers in integrated pest
or disease management so that they can select the most appropriate components of management, adjust
them to their conditions and use these to increase productivity. Interested farmers in a parish or sub￾county come together once a week for three hours to attend FFS sessions.
This approach provides a conducive environment for farmers to learn through participatory research,
experimentation, adoption and dissemination of appropriate technologies. The approach emphasizes
hands-on experience over an agricultural calendar year and covering a curriculum from land preparation
to marketing. This helps farmers to learn by doing and discover on their own rather than being told what
to do.
As part of UFSI-I activities, Africare conducted a baseline survey in 1997 which revealed that late blight
(LB) caused by phytophthora infestans was the most devastating constraint for potato improvement in
southwestern Uganda, causing crop losses of between 29% and 65% in Kabale highlands. In collaboration
with NARO and CIP, Africare started farmer field schools (FFS) as a way of controlling this disease
using an integrated approach12. In the FFS, farmers receive training on the use of several control methods
at the same time, including disease resistance, fungicide use, seed health, cost-benefit analysis and
agronomic practices for Solanum potatoes.
By the end of UFSI-I, 16 FFSs (8 facilitated by NARO and 8 by Africare) were in place and the final
evaluation for UFSI-I found them very popular among farmers and an extremely effective training
method. The Nyabyumba United Farmers’ Group graduated from farmer-run FFS and has been supplying
potatoes to the fast-food Kampala restaurant, Nandos since 2003. Building on this success, the
agricultural component of UFSI-II encouraged the best performing graduates of the first 16 FFSs to start
FFSs in neighboring communities, which produced 10 farmer-run FFSs in UFSI-II.
The FFS approach has been used in Kisoro district (in partnership with NARO scientists) to fight the bean
root rot disease, and at the mid-term of UFSI-II, 3 FFS had been set up and 81 participants had graduated.
Another 3 FFS were started after the MTE to bring the total number of FFS in the district to 6 in a two￾year period, 3 of which were run by an Africare-employed facilitator, and the other 3 by a community￾based facilitator. After testing one local and seven improved varieties of beans with varying levels of
susceptibility, the farmers adopted NABE 12C, popularly called Sugar-31.
At the mid-term, a new MoU had just been signed between Africare, CIP and NARO to build on the FFS
success and add a component on the agricultural knowledge and information system for Solanum potato
(AKIS Potato). It was planned that the agricultural component of UFSI-II would work closely with
NAADS and Area Based Agricultural Modernization Project (AAMP) to undertake this study in
 
12 The two main objectives of this Integrated Disease Management and Late Blight (IDM-LB) program
were to use resistant varieties and train farmers in LB management and other aspects of the Solanum
potato crop.
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September 2004 to implement the AKIS concept. This is being implemented by NAADS and AAMP, and
is running for the second season.
In March 2005, Africare recruited a specialist in FFS to provide leadership and guidance in running FFS,
and this is expected to improve their performance. It is hoped that the graduates of the FFS will be hired
by other organizations such as NAADS to offer extension/training services to the communities. In one of
the Africare farmer-run FFS, the facilitator is a graduate of Africare FFS of UFSI-I. Other graduates are
expected to become commercial producers of potatoes and beans, as has previously been the case.
 (b) Demonstrations
Community seed multiplication schemes are used as demonstration plots. The communities are provided
with improved seed that include Solanum potato, beans, banana suckers, sweet potato vines, composite
maize, cassava cuttings, peanuts, and soybeans. The seed is procured from NARO centers. However, for
the vegetatively- propagated crops of sweet potatoes and cassava, materials for distribution to new
villages are bought from old villages that got the initial seed from NARO. This speeds up the rate of
adoption of the varieties. In FY05 alone, 659 community multiplication gardens were established (Table
3.4).
Table 3.4. Community Gardens of Key Intervention Crops Established During FY05 Season
Crop Number of Community Gardens
Potato 144
Beans 144
Maize 120
Orange fleshed sweet potatoes 144
Banana 75
Cassava 37
Peanuts 27
Total 659
Under the demonstration training approach, communities multiply the provided seed for two seasons. In
the third season, the individual farmers take up the seed and plant at the household level. It was
discovered that at individual level, the Africare farmers exchange their seed with non-Africare farmers.
While this may have a negative effect on the level of adoption of the Africare-promoted improved
varieties in the targeted communities (particularly for beans and sweet potatoes) and on the observable
impact of Africare interventions on the direct beneficiaries, it makes the indirect impact bigger and is
likely to result in a faster diffusion of new technologies beyond Africare’s target communities.
The end-term survey report showed that for most improved technologies and agronomic practices (e.g.
use of improved crop varieties, line planting, appropriate spacing and seed dressing) that were adopted,
the dominant source of information for Africare households was Africare and for non-Africare
households, was fellow farmers. It is possible that the non-Africare households received information on
these technologies from fellow farmers who were trained by Africare (i.e., Africare households). If
Africare-promoted technologies have been passed on to non-Africare households through farmer-to￾farmer extension, disparities in crop performance are likely to have been reduced, so that impact measures
based on comparison of Africare and non-Africare farmers would understate the impact of Africare
interventions.
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(c) Farmers’ exchange visits
Both internal and external visits have been undertaken. Internal visitshave been conducted within the
district while externals involve farmers traveling across districts. Most of the visits however have been
internal among Africare, AAMP, and NAADS groups. These visits have enabled farmers to feel
challenged by colleagues who are using improved practices and technologies under the same working
environment. In addition, the exchange visits have strengthened the linkages between NAADS, AAMP
and Africare groups.
(d) Leaflets and video messages
These have been used particularly in disseminating information on the prevention of the banana bacterial
wilt disease and in informing communities on the use and importance of orange-fleshed sweet potato
varieties. To date, over 3,000 farmers have attended video shows about the dangers of the banana
bacterial wilt disease and control measures. In addition, more than 2,500 leaflets showing the symptoms,
spread, and control of banana bacterial wilt disease have been distributed to the banana growing
communities of Ntungamo and Rukungiri districts.
3.4. Mid-term Recommendations and their Implementation.
The MTE team for UFSI-II made several recommendations for changes aimed at improving the
performance of the agriculture section. This section discusses the action taken on these recommendations,
and explains the reasons for failure to implement some of them.
During the MTE, it was noted that NARO was adopting a ‘systems’ rather than ‘commodity’ approach of
research as a means of increasing the impact of research on farmers’ welfare. A recommendation was thus
made for Africare to follow suit as a way of strengthening the NARO-Africare partnership. The MTE
team considered this to be very important, since NARO is likely to stay and continue giving support to
farmers in areas served by the partnership long after UFSI-II closes. However, the systems approach was
not adopted by Africare because it would have involved activities that could not be accommodated within
the DAP. Also, by training farmers in improved agronomic practices such as composting, soil and water
conservation technologies, post harvest handling techniques that are not crop-specific, Africare is
implicitly implementing a systems approach to development.
The MTE team noted that Africare did not have a formal partnership with NAADS, backed up by a
memorandum of understanding (MOU) as is the case with other NGOs (such as A2N and ICRAF) that
work with NAADS either through providing technologies or developing farmers’ institutions. It was
observed that there are opportunities for Africare to strengthen this important partnership by offering to
provide services for technology adaptation, farmer institution development, and building the capacity of
NAADS service providers to address crosscutting issues such as NRM, and gender and HIV/AIDS—
which Africare was already planning to mainstream into its activities.
It was, therefore, recommended that Africare explore possibilities for partnering with NAADS in a more
formal way (e.g., at the MOU level) to enable NAADS to complement Africare’s efforts and sustain its
achievements beyond the project. This was critical especially for Africare communities growing apples
and other fruit trees as a commercial enterprise because by the time they start experiencing harvesting,
post-harvest and marketing challenges, UFSI-II will have ended and NAADS should be available to
provide support. Since the MTE, Africare has continued to collaborate with NAADS, albeit informally
through farmer exchange visits and efforts to link farmers to markets. Although the NAADS-Africare
partnership was not formalized, many of Africare’s farmers groups have registered at the sub-county level
and are benefiting from NAADS services, and will continue to do so after UFSI-II closes. It is important,
therefore, that Africare encourages and facilitates its groups that have not yet registered with NAADS to
do so before the project closes.
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The MTE team also observed a need for marketing studies to identify the varieties of apples preferred by
consumers to guide farmers on which varieties to grow. A marketing study was conducted and two apple
varieties, Ana and Dozette, were selected and recommended to farmers. A summary of the
recommendations and action taken is presented in Table 3.5. Recommendations for changes were also
made for some of the impact and monitoring indicators, and these are discussed below.
Impact Indicator 1.1.1. Average annual vol. (kg) of household production (Solanum potatoes,
beans, orange flesh sweet potatoes and bananas)
Monitoring the volume of production based on farmers’ recall is acceptable but the accuracy of the
information collected is highly dependent on the skills of the extension agents collecting the information.
Skillful probing is necessary, and the MTE team recommended developing a standard format for
collecting this information and training the extension staff thoroughly on how to collect this information.
A standard format for data collection was designed and all field extension staff received some basic
training. Additional training has been planned for the next quarter. Regular supervision of the extension
staff by the section head was also recommended because it is critical for data quality control. Supervision
has been carried out mostly on a monthly basis, but sometimes it is done quarterly because of other
pressing demands on the section heads’ time.
Monitoring Indicator 1.1.3. # Households adopting at least 3 improved agronomic practices
The MTE recommended that this indicator remain as is (i.e.” lumpy” in the sense of grouping together
agronomic practices) in the IPTT for ease of reporting because there are very many agronomic practices,
but that improved seed adoption data be collected and monitored separately. This is because farmers
rarely adopt technology packages as a whole, but rather stepwise, starting with seed and gradually adding
other components of the package. This is important in promoting the sustainability of the higher yield
arising from adopting improved seed, which depletes soil nutrients much faster if not accompanied by use
of soil amendments.
So the MTE recommended that the adoption of seed and agronomic practices be monitor separately to
provide an insight into the sustainability of production. It was also noted that some agronomic practices
are more critical than others in sustaining production for specific crops, thus the need to collect
information on each of the recommended practices for each of the crops to enable the section heads to
analyze this information on a regular basis. This was considered necessary to understand which practices
are being adopted faster and why, to guide the allocation of effort for promoting different practices
depending on how critical they are and how fast they are taken up by farmers. These recommendations
were not implemented because of time and manpower limitations. It is very important that they are
implemented in the next Multiple Year Assistance Program (MYAP).
Monitoring Indicator 1.2.2. # Newly established agro-based enterprises
The purpose of supporting the development of new agro-based enterprises is to increase income￾generating opportunities as a means of eradicating poverty. The government strategy in line with this
objective is to promote the production of high-value crops, so the MTE recommended that new
enterprises be monitored separately to provide information on the proportion constituting high-value
crops. This recommendation was successfully implemented.
Also emphasized at the mid-term was the need to increase the capacity of extension staff to collect
accurate data, and for other staff, particularly the section heads, to analyze this data regularly and use it as
a tool to guide future interventions. Recommendation was also made for staff training in data recording
and analysis, and facilitation with computer software. The final evaluation team noted that extension staff
have been given some basic training and more training is planned for the next quarter. Also, a new
agriculture section head with relevant analytical skills was hired, making the recommended training
unnecessary. However, staff training for all section heads in data analysis is recommended for the next
MYAP.
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3.5 Achievements at the End of FY05
 By the MTE, five MOUs had been signed to exploit synergies with partners in implementing UFSI-II
interventions. Of the five, three are currently operational and one more was signed after the MTE to bring
the number of currently operational contracts to four. The reason some contracts ended is because they
had served their purpose. For example, Agro-genetic laboratories LTD and CABI international
accomplished the respective tasks of improving and providing clean banana planting materials; and
undertaking studies on plant population density to achieve optimum seed size.
Regarding seed multiplication, 4 farmers groups and 6 individual farmers are currently producing seed on
a commercial basis. In addition, over 112 farmers are currently undergoing training in potato production
using the FFS approach. Graduates of these schools who meet the requirements for UNSSPA are expected
to become commercial potato growers. A total of 8,750 tissue culture banana suckers were planted in 75
multiplication sites from these, 1,600 plantlets have so far been transplanted to individual gardens and
more are to be transplanted at the onset of the rains. Also 2,500 plantlets from clean farmer owned
gardens were planted in season FY04.
The number of times extension agents met farmer groups has significantly reduced since the start of
UFSI-II. For the farmers’ groups taken up in FY02, the number of visits by extension agents averaged 84
times, but for the groups taken up in FY03 and FY04, only 48 and 42 visits have been made per year,
respectively. This decline in the number of visits per group reflects the increasing number of villages
taken up by UFSI-II in FY03 and FY04. In 2005, this number declined even further to 36 visits, and most
of these visits were in the new villages taken up in 2005. This was due, primarily, to the introduction of
new villages without a commensurate increase in extension staff. For example, Kabale district is supposed
to have two extension staff under the agriculture section but it has only one. For the other districts, the
extension staff on agriculture also does NRM work, making it hard to make frequent visits to farmers.
Problems of inadequate number of staff and supervision were also cited during the field visits, and have
contributed to the decline in extension visits to farmers. This decline is important, since the more frequent
the contact between farmer and extension agent, the more likely the adoption of a new technology. During
the final evaluation field visits it was observed that farmers’ groups taken up in FY02 have adopted the
agronomic practices (both at the communal demonstration plot and individual field level) more than the
groups of FY03 and certainly more than the groups of FY04 for Africare’s target crops. This was
confirmed by the end-term survey, which showed a higher level of adoption of Africare-promoted
technologies by households taken up in 2003 than those of 2004 or 2005.
The field reports of 2005 showed that the performance of Solanum potatoes in Ntungamo and Rukungiri
was far below the target, due to the high incidences of bacterial wilt that is favored by the high
temperatures in these two districts. One of the Africare-supported farmers’ groups visited by the final
evaluation team in Rukungiri planted two bags of Solanum potato seed in 2005 but harvested nothing and
members of this group were appealing to Africare to assist them with seed for planting next season. In
addition, beans in Ntungamo have suffered persistent attack by birds and the bean root rot (BRR) disease.
- 39 -
Table 3.5 Mid-term Evaluation Recommendations and Action Taken on Agricultural Component
Recommendation Action taken/progress Comment/Remarks
Adopting a systems
approach to R&D
Africare in partnership with NARO is training farmers in improved agronomic
practices that are non-crop specific such as composting manure, soil and water
conservation, post harvest handling, among others. Also, together with NARO
Africare is selecting and supplying improved seed varieties to farmers such as
temperate fruit trees and clean seed of intervention crops.
Although a systems approach is time
consuming, expensive and not catered for in the
DAP, Africare through disseminating non crop
specific technologies, is indirectly applying a
systems approach
Supporting small scale
Irrigation
A small scale irrigation scheme for Nyakibande has been designed by Africare and
implementation is underway
In Nyabyumba, the management of Nandos
restaurant is cost sharing installation of a small
irrigation scheme. This is being facilitated by
Africare/CIAT partnership
Strengthen partnership
with CIAT for
continued support of
farmers’ efforts to
penetrate competitive
market chains
Through Africare/CIAT partnership, the ERI initiative has developed the Nyabyumba/
Nandos market which is currently running for the third year. To strengthen the farmer
market linkages and Africare/CIAT activities, a marketing officer was recruited. Thus,
with CIAT, quarterly meetings have been planned for to review, create and strengthen,
and sustain farmer- market linkages. Through participatory enterprise development
involving CIAT and Africare, a number of groups are processing legal entity while
some have been linked to potential buyers
10 groups have been linked to potential buyers
Continued use of the
FFS approach
The CIP/IFAD potato project is on going in 4 communities to disseminate the
recommended technologies in managing late blight and bacterial wilt diseases in
potato.
More FFSs for potato are planned in the next
quarter. Also, there is a plan by NARO to extend
FFS of managing the bean root rot in Ntungamo.
This will be facilitated by Africare
Formalizing
NAADS/Africare
partnership
Africare has built capacity of farmers groups to demand for services from NAADS as
well as being potential service providers. For instance, some groups were certified by
UNSSPA to produce and supply clean seed to NAADS and AAMP. Africare has
further facilitated them to register with NAADS. As a result communities are sourcing
support from NAADS for extension and other project inputs from NAADS and
AAMP.
Africare can not form formal partnership with
NAADS since the former is not profit making
and is not registered with NAADS as a service
provider. Also, the system of providing services
to NAADS involves biding for contracts, which
is outside Africare’s mandate
Strengthening
partnership with
organization mandated
to promote fertilizer use
Africare obtained inorganic fertilizer literature materials from USAID which were
used to train communities on safe fertilizer use. In addition, through NARO and CIAT
partnership, farmers are being trained and exposed to all available options for
improving soil fertility, with use of inorganic fertilizer inclusive.
- 40 -
There also was a serious drought in the entire southwestern region of Uganda in 2005. All these factors
combined to reduce yield well below the targets, forcing Africare to introduce cassava and peanuts and
scale up its interventions in banana production in the two districts at the expense of beans and Solanum
potatoes. However, this could further reduce yield for the two crops in the two districts, with a negative
effect on the percentage of achieved yields versus the targets set by Africare. As part of the effort to
address the BRR challenge, NARO in partnership with Africare plans to scale up its FFS activities in
Ntungamo.
3.6 Comparison of UFSI-II Agriculture Achievements at end of FY05 in Relation to DAP Targets.
3.6.1 Agricultural Production and Productivity
Despite constraints of staff turnover, and a serious drought over recent months, it is clear that the practical
and integrated training approaches used during Africare’s interventions has enhanced technology
adoption among Africare farmers. For instance, as of Sept. 2005, 2,903 households were practicing at
least 3 improved agronomic practices compared to the 450 reported at the baseline of 2001. Also, the
adoption of disease resistant and high-yielding varieties of beans (such as NABE 12C popularly known as
Sugar-3) coupled with the integrated disease management strategies on BRR has significantly increased
bean yields from 0.8 MT/Ha at baseline to 1.8 MT/Ha at the end of FY05—an increase of 120%.
The knowledge acquired by farmers through the potato FFS as well as the improved potato seed provided
by Africare has resulted in increased potato yield from 9MT/Ha at the baseline to 10.2 MT/Ha at the end
of FY05. Also, the average annual volumes of production of the different Africare-supported crops have
increased. For instance, in the baseline report (2002), the average annual production volumes in Kg/
household of potato, beans, and banana production were 600, 100, and 2,500, respectively. As noted in
the Annual Report 2005 (based on Sept/Oct 2005 data), the respective volumes produced are 1,148, 540,
and 3,160. The increased volumes produced have clearly reduced food insecurity among the Africare
communities. At the baseline, the average months of adequate household food provisioning was 4 months
compared to 5.6 at the end of FY05, which is 93% of the DAP target. It is expected that the target will be
reached by the end of the project.
The training in improved agronomic practices improved both the quantity and quality of produce. For
example, the potatoes produced by Africare communities are free of late blight and bacterial wilt diseases,
and rotting is minimal. This has attracted several potato traders to the Africare-supported communities to
buy potatoes at competitive prices, and farmers have responded by acquiring more land to produce more
potatoes.
3.6.2 Post Harvest Handling
 To reduce post harvest losses of potatoes, Africare facilitated farmers by cost sharing the construction of
Diffused Light Store (DLS). The farmers contribute land, labor and the locally available materials, while
Africare provides materials that are not available locally. At the time of the final evaluation, 47
community DLS have been constructed. As a result of this intervention and farmer training on post￾harvest handling techniques, losses of Solanum potatoes have been reduced from 40% at baseline to 9.9%
at the end of FY05. For beans, losses have been reduced from 30% to 16.5% over the same period.
- 41 -
Table 3.6 Summary of Agricultural Component Performance
Indicator Baseline
Value
Target
for FY05
Achieved
FY05
% achieved /
FY05 target
LOA
Target
Impact Indicators
1.1 Average months of adequate
HH food provisioning
4 5.5 6.2 113% 6
1.2: Capacity of communities &
local govt. to plan & implement
Food Sec. Interventions
20 70 80 84% 80
1.1.1. Avg. annual
vol. (kg) of HH
production of
Potato
Beans
OS potato
Banana
600
100
812
2,500
1,400
210
1,000
3,200
1,148
183
540
3,160
82%
87%
54%
99%
1,500
250
1,940
3,300
1.1.2 Avg. yield in
(MT/Ha) of:
Potato
Beans
OS potato
Banana
9.0
0.8
3.9
16.0
11.2
1.5
4.6
18.0
10.2
1.8
5.0
17.0
91%
120%
109%
94%
12.2
1.25
5.0
19.0
1.2.1 Avg. value
per participating
HH of crop
production
(constant 2002
Ug. Shs 000
385 - 552 - 561
Monitoring Indicators
1.1.1 # HH adopting at least 3
improved agronomic practices
450 3,500 2,903 83% 4,536
1.2.1 %losses post
harvest: Potato
Beans
40%
30%
22%
16%
9.9%
16.5%
222%
97%
20%
10%
1.2.2: # of newly established agro￾based enterprises
0 20 19 95% 72
3.6.3 Marketing Activities
Marketing activities were seen as key in the UFSI-II DAP, since findings at the end of UFSI-I indicated
only moderate achievements in marketing. Of the 2,500 farmers expected to have been trained by the
project in marketing skills, only 1275 had been trained by the end of UFSI-I. To address this challenge,
the agriculture component of UFSI-II sought several partners with expertise in marketing. Notable among
these was the Enabling Rural Innovations (ERI) project in Africa, which addresses issues constraining the
production to consumption continuum. ERI is implemented by CIAT in several African countries, and
seeks to enhance the innovative capacity of smallholders to penetrate competitive market chains using
participatory market research methodologies. The approach uses groups rather than individuals because
the majority of the beneficiaries are small-scale farmers that would find it very hard to penetrate markets
on their own. An MOU was signed between CIAT and Africare in October 2003.
Since 2003, Africare’s marketing activities have been jointly undertaken with this. Using groups, Africare
trains farmers in developing simple business plans for enterprise development and facilitates their
linkages to markets. Through ERI, one of the Africare-supported groups (Nyabyumba United Farmers’
Group) was linked to Nandos (a fast food restaurant in Kampala) as part of UFSI-II market-linkage
activity (see Box 3.2).
Africare is also in the process of linking beekeepers to the Agriculture Development and Integrated
Organic Farming (ADIOF) organization which exports honey to the EU market. In addition, Africare
together with NARO and CIAT, are in the process of linking potato farmers to potential crisp factories in
Kampala. Farmers are in the process of multiplying this variety to raise the 2.4 MT per week required by
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the crisps market. Another important linkage was between chili farmers in Shunga village in Ntungamo
district and buyers in Rukungiri, and so far 100 kgs of chili worth Ug Shs. 280,000 (about US$160) have
been sold to the buyers. The marketing officer hired by Africare, as recommended in the MTE, facilitated
these linkages. In addition, 680 farmers have been trained in marketing skills and 19 new agro-based
enterprises have been established and are functional. Of these, 10 groups have been linked to potential
buyers; 4 have formed marketing associations; and 5 are still at enterprise development level.
At the baseline (2002), no agro-based enterprise was reported, but to date, 19 such enterprises have been
established, or 95% of the end of the project target (20). Such enterprises include tree nurseries, apple,
potato, groundnuts, beans, maize, soybean and goat production, and apiary management. The established
tree nurseries have stimulated the adoption of tree planting by even non-Africare members who buy the
seedlings. Through the sale of potatoes, beans and maize, most communities have generated money to
sustain group activities. The income raised has been used to buy agricultural inputs (such as seed) and
rent land, and to start savings and credit schemes from which group members can borrow money. The
average income earned from agricultural produce among the Africare groups has increased from Ug Shs.
385,000 at the baseline to Ug Shs. 552,000 at the time of the 2005 Annual Report (Sept./Oct. 2005).
3.7 Cross-cutting issues
Box 3.2 Nyabyumba -Nandos Restaurant Market Linkage
In collaboration with CIAT, Africare developed the capacity of smallholders to penetrate
competitive market chains using participatory market research methodologies. Several farmers’
groups have been linked to markets as a result of this collaboration. One such group is Nyabyumba
United Farmers’ Group comprising 43 females and 30 males. In July 2003 this group was linked to
Nandos (a fast food restaurant in Kampala) as part of UFSI-II market-linkage activity. The process
of identifying Nandos as a potential buyer initially involved meetings between Africare, CIAT,
PRAPACE, and the farmers. The farmers were organized into a marketing group. Africare then
facilitated the group and its partners to select enterprises through a participatory approach. These
included Solanum potato, goats, and chickens, among others. Farmers’ representatives were then
elected by the group to constitute the marketing committee. Together with Africare and CIAT, the
committee conducted a farmer market research to establish the most profitable and affordable
enterprises. The potato enterprise was selected. Africare, PRAPACE and CIAT facilitated meetings
between individual potential buyers and the marketing committee,. With each buyer, the meetings
discussed quality, quantity, prices, packaging, and frequency of delivery. Among the potential
buyers, Nandos offered the best opportunity and was selected.
In July 2003, a contract was signed between Nandos Nyabyumba United Farmers’ Group for the
supply of 11.28 MT of potatoes per month with a diameter of not less than 7 cm. To achieve the
required quality and quantity, CIAT and NARO in collaboration with Africare conducted farmer
participatory experiments and established the appropriate spacing, de-haulming time, and optimum
fertilizer rate to produce the quality and quantity of potatoes required by Nandos. This contract is
renewed annually and has enabled the group to earn an accumulated income of Ug. Shs. 73,770,000
($40,983) from potato sales. The group has also opened a bank account, and established a revolving
fund that is currently being strengthened into a savings and credit scheme. To date, the revolving
fund scheme has accumulated savings of Ug. Shs. 1,265,000 ($703). 24 group members have
established new iron sheets buildings; 30 members now purchase seed directly from the suppliers;
36 members have bought goats while 12 have purchased cows; and 50 members can now afford
hiring labor to work on their farms. In addition, gender awareness within the group and at household
level has increased and as a result, families now plan as a unit.
- 43 -
Interviews with farmers during the final evaluation indicated that the village action plans have been an
extremely useful tool not only in agricultural planning but also in leadership activities and in the
empowerment of women. Building on skills acquired developing these VAPs, many women have
successfully campaigned and been elected to leadership positions in local administration. Many members
of Africare’s village production committees (men and women) have been elected to represent their groups
at the sub-county farmer fora under the NAADS program.
However, as noted in the MTE report, the need to impress upon the village committees the importance of
expanding group size with time, as more and more people become interested in the activities being
promoted by Africare, still remains. There still is reluctance to extend membership to new people to
prevent them from enjoying benefits generated by the efforts and financial inputs of the old members.
Some groups are asking the aspiring members to contribute the equivalent of what each individual
member has contributed to the group since inception, which is prohibitive. A need was observed during
the MTE to put in place a mechanism that allows new people to join at a lower (or no) benefit level and
allow this to grow with time spent with group. This need still remains.
There is also a need to create a culture among original members of village committees of sharing the
knowledge they have acquired through outreach and training of others to increase the adoption of
Africare’s interventions and expand the impact to entire communities. Although members of Africare
groups have been reluctant to allow new members into their groups, they reported smooth exchange of
information and inputs with non-Africare farmers as reported earlier.
3.8 Lessons learned
During the field visits, the strong correlation between the length of time since a village was taken up by
the project and its adoption of promoted technologies and the impact on crop performance and welfare of
the beneficiaries was clearly visible. The quarterly reports of UFSI-II also show that farmer groups taken
up in FY02 have adopted improved seed and recommended agronomic practices more than the FY03 and
certainly more than the FY04 groups for Africare’s target crops. The end-term survey confirms this.
Those households that benefited from Africare’s earlier interventions (2003) are showing greater impact
in terms of food security status and income than those that came on board later (2004 or 2005). By
projection, it can be deduced that farmers outside the target communities of UFSI-II are even worse off,
meaning that there is yet to be a critical mass of adopters to propel the process of agricultural
modernization initiated by Africare beyond the target communities.
The MTE recommended the scaling-up of entire communities and not just individual farmers if farmers
are to be transformed. During the final evaluation field visits, it was observed that Africare farmers are
exchanging the improved seed received from Africare for local varieties with non-Africare farmers,
thereby expanding the project’s impact to entire communities. The end-term survey report also shows that
non-Africare farmers are receiving Africare-promoted inputs and practices from Africare farmers. But
still, most Africare groups are reluctant to extend membership to new people. It is important that, before
the project closes, a system be put in place that allows new people to join at a lower benefit level, while
allowing benefits to grow with time spent with the group. Initial members of village committees need to
be encouraged more to share the knowledge acquired by the original members of village committees,
through outreach and training of others. This would increase the adoption of Africare’s interventions and
expand the project’s impact to entire communities.
Also noted during the end-term field visits is the reluctance of farmers to apply manure on intervention
crops planted on rented land. This runs counter to other literature (Sserunkuuma, 2005; Nkonya et al.,
2004) on Uganda, which shows intensification to be occurring more on rented land than land acquired
through other means, including purchase. Because of the serious land shortage in southwestern Uganda, it
is inevitable to rent land, so those who rent land need to be encouraged to farm it more efficiently. This
reluctance may be because Africare’s efforts to promote manure use in the project area have had less
- 44 -
impressive success in enhancing yield because it does not supply all the required nutrients in appropriate
quantity, and is bulky and difficult to carry over the mountainous terrain (MTE Report, 2004).
3.9 Opportunities and Recommendations for Sustainability
Africare has a long history of collaboration with NARO. Strengthening this partnership will ensure that
the latter continues to give support (new technologies and technical advice) to farmers in areas served by
the partnership after the project closes. It is important that Africare leaves behind a skeleton staff for a
few years to work the NARO staff to finalize interventions at a level where farmers can carry them
through, especially in communities that were taken up recently. This is based on the findings noted above
that groups formed first were found to have successfully adopted new practices, while those formed
towards the end of UFSI-I lacked both understanding of issues and adoption of practices, thus requiring
additional support (UFSI-I, Final Evaluation Report, 2001). The end-term survey findings also suggest
that households that have spent longer with the project have had a greater impact from Africare’s
interventions than those taken up later.
Africare also needs to intensify its partnerships with other institutions and organizations (besides NARO)
that are likely to stay longer in the project area so they can carry on with the most critical UFSI-II
activities after the project ends. Africare needs to facilitate its farmer r groups that are not yet registered
with NAADS to do so, to enable them receive support after the project closes.
The FFSs started by NARO and Africare have been very successful and the graduates of these schools
have started their own FFS. Continuing to use the FFS approach to teach farmers brings sustainability
because graduates remain to teach other farmers at the end of Africare’s activities. In addition, some
graduates of Africare’s FFSs are selected under NAADS to receive additional training to equip them with
the necessary skills to become community-based workers (community resource persons). Others have are
chosen to represent their groups at sub-county farmer fora under NAADS. Africare has also trained
growth-monitoring persons, and these will remain behind in the villages to carry on with growth
monitoring activities after UFSI-II closes. Building on these experiences (graduates of FFS and growth
monitoring persons), Africare should identify the most capable members of their food security committees
for further training, so they can train others when UFSI-II ends.
Africare has also had a very successful collaboration with CIAT, in developing the capacity of
smallholders to penetrate competitive market chains using participatory market research methodologies.
To sustain these interventions, CIAT plans to continue working on the same activities at least for the next
couple of years using its own resources. In addition, CIAT is looking for alternative sources of funding to
fill the shortfall in financial resources that the withdrawal of Africare will create. It is important that
Africare intensifies joint planning meetings with CIAT for the remaining part of the project, to map out
the most effective exit strategy for UFSI-II. Among other issues, it is important that Africare identifies the
most critical areas of UFSI-II interventions where CIAT should put its limited resources, to enable
prioritization of resource allocation. CIAT is also working with government programs that are likely to
stay much longer in the project area, such as NAADS and plans to strengthen these working relationships.
Africare should build the capacity of its farmers groups to manage their own financial resources
generated by group activities under UFSI-II, to enable group saving and lending (rotating savings and
credit scheme) as a way of sustaining group activities. Some groups have already started revolving
savings and credit scheme from which they lend money to group members at a small interest, which will
help to sustain group activities beyond UFSI-II. Those groups that have not done so should be encouraged
and supported to develop capacity to manage their financial resources before the end of UFSI-II. Other
groups have bought land and constructed potato store on their land using group resources, which is an
incentive for them to stay together.
Africare should intensify partnerships with organizations that have the mandate to promote fertilizer use,
to ensure that farmers are exposed to all available options for increasing agricultural productivity to
enable them to make an informed choice.
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Since the MTE, Africare has worked closely with the district staff to fight banana bacterial wilt, and
Africare has trained the district staff on a number of technologies that Africare is promoting. To sustain
Africare interventions, it is important to have joint planning meetings, where Africare invites the district
staff to their meetings. It was noted, however, that despite efforts by Africare staff to do this in the past,
there has been reluctance on the part of the district staff to come to the meetings when invited because of
not being paid allowances for attending these meetings
It is important that Africare holds joint planning meetings with its partners, including the district staff, for
the remaining part of the project, to involve them in designing the exit strategy for UFSI-II that will make
it easy for the partners to carry on with the interventions.
Finally, Africare should document the lessons learned from UFSI-II program so that other development
practitioners can use them for development activities in the project area and elsewhere. It is
recommended that a video-documentary be done to document the lessons learned.
3.10 Recommendations For the New MYAP.
ƒ Disaggregate the “lumpy” indicators (e.g., on adopted agronomic practices, newly established
agro-based enterprises). Some agronomic practices and newly established agro-based
enterprises are more critical than others in sustaining production for specific crops and
reducing poverty. There is need to collect information on individual practices and enterprises
to enable the section heads to analyze this information on a regular basis, and to use the results
as tool to guide intervention strategies.
ƒ Develop a standard and easy-to-understand format for collecting data for M&E and provide
solid training to extension staff to improve the quality of the collected data. Section heads also
need training in analytical skills to enable them to analyze the M&E data regularly for use as a
tool to guide intervention strategies.
ƒ Provisions need to be made for future survey data (baseline, mid-term and end-term) on
production and yield to be collected using plot-area measuring equipments such as GPS. The
provisional end-term survey results on crop yields are below DAP targets for most crops,
especially beans and Solanum potatoes. This is most likely the result of farmers giving
inaccurate information on area planted to the crops they harvested in 2005. Because of the
shortage of land in southwestern Uganda, farmers’ plots planted to various crops are very
small, such that asking them to estimate plot area in acres is near to impossible. It is, therefore,
recommended that future survey data (baseline, mid-term and end-term) on production and
yield be collected using plot-area measuring equipments.
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CHAPTER 4 NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
4.1 Problem Context
4.1.2 National Context of the Problem
The increase in Uganda’s agricultural production over the years has been primarily through the expansion
of cultivated area rather than through better land management and improved agronomic practices.
Uganda’s soils were once considered to be among the most fertile in the tropics, but problems of soil
nutrient depletion, soil erosion and other manifestations of land degradation have increased sharply.
Annual average soil losses in Uganda are estimated to be more than 70 kg of nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium (NPK) per ha, one of the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa (Stoorvol and Smaling, 1993).
Low and declining land productivity has led to poverty, food insecurity and an inadequate supply of wood
and other forest products. Increasing poverty and food insecurity have, in turn, contributed to land
degradation. Poor and food insecure households are unable to keep land under fallow or invest in
improved land management technologies/practices that put some portions of land out of crop production
or are expensive to construct and maintain, or use costly inputs such as chemical fertilizers.
In 1997, the Ugandan Government launched the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP). This
framework (PEAP) has seven pillars, the second of which emphasizes the preservation of the natural
resource base, particularly soils and forests, in the modernization of agriculture to ensure sustainable
agricultural production and development. This is also in line with the seventh Millennium Development
Goal (MDG) that calls on countries to reverse the losses of environmental resources by 2015.
4.1.3 Regional context of the problem
Africare is implementing Phase II of the UFSI project in the southwestern Uganda districts of Kabale,
Kisoro Ntungamo, Kanungu and Rukungiri. The objective of the natural resource management (NRM)
component of UFSI-II is to enhance conservation and management of soil, water and other natural
resources for sustainable rural development in the project area. The highlands of southwestern Uganda,
commonly referred to as Kigezi highlands, were for several decades a key food producing area in the
country. However, an increasingly high population density, presently estimated to be 370 persons per
km2
, together with intensive land cultivation with minimum inputs has led to a situation where land
degradation is threatening the region’s food security.
This high population pressure has also led to serious fragmentation of land, with households typically
farming small, scattered plots. A recent survey13 carried out in the watersheds of the five target districts
by Africare and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) found the average size of land
holdings to be only 1.16 ha per household. This is very small compared to other regions of Uganda which
on average have 2.0 ha per household.
The situation has also resulted in low and declining yields of major crops. In the Kabale District, for
example, farmers’ yields are typically less than one-third of the yields on research stations, and yields of
major crops are reported to be declining (MAAIF 1998, World Bank 1997). The majority of the
households do not use commercial fertilizers nor do they practice any form of fallow. Application of
compost manure is limited to plots of land near the homesteads because of land fragmentation and the
difficult, mountainous terrain across which to carry the compost.
Recent AFRENA-Uganda studies indicate that an estimated 10% of formerly arable land in the region has
become so degraded that it is now permanently out of production. Moreover, the area of land abandoned
due to its degradation is increasing by approximately 3% per year (AFRENA 2003) This land degradation
 
13 Asset Status and Income Baseline Survey Report in Southwestern Uganda, Africare/IFPRI, 2002.
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has contributed to the low yields cited above, and low productivity, and this deterioration of the natural
resource base has increased rural poverty, malnutrition and the inability to meet basic human needs.
Biomass, primarily consisting of forest resources and other organic matter, remains the major source of
energy in Uganda with up to 94 % of the population depending on it (UNDP, 2005). Although biomass
can be an environmentally sound source of energy, its production and use are often unsustainable and can
have adverse effects on the environment. Results from the National Bio-mass Study (2003) indicate that
firewood production is meeting only 60% of demand in the southwestern Region. The 40% shortfall is
met by improvising. The majority of households are increasingly using crop residues as a source of
energy for cooking. This practice, however, has a negative impact on soil fertility management as this
continually takes away the materials that would otherwise decompose and release soil nutrients.
4.2 Partners
The UFSI phase II project fully recognized the importance of partnership synergies in trying to achieve its
objectives and worked with a number of organizations during the course of implementing its activities.
This section gives a brief account of partners as well as the nature and benefits realized from the various
partnerships. The key UFSI-II partners and the areas of the partnership are shown in Table 4.1 below.
These partnerships have worked extremely well to advance the project objectives and it is recommended
that they be continued and expanded to new partners as the need arises, even after the closure of the
project. This would clearly enhance the sustainability of activities. The Final Evaluation team met with
key partners such ICRAF and NARO on agro forestry and fruit tree growing, Kigezi Private Sector
Promotion Center Limited on apiary development, and district environment offices on soil and water
conservation.
Collaboration with ICRAF/NARO: ICRAF/NARO undertakes research on agro forestry and fruits, as
well as farmer capacity building and dissemination of research results to farmers. The collaboration with
Africare involved backstopping farmer groups supported by Africare, training Africare’s extension staff,
and technical support for nursery establishment and management, temperate and tropical fruit
management, and germplasm supply for both tree seeds and fruit seedlings. Other support that
ICRAF/NARO provided to Africare was the identification of watersheds using GIS, and joint planning
and review workshops, involving extension staff and farmers. Ideas and experiences were shared in these
meetings on how to work as a team. ICRAF/NARO and Africare also jointly monitored the adoption by
farmers of field interventions.
Overall, this has clearly been a very successful partnership. Through this collaboration, appropriate
research and development ensured that the right technologies reached a larger number of communities.
This collaboration also enabled a better utilization of resources as most activities were undertaken jointly
and both sides benefited from each others comments and suggestions on the way forward. This is a lesson that
Africare can use in other projects it intends to implement. It is crucial that the linkage between research￾development-farming communities is maintained. This is a lesson that Africare can use in other projects it
intends to implement. It is crucial that the linkage between research-development-farming communities is
maintained.
Collaboration with Kigezi Private Sector: This partnership involved training farmers to conduct
farming as a business through profitability analysis, development of marketing and entrepreneurship
skills. It also emphasized group marketing so as to have a strong bargaining voice for farmers. The other
area of collaboration was through apiary development for Africare groups. Farmers and Africare staff
were trained in apiary management, and also equipment for apiaries such as harvesting kits was supplied
to ensure good quality honey. In addition, farmers were linked to equipment suppliers and honey buyers.
The partnership has benefited both parties as Africare groups have benefited from the market analysis,
while the private sector has gained by reaching more communities and potential honey suppliers.
Further collaboration is possible on financial matters and entrepreneurship and business development
through the Ministry of Finance Micro Finance Outreach Plan whereby the private sector can provide
free extension services to Africare farmer groups since, through this outreach plan, financial extension
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officers have been posted in 8 sub-counties in Kabale district e.g. in Ruharo, Bukinda, and in Kaharo. It
is recommended that Africare provides the Kigezi Private Sector Organization with a list of all UFSI
farmer groups in all the districts they operate in so that they can be empowered with financial
management skills.
Collaboration with Kabale District Environment Office: The main areas of collaboration with Africare
have been soil erosion control and watershed management. Through the district office, NEMA has been
able to replicate the interventions that Africare has been promoting to other areas in the district. This has
also been initiated in the other project districts such as Ntungamo. This has been through training of
district environment staff on these interventions and also acquiring planting materials for land
stabilization such as Setaria grass from Africare sites. The District Environmental Officer has also
worked with Africare on events such as the World Environment Day through active participation and
donation of materials such as tree seedlings to establish agro forestry and soil erosion control
demonstration sites. The district staff have also benefited from exchange field visits to Africare groups in
Hamurwa, Kaharo and Kitumba where there are tree nursery beds and Calliandra hedges. This has been
a very useful collaboration: NEMA monitors the watersheds where Africare has planted trees and
constructed trenches, and the District Environmental Officer has been actively involved in this process.
This partnership arrangement has spread to other sub-counties (e.g Muko and Ikumba) and Africare
project sites have become sources of planting materials for stabilizing conservation structures in other
areas in the district.
Generally these partnerships have worked extremely well. They have benefited Africare and its partners,
as well as contributing in no small way to the project’s success. It is recommended that, where feasible,
they be continued through the district offices once the project closes. It is also recommended that similar
modes of partnership be pursued in future project areas.
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Table 4.1 Key UFSI-II Partners in Natural Resources Management Activities
Partner Area of partnership
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)/National
Agricultural Research organization (NARO)
• Promotion of agro forestry practices for soil and
water conservation
• Training project staff and farmers in appropriate
agro forestry technologies
• In partnership with the project and farmers,
carrying out on-farm trials for agroforestry
technologies
• Exchange of information and communication
materials
• Supply of tree seed to farmers
Kigezi Private Sector Promotion Center Ltd.
(KPSPCL)
• Provision of information and training materials
on such as bee keeping and post harvest
handling of honey
• Training Community Resource Persons in
modern apiary management
• Training farmers in post harvest handling skills
• Training farmers in business skills
The Diocese of Kigezi Water and Sanitation
program
• Provision of technical expertise in constructing
appropriate roof water harvesting facilities such
as water jars and water tanks
• Training community resource persons in
constructing roof water harvesting facilities and
maintenance
• Training target communities in proper water
sanitation and hygiene
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) • Conducting project baseline and impact surveys
• Building the capacity of project staff in
conducting baseline and impact surveys
Training staff in data analysis using various packages
The Uganda Agro forestry Development Network
(UGADEN)
• Conducting information sharing workshops for
the various stakeholders in agro forestry
• Facilitating sharing of information on
agroforestry practices among stakeholders
• Coordinating implementation of agroforestry
technologies by different stakeholders in the
Kigezi montane ecological zone
Makerere University Faculty of Forestry and Nature
Conservation (FFNC)
• Hosting students from the University offering
courses in NRM on practical field attachments
• Sharing of information and training materials in
community forestry
Environmental Conservation Trust of Uganda
(EOTRUST)
• Funding the implementation of NRM activities
• Monitoring progress of NRM activities
• Technical backstopping the NRM activities
Mgahinga and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Conservation
Trust (MBIFCT)
• Sharing of experiences and information on
NRM activities
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Sub-county and grass root local governments • Providing an enabling environment for
technology adoption in communities
• Facilitating communities to develop village
action plans
• Monitoring the establishment and
implementation of NRM activities by
communities
• Facilitating the formulation and enforcement of
NRM bye-laws
District Department of Environment/National
Environmental Management Authority (NEMA)
• Sharing information materials on environmental
management
• Creating awareness in the communities on
better environmental management practices
Communities • Implementing and sustaining NRM activities
promoted by the project
4.3 Evolution of the Project’s NRM Activities
4.3.1 Intervention Identification Process
Natural resource management and land management in particular are key to improving the food security
of the people in southwestern Uganda who depend on the land for their livelihoods. Soil erosion control
and soil fertility improvement are the major interventions of the project that were considered to address
the problem of declining crop yields and hence food insecurity in the target districts.
The project’s baseline survey conducted by Africare (2002) in the five districts clearly indicates that poor
land management was a major cause of declining crop yields in these areas. It was also observed that
present farming practices, such as the destruction of terrace bands, cutting down of trees and over￾cultivation, were damaging the environment.. Farming in this part of the country is highly complex and
diverse such that farmers grow a wide variety of crops on small and fragmented pieces of land.
The land fragmentation problem further complicates the issue of managing land resources. This problem
warrants a community collective action approach where all households with land on the same slope come
together to address soil erosion challenges. In order to ensure community compliance in working together
to implement NRM technologies, the project’s component facilitated communities to formulate watershed
byelaws. These were formulated and are being implemented with the help of the leadership of local
councils.
To reverse the trend of rapidly degrading soils and food insecurity, AFRICARE with funding from
USAID through the Environmental Conservation Trust (ECOTRUST), embarked on implementing the
NRM interventions in UFSI-II. The main goal of this component was to enhance conservation and
management of soil, water and other natural resources for sustainable rural development in the project
area. This is consistent with GOU’s development agenda of eradicating mass poverty and also
USAID/Uganda mission’s strategic objective SO7, Expanded Sustainable Economic Opportunities for
rural sector growth.
The NRM activities were integrated in both UFSI-I and UFSI-II, and emphasized building the capacity of
communities to plan and manage natural resources and training them in a range of soil and water
conservation technologies in order to conserve the resource base upon which program beneficiaries rely
for their livelihoods.
To attain this goal, the component addressed the following three strategic sub-objectives:
• Building local capacity to plan and implement NRM interventions
• Conserving and enhancing the productive potential of threatened agro-ecosystems; and
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• Improving the income generating opportunities through wise use of natural resources.
The process of implementing NRM activities always begins with conducting Participatory Rural
Appraisal (PRAs) in the selected communities. The PRA meetings are intended to:
• Diagnose and analyze current problems arising from present land management practices; and
• Plan and evaluate alternative land management options that are practical and applicable in given
situations in the target communities.
This process has ensured the active participation and support of the beneficiaries in developing practical
solutions for these problems.
Community participatory resource mapping is another important tool used in the visioning process.
During this exercise, communities draw maps for their communities indicating the natural resources such
as rivers, forests and swamps, and soil erosion features such as gullies. These resource maps help the
farmers to document the status of the environment at that particular time and, therefore, acts as a
community-monitoring tool as it is continually updated on an annual basis to track changes in the
community as a result of NRM interventions. This participatory process is very important in building the
capacity of local communities to plan and implement the NRM interventions.
Through this process Village Action Plans and/or Watershed Management Action Plans (VAPs/WAPs)
were developed. Africare and the communities agree on different obligations in implementing these
plans. The beneficiary communities provide all locally available materials and labor. Africare, in turn,
provides the resources that are considered crucial but are not locally available, such as tree seed, basic
nursery tools and the necessary technical support in the form of training. To implement, coordinate and
monitor the developed VAP, it was also realized that there was need for a food security committee (FSC)
to coordinate and spearhead the implementation of the plans. These committees have been very important
in mobilizing community members to participate in project activities as well as mobilizing the required
resources. The committees are also charged with monitoring and evaluating the success of these activities.
The community democratically elected members of these committees who have defined roles and
responsibilities.
4.3.2 Interventions and Activities under UFSI-I
During UFSI-I the NRM component was referred to as a soil and water conservation component. Its
activities addressed a variety of soil erosion and fertility issues such as disseminating and supporting best
practices at the farm level for compositing and making liquid manure, promotion of agroforestry
technologies involving crops that are compatible with trees and shrubs such as Calliandra, Alnus and
Grevillea, construction of soil stabilizing benches, planting hedgerow trees, and training farmers in soil
conservation agronomical practices.
4.3.3 Interventions and Activities under UFSI-II
According to the UFSI-I baseline survey conducted in 2002, 78 % of the respondents reported a problem
of soil erosion on their land. Whereas 89% of the respondents reported that soil erosion was increasing, a
large proportion (47 %) had performed little or no mitigation measures. According to the Community￾level Income and Assets Status Baseline Survey carried in 2003 (UBOS 2003), 87% of community
respondents believed that there had been a major deterioration of soil fertility in the SW region since
1997. Likewise, 60% felt that there had been a major worsening of the soil erosion problem, while 20%
said that farmland was being abandoned because of irreversible degradation. These results clearly
demonstrate the problem of soil degradation and decline in soil fertility. They also show the community
awareness of the problem though with little or no mitigation measures being done. Land abandonment
due to complete loss of productivity in the area has been increasing and this, in turn, has serious
implications on food security in the region.
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The same survey indicated a serious problem of decreasing forest and woodland cover in the region, and
hence an increasing scarcity of the products and services they provide, such as fuel-wood and protection
of the catchment area. In the Community-level survey cited above, only 13% said that there had been a
major improvement in availability of drinking water since 1997. In the same survey, 60% observed a
major deterioration in availability of energy sources for heating and cooking. These results indicate the
serious deterioration of vegetation cover and in particular forest and woodland in the region, making
intervention all the more urgent.
The final evaluation team believes that the NRM interventions identified and undertaken in UFSI-II were
appropriate and important. They addressed the critical problems identified by the communities. They have
also made impressive progress in alleviating these problems in the project areas. The interventions
described in the following sections were crucial in controlling soil erosion and enhancing soil fertility.
4.3.3.1 Agroforestry
Agroforestry is simply defined as a land use system where woody perennials are integrated on farmland
and where there are both ecological and economic interactions between the trees and other components of
the system. The promotion of agroforestry technologies in UFSI-II has been done in close collaboration
with ICRAF/NARO that developed and tested the technologies promoted by the project. These
technologies have provided a range of benefits such as provision of tree products and services, income
generation and soil and water conservation.
According to the project’s Final Survey Report (Dec. 2005), the number of people practicing agroforestry
had increased from 25% at baseline to more than 50% at the time of the survey in Sept. 2005 as a result of
the project’s interventions. The same survey also found that the average distance traveled to fetch
firewood has been reduced from 1.6 km at baseline to 1.19 km, due mainly to adopting agroforestry
technologies.
While these are impressive achievements, field visits of the final evaluation team noted that tree seedlings
were far to few. Group members needed a much larger supply to adequately undertake their activities.
There is an urgent need to increase the quantities supplied to the groups, and this is strongly
recommended by the evaluation team. Currently quantities supplied range from 1 to 2 kg of seed for
Calliandra and Grevillea per group. This needs to be increased to at least 4kg of seed per species per
group. It will also be important to establish seed stands for various tree species for the groups so as to
sustain seed supply to the groups and also to earn income from sales of surplus seeds.
a) Contour hedgerows
These are important in controlling soil and water run-off through stabilizing water conservation structures
such as terrace risers and water trenches, enhancing soil fertility through nitrogen fixation and providing
fodder for animals as well as staking material for climbing beans. Benefits from agroforestry normally
take longer than other agricultural activities and this tends to discourage its adoption by farmers. The
project has, therefore, promoted goat-rearing activities to utilize the fodder from the trees that have been
planted, and this has acted as an incentive for adopting the agroforestry technologies.
It was noted in the field that the areas to be stabilized by the Calliandra seedlings are large and that there
is need to supply groups with ample supply of this seed in the short term. As noted above, the supply of
Calliandra seedlings has been inadequate. To ensure sustainable supplies, Calliandra seed stands need to
be established for each group. This will require imparting skills to the groups on seed stand
establishment, seed collection, processing and storage. It is crucial that this be done before the project
closes.
b) Boundary tree planting
Boundary tree planting using upper story multipurpose tree species such as Grevillea robusta, Prunus
africana and Alnus acuminata have been promoted by the project. These act as wind breaks to banana
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plots in addition to providing tree products such as poles, firewood, stakes, timber and medicine. The
numbers planted so far appear to be too few, so the project needs to intensify this activity.
c) Fruit tree growing
 The growing of fruit trees for both nutrition and income generation is also important to the NRM
component. The project has facilitated farmers to plant fruit trees (5,500 apple seedlings, 7,000 grafted
avocadoes and 4,000 grafted mangoes) for both income and nutrition. The Nyakishenyi watershed
community selected coffee as an income-generating enterprise and Africare assisted them in acquiring
and planting 20,000 improved coffee seedlings.
It was noted during the field visits that the supply of fruit seedlings appeared to be reasonable for the
groups as the number of fruit seedlings per species availed to individual farmers ranged from 5 – 45
depending of the land size of the individual farmer. Before the project closes, it is important that Africare
helps all groups to set up fruit mother gardens for both temperate and tropical fruits which will act as
sources of scions for future grafting of these fruit trees. It is also important to plant rootstocks in the field
which are later grated. This is both cheaper and also enables the fruit trees to establish faster. The project
has recorded an impressive achievement in introducing fruit tree growing, but more needs to be done.
Other technologies promoted include the establishment of woodlots (Grevillea, Sesbania and Acacia
mearnsii) for firewood and improved fallows to enhance soil fertility through soil nitrogen fixation.
Communities are provided with tree seed for those species whose seed cannot be locally obtained and
nursery demonstration tools. The communities in turn contribute labor and land for the tree nurseries.
Farmers are, therefore, trained in raising different agroforestry tree species and also share the seedlings
that they plant in their individual gardens or community woodlots.
It was observed during the field visits that some tree nurseries were not properly managed. During the
remaining part of the project, therefore, it will be important to train the groups to better manage these
nurseries.
d) Beekeeping
The activity was considered necessary as an alternative form of land use and sustainable natural resource
utilization. It also provides income. Nectar extraction by bees is non-consumptive and promotes the
conservation of vegetation such as flowers and shrubs to provide nectar for extraction by bees.
Households use honey for both as food, medicine and income generation. Being a traditional activity
with visible and short-term benefits, it has encouraged farmers to plant agroforestry trees such as
Calliandra that provide good nectar for honey production. The project trained community resource
persons in improved apiary management. Framers in the five target districts were also facilitated to
acquire 650 Kenya Top Bar (KTB) hives.
It was noted that the Kigezi Private Sector Organization is training groups in apiary business to ensure
good quality honey; and links them to equipment suppliers and potential buyers. This partner is also
willing to link Africare groups with the Ministry of Finance Micro Finance Outreach Plan whereby they
can receive free extension services in financial management in Kabale district. It is, therefore,
recommended that Africare provide the Kigezi Private Sector organization with a list of all farmer groups
that are part of the project so that they can be empowered with financial management skills.
Some groups in Rukungiri district have been linked to a company called “Apiculture Development and
Integrated Organic Farming Limited” that is exporting honey to Europe. This is a welcome development
and should be promoted with other groups during the remaining part of the project.
4.3.3.2 Composting.
The majority of households in the target communities cannot afford inorganic fertilizers to increase the
productivity of their land because of their low income. Bearing this in mind, the project has trained
farmers on how to turn household rubbish and crop residues into manure to enhance soil fertility. This is a
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simple technology that does not require a lot of resource and technical input. Compost pits have also
worked to improve the sanitary conditions around the homesteads as rubbish is managed and properly
disposed. The adoption of this technology has largely been on land parcels that are close to the
homesteads. But, as noted earlier, many farmers have fragmented plots of land, and this land
fragmentation makes it very laborious and difficult for farmers to transport the manure to the parcels of
land that are located far away from the homesteads.
During the field visits this intervention appears not to have been done properly and therefore need to be
improved. It is important that several compost pits be set up, so that manure can be collected at different
stages of maturity. The evaluation team noted that this did not appear to have been done. In addition, the
quantities of manure produced and quantities applied are not documented. Instead, the number of
households who were involved in the activity was recorded which says little about the intensity of
composting on the farm. It is recommended that in future monitoring, attempts be made to record the
amount of compost produced and applied e.g. basins/baskets etc. Typically, farmers know this
information, so it should not be difficult to compile and would be more meaningful than the simple
existence of a compost pit.
4.3.3.3 Water harvesting
Runoff is the major cause of soil erosion in the target communities as well as causing floods. Water
gathers from hill slopes and rooftops to form large volumes of running water, which leads to the loss of
valuable topsoil and the formation of gullies in the hillsides. To address this problem, the project
promoted technologies for water harvesting to harness the otherwise destructive run off water for
domestic use and crop production.
a) Ground water harvesting using trenches and ditches
Together with communities, the project has constructed water trenches and ditches on the upper slopes of
terraces and these slow down the speed of running water and allows it to percolate into the soil. The
ditches hold water within the topsoil of the alluvial layers that can be utilized by the crops. Sixty one per
cent (61%) of farmers in target communities have attributed the reduction in soil erosion to the
construction of water trenches according to the Final Survey Report for the project. This intervention has
also helped raise the water table which has enhanced the yield of the water springs in the lower parts of
the hill slopes. The water in trenches and ditches can also be tapped for irrigation of crops and vegetables
in back yard gardens during the dry season.
During the field visit it was noted that this was a popular intervention for all groups and there is no doubt
that farmers will continue the practice. They attribute the large increases in banana yields (from 3-4
clusters per bunch before to 8-14 clusters per bunch after the intervention), to the digging of trenches in
cropped areas. However, currently the numbers of trenches per farm are being recorded rather than the
length of trenches per farm. It is recommended that the length of trenches be recorded in any future
project activity. It was also noted that neighboring farmers (about 3-5%) are already copying the use of
trenches, especially in banana plots, showing the impact of the intervention in the community even
beyond the project groups.
b) Roof water harvesting
The project promoted domestic water harvesting facilities such as water jars and brick masonry water
tanks to harness rainwater from rooftops as a strategy to reduce runoff on steep slopes. Five brick
masonry tanks and thirty water jars were constructed in the districts of Kabale, Kisoro and Ntungamo.
Domestic water harvesting saves time especially for women who are responsible for fetching water,
which is often from valley bottoms. For example in Kisoro district, Kanaba sub-county, the women in
Gisasi village told the evaluation team they used to spend 2-3 hours everyday fetching water from a
swamp but now Africare has helped them build a water tank. This valuable time is now saved and
households are able to engage in more productive activities.
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Field observations clearly showed that the intervention of Africare has improved the quality and
availability of water for households. However, communities pointed out that tanks are expensive to use
as they are made from cement. The tanks are used communally (e.g. situated at a church or school), while
water jars are used at the household level. They also noted that jars are easy to replicate because they are
cheaper but they lack the mould to construct them. The production of a water jar (materials and labor)
costs from 250,000 – 300,000 Ug Sh, with a capacity of 20 jerry cans. They trap water for household use
and also reduce the volume of water that would run down slopes and cause damage. It is recommended
that the project looks at the possibility of using plastic jars and tanks that might be cheaper, and also
looks into the possibility of providing molds for the water jars. These interventions will also be useful in
future project activities.
The impact of the intervention to households is cleaner water and a huge reduction in the time and energy
spent by women fetching water. This, in turn, means improved health of households, with women having
more time to do other activities instead of collecting water from distant places.
c) Gravity water flow scheme
The construction of gravity water flow schemes was one of the strategies used to avail communities with
water for both domestic and non-domestic use. The technology enabled a better distribution of excess
water by allowing it to be distributed to points lacking water. For example, one 4 km gravity water flow
scheme (Nyakishenyi gravity water flow scheme) that benefits about 5000 people was constructed in
Rukungiri district. The communities identified a water source that had excess water run-off and worked
with the project to direct this water into a 2 km high density polyester transmission pipeline and feed it
into a 30,000 liter brick masonry cavity tank which supplies water to communities and schools in the area.
Water user committees were formed to oversee the maintenance of the water system and ensure proper
environmental mitigation measures for the water project. The water at the source was tested for counts of
E. coli to assess its safety for domestic use and the in-take area was protected with a fence to avoid any
contamination that would bring in pathogens.
4.3.3.4 Improved Cook Stoves
The 2002 baseline survey conducted by Africare indicated that the overwhelming majority of households
(96.2 %) use firewood as the main source of energy for cooking. As a result, there is a huge demand for
firewood, which puts more pressure on the already dwindling tree resources in these communities. The
limited sources of firewood have forced most households to use crop residues as an alternative source of
energy. This practice, however, is not sustainable as it leads to a serious depletion of soils due to nutrient
transfer. The use of improved cook stoves is being promoted by the project to reduce fuel wood
consumption. The project has been promoting the Lorena cook stoves, which are estimated to use 40%
less energy as compared to the traditional three stone cooking stoves. This percentage reduction was
confirmed during field visits by the evaluation team. A total of 1,079 cook stoves have already been
constructed in the target communities, and the team noted that neighboring communities had expressed
interest also in constructing such stoves.
As a result of this intervention, the number of people using improved energy cooking stoves has increased
from 1.4 % at baseline to 14 % in Sept. 2005 (End-term Survey, 2005). The number of people using the
energy-efficient cook stoves is much higher among Africare households (20.7%) than non-Africare
households (6.8%) (Ibid).
The expansion of this activity was found to be restricted due to the lack of materials for construction (e.g.
lack of the appropriate clay in the area) or absence of adequate kitchen space where they are to be
constructed. The project needs to facilitate this expansion of the intervention in the remaining period of
the project as it has huge positive benefits for the household and the environment e.g. households quoted
the reduced use of firewood (3 bundles of firewood per week instead of 7), cleaner food and improved
health of the women because there is less smoke.
Table 4.2 shows the implementation schedule of the above activities for the period FY02-FY0 06.
- 56 -
Table 4.2: Natural Resources Management Activity Schedule FY02-FY06
ACTIVITIES FY02 FY 03 FY 04 FY 05 FY 06
12 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 12341 2 3 4
1.3.1 Plan and make seed and tree seedling
orders for all target districts in collaboration
with AFRENA/ICRAF for agro forestry
promotion.
x x x x x xx x x x
1.3.2 conduct agro forestry workshops and
farmer to farmer visit in the target districts of
Kabale, Rukungiri, Kisoro Kanungu and
Ntungamo
xxxxx x x
1.3.3 Establish private and communal tree
nurseries in Kabale, Rukungiri, Kisoro,
Kanungu and Ntungamo districts.
xxxxx
1.3.4 Carry out soil conservation activities for
Kabale, Rukungiri, Kisoro Kanungu and
Ntungamo districts.
x x x x x x x x x x x xxxxx x x x
1.3.5 Promote soil fertility improvement
activities for Kabale, Rukungiri, Kisoro
Kanungu and Ntungamo districts.
x x x x x x x x x x x x xxxxx x x x
1.3.6 Promotion of improved energy saving
cooking stoves.
x x x x x x x x x x x xxxxx x x x
1.3.7 Promoting rainwater harvesting for (non
domestic use) and installing gravity water flow
schemes for in Rukungiri and Kisoro districts.
x x x x x x xx x x
Source: UFSI FY 02-FY 06 Title II DAP, 2002
4.4 Current Status of the Monitoring and Impact Indicators.
Substantial and impressive progress has been made towards achieving the NRM intervention objectives as
shown in Table 4.3 that summarizes the progress made towards achieving the project performance targets.
Progress on specific indicators is summarized below. Specific recommendations concerning indicators are
discussed in section 4.4.2.
4.4.1 Impact Indicators
Impact Indicator 1.3.1: Area of land protected against soil erosion (number of hectares of Land
conserved). As of September 2005, the project had conserved 1,550 ha of land against soil erosion using
hedgerows, water trenches and stabilized bands. The constructed water trenches have also been stabilized
with Calliandra and setaria grass. Out of the 2,000 hectares of land to be conserved by the end of the
project, 77.5% had already been achieved. It is expected that this target can be achieved within the
project period. This indicator is appropriate for measuring the impact realized in conserving the
intervention area, but it would also be important to compute the total length of the trenches constructed
and stabilized in meters per hectare or kms. per square meter, as was recommended in the MTE .
- 57 -
 Table 4.3: Summary of NRM Component Performance
Conventionally, the efficiency of conservation structures such as trenches and terraces is measured not
only in terms of size but also in terms of spacing length across the slope. It is recommended that such
measurements be made in future activities.
Data from the end-term survey show the changes in soil erosion over the life span of the project (Table
4.4), and clearly indicates the impact the project has had on soil erosion minimization. For example, the
prevalence of soil erosion control has decreased from 78% at the base line in 2002 to 43% in 2005. This
is clearly a positive impact of this intervention.
Table 4.4 Change in Soil Erosion Over the Life Span of the Project
Nature of the soil
erosion trend
Status at 2002 (% age) Status at 2005 (% age)
Decreasing soil
erosion
7.2 18.0
Increasing soil erosion 89.3 12.8
Constant soil erosion 2.4 49.1
Prevalence of soil
erosion
78.0 42.8
Source: UFSI-II Baseline Survey Report & UFSI-II End Term Survey Report
Impact Indicator 1.3.2 Number of metric tons of firewood harvested / conserved. The objective of this
intervention is to significantly reduce the amount of fuel wood used for cooking at household level, by
promoting the Lorena energy saving cook stoves. Reduction in the amount of fuel wood used therefore is
indicative of the amount of wood saved. Because the energy saving cook stoves use 40 % less firewood
Nature of target Base￾line value
Target
FY 05
Achieved
FY 05
%
achieved/
FY 05
Target
LOA
Target
%
achieved/
LOA
Target
Impact indicators
1.3.1 Area of land
protected per
environmental action plan
(number of Hectares of
Land conserved)
0 1,360 1,550 112 2,000 77.5
1.3.2 Number of metric
tons of firewood
 harvested
 conserved
0
0
2,560
700
2,159
1,175
84
168
6,720
800
32.0
146.8
Monitoring indicators
1.3.1 Number of
households adopting at
least two improved land
management practices.
0 3,000 3,378 112.6 3,500 96.5
1.3.2 Number of cook
stoves constructed 0 1,370 1,279 93.4 2,000 63.9
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than the traditional three stone cooking stoves, a total of 1,175 of out the 800 metric tons of wood targeted
by the end of the project had already been conserved. This is equivalent to 146% of the set target.
However, as discussed below, the number of improved stoves constructed was only 64% of the set target,
implying that these two targets were inadequately set.
The planting of agroforestry trees was one of the strategies to make more firewood available to
participating households. As of Sept. 2005, 1,583 MT (83% of the FY05 target and 24% of the LOA
target had been harvested, while the amount of firewood conserved was 1,175 MT (168% of FY05 target
and 147% of LOA target). The low achievement of harvested firewood can be explained in large part by
the delay in the commencement of agroforestry activities in UFSI-II due to difficulties in the
disbursement of funds (discussed in Chapter 2). As a result, the majority of trees planted by the project
have not yet reached the harvesting stage hence the shortfall in achievement. It is recommended that
NRM activities be extended for at least another 6 months in order to realize this target.
4.4.2 Monitoring indicators
Monitoring indicator 1.3.1: - Number of households using at least two improved land management
practices. This indicator measures the performance of the project by capturing the number of
beneficiaries/households that have adopted at least two improved land management practices such as
hedgerows, use of compost manure, use of improved cook stoves, trash lines, water trenches, bund
stabilization using trees and improved fallows. Some 3,378 (96.5 %) out of 3,500 farmers targeted by the
end of the project have already adopted at least two of the promoted technologies. It is apparent that this
target will be reached by the end of project and possibly exceeded - an impressive achievement.
The team noted that this indicator could be improved by having prioritizing the most promising
technologies adopted, rather than simply giving all the improved practices the same weight. It is
recommended that this be further reviewed in the next project.
Monitoring Indicator 1.3.2: Number of cook stoves constructed. To reduce the rate of deforestation,
communities have been trained to construct energy-efficient cook stoves that utilize less firewood than the
traditional stoves. As of Sept. 2005, a total of 1,279 cook stoves had been constructed. While this is an
impressive number, and is 93% of the FY05 target, it is only 64 % of the number targeted to be
constructed by the end of the project.
The main reasons given by the farmers for low number of improved stoves constructed were the lack of
appropriate clay material (e.g. in Kisoro district where much of the soil is volcanic) and, to a lesser extent,
the small size of kitchens. It is recommended that the NRM section facilitate groups to overcome these
constraints in order to attain the project targets within the remaining period. For example, in Kisoro it is
recommended that the feasibility of using the project’s tipper to transport clay from nearby sites to those
villages without clay be explored.
Given the progress that has been registered so far, the NRM component will be able to accomplish most
of the set targets by the end of the project. This impressive performance can be attributed, in large part, to
the community participatory collective action approach. It is easier for members to work together as a
community because they are able to share resources. This is particularly true of labor, which is much
needed for technologies such as the construction of water conservation structures. Watershed byelaws,
developed in a participatory manner by community members to address environmental problems, have
also increased the rate of adoption of soil and water conservation technologies. For those targets that
need more time to achieve, an extension of at least 6 months is recommended this for component
4.5 Mid-term Recommendations and their Implementation for NRM
Table 4.5 gives a summary of recommendations that were made during the MTE, their implementation
and comments of the final evaluation team.
- 59 -
Table 4.5 Mid-term Evaluation Recommendations and Action Taken on NRM Activities
Recommendation Action taken/progress Comment/remarks
Manure production for fertility management
should be integrated with raising farmers’
awareness on the use of inorganic fertilizers
since organic manure is unlikely to be produced
in sufficient quantities and will not provide all
the required plant nutrients.
Information on inorganic fertilizer use is
currently being disseminated through the
project.
An additional monitoring indicator should be
collected on the amount of organic manure
composted and applied on farm (e.g. basin or
basketful).
Not done. It is important that the amount of manure
produced and applied on farm be collected and
monitored. HH can be provided with simple
forms for this. This could be done on a trial
basis over the remainder of the project and
incorporated into the next activity.
Simple rain gauges should be installed in the
watersheds and communities taught how to
measure and monitor rainfall.
Not installed since they were beyond the project
budget.
Should be considered in any future activity,
especially in eastern Uganda where inadequacy
of rainfall is a problem.
Storm runoff control ditches, and contour-bund
and terrace risers are being constructed without
following contour lines. These structures should
be laid along the contour for the most effective
control, and, Africare staff should train farmers
how to use simple equipment such as the A￾frame to lay the structures along the contour.
A-frame structures were constructed in the
banana growing districts, although adoption rate
is still low.
Fanya ju and fanya chini technologies were
promoted (methods of digging trenches where
the soil is either placed below (Fanya chini) or
above the trench (Fanya ju).
Over the remainder of the project, it is
important to promote the construction of
trenches along contour lines using either an A–
frame or Elgon design.
Communities should be assisted to secure seeds
of important tree species, especially Calliandra
and Grevillea to raise tree seedlings, which are
in severe shortage and needed to stabilize the
conservation structures. Seedlings should be
raised and planted by the community, covering
up to at least 60% of the watershed and villages
before project closes.
This is being done. Several tree nurseries have
been established. Some households are adopting
the technology as an income generating
enterprise.
Since NRM activities are seasonal, it is
important that farmers have adequate seed on a
timely basis. It is crucial that the project now
purchase adequate seed for the remaining
period. In addition, seed stands need to be
established as soon as possible to help sustain
the supply of seeds and enable the groups to
earn income from the sale of seed.
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Recommendation Action taken/progress Comment/remarks
Farmers need continued support in growing
temperate fruit trees (especially apples) beyond
the lifetime of the project. This is a new
enterprise and requires time for both the farmer
and those involved in the technology transfer
such as ICRAF/NARO to gain confidence on
the viability and sustainability of the enterprise.
Support continued. Communities have
registered with Sub/counties and are currently
receiving support services from NAADS.
In addition, some communities have received
fruit tree seedlings to start enterprises.
Field visits confirmed that most groups are
already receiving support through NAADS on
temperate fruit production in the area. This
will continue since the groups are registered
with NAADS. However, fruit mother gardens
need to be established as soon as possible as
this will help sustain the supply of fruit scions
for the groups.
Watershed management action plans should
continue to be integrated into sub-county and
district development plans. Cross-border issues
such as bush fires should be addressed through
suitable mechanisms such as cross-border
community meetings. Africare should facilitate
such meetings. In addition, more equipment for
constructing trenches and ditches such as pick
axes should be provided in difficult and stony
watersheds such as that in Ntungamo.
Africare staff, together with an International
intern, conducted policy advocacy campaigns to
integrate watershed management action plans
into the Sub-county and district development
plans. The process is still underway.
All communities were provided with tools to
construct trenches. Cross-border meetings were
not facilitated since these were beyond the
available resources.
.
Africare needs to continue to promote the
integration of watershed management plans
into sub-county and district development plans
over the remaining project period as this
promotes sustainability of activities.
District officials can facilitate cross border
meetings rather than Africare staff. However,
Africare should encourage this before closure
of the project..
In water catchments where Africare assists
communities to construct gravity water
schemes, communities should be encouraged to
pay special attention to conservation activities
that enhance and sustain sub-surface and
ground water recharge. The project should
facilitate communities to maintain the
established gravity water schemes through
proper planning and management to realize
maximum utility.
Interventions in soil and water conservation
were intensified in communities where the
gravity water schemes were constructed.
-Communities were trained in establishing
water user and maintenance committees that
collect a monthly water user fee;
-Dramas have been staged (such as in
Nyakishenyi) to promote community unity in
managing development issues, including water
management, water sanitation and other
interventions. These committees also put in
place byelaws and regulations on the
maintenance and use of the water schemes.
During the field visits the groups have already
established user and maintenance committees
and are already levying fees for water that is
used.
The integration of NRM with road construction
should be strengthened. Road construction can
disrupt natural resource processes through
increased runoff and erosion. Mitigation
The project community mobilizer, and the
NRM and Roads Sections have worked together
and trained communities along the newly
constructed Kanungu road in trench and check
It was observed that, along newly constructed
roads like those in Rukungiri and Kisoro many
trees have been planted for stabilizing the road
embankments. The communities have clearly
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Recommendation Action taken/progress Comment/remarks
measures identified during environmental
impact studies were observed not to be well
implemented, especially harvesting or safe
disposal of runoff water from roads, and
planting of trees, shrubs and grass on road
embankments for stabilization.
dam construction. All communities along the
road received sensitization training in tree/shrub
planting as an environmental mitigation
measure.
understood their importance and the benefits to
be derived from tree planting.
The project should enhance interest and
capacity in harvesting runoff water from roads
constructed to control erosion and increase
production. Besides directing it to trenches and
ditches, the water could be stored for dry period
irrigation or used for fish farming. Communities
along the roads should be facilitated to raise
enough tree seedlings and other planting
materials (shrubs and grass) to stabilize road
embankments along Africare roads.
In collaboration with NAADS, some fishponds
were established along constructed Phase I
roads.
-Communities have been supported with tree
seed, tree nurseries have been raised and
transplanting is on going. Fish farming
technology has not yet spread to the newly
constructed roads but it is hoped that through
the linkages with local government programs,
more communities along the constructed roads
will be reached and this technology will spread.
Harvesting of run-off water is being done but on a
limited basis. Further promotion over the remainder
of the project strongly encouraged, especially for
dry period irrigation and/or storage.
Tree nurseries have been established but not in
sufficient number to alleviate present severe
shortage of seeds (especially calliandra). Further
promotion over the remainder of the project strongly
encouraged,
Observations similar to those above apart from fish
ponds. These technologies can be promoted through
links with NAADS. In addition, the communities can
seek support from Prime West, which is supporting
fish farming.
The team strongly recommended extension of
the component for a period of two years to
enable this highly successful intervention to be
completed.
The project received an extension of 9 months
and all NRM interventions continued normally
in the communities.
The final evaluation team recommends that the
possibility of funding this for another 18 months be
seriously considered to enable the NRM
interventions to be fully understood and practiced by
communities.
Improve the access to potable water for all
households making it available no more than
500 meters from their home by constructing
wells, protected springs, small surface irrigation
works and within the targeted villages, road
water collectors for the gardens.
20 water tanks (of 10,000 liters) and 5 tanks (of
6,000 liters) each for 12 households were
constructed in Kisoro district, 30 water jars
(400 liters), a gravitated water spring and 3
communal tanks (10,000 liters) were
constructed in Kabale and Ntungamo districts.
Field visits showed that many water tanks and
water jars have been constructed among project
villages and more are expected.
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4.6 Comparison of UFSI-II Achievements in Relation to DAP Targets
Table 4.6 shows the summary of NRM performance compared to the DAP targets. The results of impact
indicator 1.3.1 shows that the percentage of final survey report over the DAP target is 64%. However,
the indicator does not fully capture the impact of water trenches constructed because, according to the
same survey, 60 % of the farmers attributed the decline in soil erosion to these trenches. This shows the
importance of capturing the spill over effects of the technology. This has been further discussed under
section 4.4.2.
Table 4.6: State of the NRM Indicators at end of FY05
Target Baseline DAP Target Actual at
Mid-Term
Annual
Report 05
% Achieved
FY05Result/
DAP Target
Impact indicators
1.3.1 Area of land
protected per
environmental action
plan (number of hectares
of land conserved)
0 2000 1143 1550 77.5
1.3.2 Number of MT of
firewood:
Harvested
Conserved
 0
 0
 6720
 800
 454
 620
1583
1175
 23.6.
146.9
Monitoring indicators
1.3.1 Number of
households using at least
two improved land
management practices. *
 0 3500 2398 3378 96.5
1.3.2 Number of cook
stoves constructed * 0 2000 547 1279 64.0
* Final Survey Report Indicator 1.3.1 number was 3727; Indicator 1.3.2 number was 1269.
Impact indicator 1.3.2 has no % final survey over the DAP because, for example, the number of
improved stoves does not give the amount of firewood saved because the time from the construction of
the stove the time it has been in use was not calculated by the survey team. So it is not possible to
calculate the amount of wood that has been conserved. This has also been discussed under section 4.4.2.
For the monitoring indicators the figures reported by the final survey report are in agreement with those
that were reported in the FY 05 annual report as shown in table 4.6.
4.7 Administration of the NRM Component
4.7.1 Component Funding.
Funding for the NRM component was administered through ECOTRUST, in a contractual agreement
with Africare. The NRM activities were originally planned to last three years, but the contract between
Africare and ECOTRUST was not signed until October 2002, a delay of one year, and giving only two
years within which to implement the planned activities. Furthermore, the $1,500,000 originally budgeted
for the component was reduced to $1,108,342. The MTE noted that fund disbursements had serious
delays and were unpredictable, resulting in a loss of time and a backlog of activities yet to be
implemented. The MTE strongly recommended that Africare explore means of obtaining additional
- 63 -
funds for the NRM component, and that there should be a two-year extension to enable the planned
activities to be fully implemented.
Subsequently, an extension of 9 months was granted, and the funding closed in June 2005. There was no
additional funding. During the extension period, all the remaining budgeted funds were received within a
short period and were to be utilized immediately. The project management, therefore, spent most of the
funds on purchases (e.g. vehicles) rather than on the NRM capacity building activities that had been
planned, such as training in NRM technologies, but which would have taken time to carry out. From July
2005 up to now, NRM activities have been funded from the remaining UFSI-II project funds, especially
from the agriculture component. This resulted in a much-reduced level of activity for NRM, but at least
the on-going NRM activities have been implemented and supervised.
It is apparent that the period of three years planned for the NRM component was too short. Many of the
technologies introduced were new to the communities, and time was needed for them to observe the
benefits of the technologies and adopt them. For example, the practice of trenching and contour
hedgerows stabilized with Calliandra and the adoption of composting needed time for communities to
fully commit to their adoption and maintenance. In addition, the problems with the funding noted above
seriously disrupted the implementation of NRM activities.
To enable sustainable results to be realized, the final evaluation team strongly recommends an extension
to the NRM component of least 6 months beyond September 2006. A twelve-month extension would be
ideal.
4.7.2 Component staffing
The NRM component currently has three technical staff members instead of the six in the original
project design. It was to have one section head, two extension staff based in Kabale district, and one
extension staff for each of the districts of Ntungamo, Rukungiri/Kanungu, and Kisoro. Three staff that
left the project have not been replaced and this has adversely affected some activities, especially in the
districts of Ntungamo, Rukungiri and Kisoro. There has also been a high turnover of NRM staff over the
life span of the project, with two NRM staff and the section head leaving during the course of
implementing activities. It is recognized that, given the limited time and resources remaining in the
project, filling the three vacant posts is somewhat unrealistic. But the disruption to the NRM activities
caused by both the funding and staffing issues needs to be acknowledged, and this further strengthens the
case for an extension to the activities of the NRM component.
4.8 Lessons Learned
The following lessons have been learnt during the implementation of UFSI-II in respect to NRM
activities:
ƒ Integration of development activities with NRM activities
NRM is a long-term investment that takes time before realizing benefits. Typically, farmers are reluctant
to adopt new technologies such as planting tree species as hedgerows along contour bunds. Integrating
short-term income generating activities like bee-keeping and improved fruit tree growing can act as an
incentive to encourage farmers to undertake those NRM interventions that take more time to show effect.
NRM activities are more effective when integrated with other development activities that are more easily
embraced by the communities.
ƒ Community participatory planning and collective action
Participatory community collective action where all members on a particular landscape agree on actions
to be undertaken to address environmental problems and collectively participate in implementing them
has been very successful in implementing the project’s NRM activities. Communities have also been
able to formulate byelaws to ensure that every household implements the agreed activities. Collective
action also reduces the cost of adopting certain NRM technologies. Results from the Final Survey Report
indicate that the time to construct an improved cook stove is reduced by more than a half through
community collective action. This, in turn, enhances the adoption of such technologies. Community
- 64 -
collective actions bind groups together and in the end enhance the ability of the groups to continue the
activities beyond Africare timeframe, hence fostering the sustainability of such actions. It is very
important that Africare continue this process in future activities.
ƒ Involvement of local governments
The involvement of local government has been key to the successful implementation of the project’s
NRM activities. The sub-county local governments have been very supportive, particularly in helping
beneficiary communities in their respective sub-counties to implement community soil conservation
byelaws. This has ensured conformity by the majority of community members as well as increased
adoption rates for improved land management technologies. The involvement of local governments
ensures that group action plans are integrated into local government plans and this ensures that support
for groups continues to come from domestic programs such as NAADS. This is crucial to the
sustainability of the activities.
ƒ Watershed approach
The watershed approach uses a water divide for demarcation of intervention area and is holistic in that it
ensures that all households in the community living in a watershed adopt the interventions together. It is
based on the principle that processes and problems in a watershed are so interlinked that one cannot
adequately address each problem in isolation of others. This approach is a process rather than an activity,
and requires time. It involves community participatory planning and collective implementation of action
plans, where all members of a particular watershed agree on actions to address environmental problems
and collectively participate in implementing them. This approach has been the cornerstone for the
impressive success realized so far in implementing NRM activities.
ƒ Gender issues
The establishment of soil and water conservation structures demands considerable labor input, and men
mainly do their construction. As a result, the adoption of these technologies is low for female-headed
households. Such households have to hire labor and that can be expensive. When planning such
interventions, gender issues should be considered seriously since it is most likely the women will be the
ones maintaining and using these technologies, alongside all their many other responsibilities. In fact,
the participation of women is a key determinant for the successful implementation of these interventions.
ƒ Composting
Land fragmentation affects the adoption of certain technologies, particularly the use of compost manure
since transporting compost manure to different and often distant fragmented plots is very labor-intensive.
The fact that the benefits of certain NRM technologies can take time to realize can discourage farmers
from adopting them, especially farmers with small and scattered land holdings.
ƒ Linkages with other sectoral interventions
A critical feature of the design of UFSI is the interlinkage between interventions e.g. between roads and
NRM (planting of useful trees along road embankments to stabilize them); between agriculture and
NRM (use of Calliandra stems for staking of climbing beans and use as fodder for animals); and
between nutrition and NRM (construction of water facilities for provision of safe water for households,
composting to provide manure for BYG and for better home hygiene, improved stoves enabling the
cooking of more than one meal and also reducing smoke in the kitchen, and use of Calliandra fodder to
feed rabbits). These are all important linkages that are crucial to the project’s excellent design. They
should remain central to future food security programs of Africare.
ƒ Choice of partners
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Field visit and visits to Africare’s partners clearly indicated the importance of the choice of partners in
implementing project activities. In this respect, Africare has been very successful and it is a lesson they
need to carry forward in future projects.
ƒ Appropriateness and effectiveness of training
The training of the groups in NRM technologies has been mostly through demonstrations. This was the
approach used to introduce tree nurseries, raising tree seedlings, composting, trench and improved stove
construction and it has been very effective. Moreover, Africare has used partners to train its staff rather
than attempt to provide the training themselves. Such out-sourcing has brought competent people to
handle different issues within Africare programs and this approach has been very effective in imparting
skills to Africare staff, who then, in turn, train the farmers. This approach has been very cost-effective
and has worked well, but it also important for Africare to organize training for its staff in some core
competencies such as tree seed collection and handling etc. This would be advisable in future projects.
ƒ Funding
Given the problems with funding described above, it is somewhat surprising that the NRM interventions
have had such a positive impact on the management of natural resources in the targeted areas, and
reflects the design and appropriateness of the interventions, as well as the high level of staff
commitment. The funding problems, however, have had an adverse effect on certain project activities.
For example, establishing tree nurseries is season-specific and needs to be done in time to have enough
seedlings available for transplanting during the rainy season. This requires the timely release of funds for
such activities, and, as discussed earlier, the shortage of tree seeds remains a serious problem. The
lesson learnt in this respect is that funding for NRM-related activities needs to be timely and predictable.
Africare should fund future activities directly rather than through an intermediary.
ƒ Appropriateness of monitoring and impact indicators
The impact and monitoring indicators used have been mostly adequate. However, the indicators set were
not able to capture the impact of all the technologies that were promoted under the section. In some cases
targets set for closely related activities such as improved stoves and reduction in firewood use were not
harmonized. As noted earlier, the impact and monitoring indicators did not cover technologies such as
water harvesting and composting adequately.
4.9 Opportunities for Sustainability and Recommendations
4.9.1 Factors Promoting the Sustainability of NRM Interventions
The NRM interventions have several elements likely to promote sustainability after the project ends.
These include:
ƒ Relevant and committed partners
As noted in 4.2, currently there are several important partners that are promoting agroforestry practices
in the region. These include ICRAF/NARO, Africa 2000 Network, Two wings Agroforestry network,
and District environment offices. The continued commitment of these partners will help ensure that
activities initiated by Africare will continue to be promoted after the project closes.
ƒ Interventions that address community needs
The NRM interventions clearly address the needs of the communities. The magnitude of the soil erosion
and damage caused by run-off water in the region makes the communities especially receptive to
interventions as these occurrences directly impact their livelihood. It will, therefore, be in the
communities’ interest to ensure the interventions are continued. It is, however, crucial that before the
project closes, communities acquire the necessary skills for planning and implementing these activities.
ƒ Community empowerment
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Cohesiveness of the community groups is one of the pillars for sustaining the NRM activities that have
been initiated. The project has empowered communities in leadership and group dynamics skills to
achieve this, and this will continue over the remainder of the project.
4.9.2 Recommendations
ƒ Strengthening linkages with local governments and other partners
It is recommended that the project conduct community stakeholder meetings to review community work
plan over the remainder of the project. Local government authorities and other relevant partners will
need to be fully involved. The meetings should discuss the progress made by the communities in
implementing their work plans and the strategies to continue with these activities during the remainder of
the project and strategies for sustaining the activities in the future. These meetings should also advocate
for continued collaboration between communities and local authorities in implementing NRM byelaws,
and in linking up with NAADS and other key partners.
ƒ Empowering communities
Continued strengthening of community groups and training them to write simple proposals for
presenting to NRM development partners for funding is recommended over the remainder of the project.
ƒ Strengthening community-based tree seed production and distribution systems
Having adequate tree planting materials (seed and seedlings) was identified at baseline as one of the
challenges that constrain the adoption of agroforestry technologies. The project, therefore, has assisted
communities to access planting materials for a number of tree species promoted by the project. To
sustain this agroforestry practice, the project needs to strengthen community based seed production and
distribution systems for agroforestry trees. This can be done by establishing more tree seed orchards
where farmers can collect seed for their own use and also for sale to generate income for the groups. In
addition, more fruit tree mother gardens should be established and the training of farmers in tree seed
harvesting, processing and storage needs to be intensified. Communities should also continue to be
linked to prospective seed suppliers where they can access tree seed. For these activities to be fully
achieved and sustained, an extension of the NRM component of the project is strongly recommended.
ƒ Strengthening water maintenance systems for the constructed water facilities
Community members have been and will continue to be trained in the general maintenance and repair of
the water facilities that have been constructed. This will also involve the establishment and strengthening
of the community maintenance fund. The gravity flow scheme in Nyakishenyi will be officially handed
over to Rukungiri local government authorities so that they can assist the communities to maintain it. A
maintenance contract with local government that includes the communities will be needed to ensure
continued community involvement and sustainability of the scheme. Efforts are also required to train
more caretakers to maintain this and other schemes, and advocacy campaigns for enforcing water
byelaws will need to be conducted, with the process backstopped by local government.
ƒ Project component administration
NRM component funding: The team recommends that in future, the funding of Africare activities be
direct rather than through an intermediary as the experience of the NRM funding through ECOTRUST
has shown. It caused unnecessary delays, resulting in under-achievement of Africare NRM planned
activities and outputs. In future, it is strongly recommended that the funding of Africare activities be
direct rather than through an intermediary.
NRM component continuation: The evaluation team strongly recommends that NRM activities be
continued for at least 6 months beyond September 2006 for reasons explained earlier. A twelve month
extension would be ideal.
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CHAPTER 5: COMMUNITY ROADS
5.1 Problem Context
5.1.1 National Context of the Problem
The importance of having a road network connecting local, national and regional boundaries for
transporting goods and services for a country’s social and economic development cannot be
overemphasized. This is clearly evident in the “Ministerial Budget Policy Statement” for FY 2005/2006,
presented by the Minister of Works, Eng. John M. Nasasira to Parliament. In this statement, the
Ministry’s vision and mission statements are set out, and it is stated that the vision is “ to have adequate,
reliable and safe infrastructure in the transport, housing and communications sub-sectors that will deliver
timely, quality, cost effective and sustainable services to the people of Uganda”. The Government of
Uganda thus seeks to promote suitable, resourceful, dependable and cost-effective transport and
communication services.
There is a strong demand for roads to connect urban centers to the rural communities, and to deliver
social services, technologies and information for development and for marketing produce. Roads are also
needed to connect Uganda and other neighboring countries for commerce. According to the above￾mentioned “Statement,” the road network in Uganda is categorized into four major groups: trunk roads
(or national/classified) measured at 10,500 km (tarmac/ gravel); urban roads measured at 3,500 km
(tarmac/ gravel); district feeder roads measured at 27,500 km (mainly gravel) and community access
roads measured at 30,000 km (gravel/ earth).
Maintenance of the feeder14 roads is the responsibility of the Districts, while the community roads are the
responsibility of the community. The Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications (MOWHC0),
however, budgets some funds to maintain feeder roads, which it gives to the Districts to undertake this
task. Community roads comprise about 46% of the total road network in Uganda but many are
impassable for much of the year due to broken or blocked bridges and culverts. Improvised bridges built
by communities are often poorly constructed and are either swept away by the rains or are not strong
enough to allow passage of motor vehicles.
The transformation of subsistence farmers to more market oriented and commercial farmers through
improved access to markets is one of the pillars of Government’s Plan for Modernization of Agriculture
(PMA), August 2000. The PMA also identified a well planned, designed, constructed and maintained
system of community (rural) roads as one of critical pre–conditions for the modernization of agriculture
.A similar emphasis was placed on rural roads development in the Poverty Eradication Action Plan
(PEAP) 2001-2003. The PEAP noted that the poor condition of the Uganda’s rural roads is a serious
constraint to rural development and this is especially the case in the southwestern region.
5.1.2 Regional Context
In 1997 an estimate of the road network in Kabale was done by UFSI-I. The DAP for the UFSI-I
estimated that in 1997 Kabale District had the following road network:
59 km of tarmac roads;
56km of class I murram roads (gravel, all weather);
642.8km of feeder roads, comprising of:
 
14 Community roads are roads of limited capacity about 4 meters wide, which connect between villages or between
villages and sub-counties. They are maintained by the communities. Feeder roads are roads have a bigger capacity
with a width of not less than 6 meters. They connect sub-counties to the main district roads and are maintained by
the districts.
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268.1km class II murram roads (all weather),
180.7km class III murram road (not weather), and
194.0 km of class IV earth roads15;
The length of village tracks (community roads) was unknown and most were impassable by automobile
when the UFSI-I project started.
By 2003, after UFSI-I was completed and UFSI- II had started, Kabale District had the following
expanded roads network:
59 km of tarmac roads;
56km of class I murram roads (gravel, all weather);
816 km of feeder road composing of:
268.1 km of class II murram roads (all weather);
353.9 km of class III murram/ earth roads (not all weather);
194 km of class IV earth roads; and
An unknown length of community roads.
According to the District Engineer, Kabale District has slightly over 1500km of feeder and community
roads, though only 630km are motorable, and that is only during the dry season. The National
Government does not budget any funds for the construction and maintenance of community roads.
Neither the National nor Local Government budget any funds for training of those working on the
construction or maintenance of community roads. Funds are only budgeted for the construction and
maintenance of feeder roads.
As noted in the MTE report, the insufficiency of community roads has meant that large portions of the
rural population in the region are completely secluded from major regional markets for much of the year.
This is especially the case in the rainy season, when flooding and inundation of the roads is common. As
noted above, the maintenance of the community roads is the responsibility of the local communities, but
in fact, little road maintenance is done.
The steep slopes and the high rate of soil degradation from adjacent agricultural areas complicate
community road planning, construction and maintenance in southwestern Uganda. Another complicating
feature is the area’s extremely high population density and land fragmentation, which exacerbate the
normal problems of finding compensatory landholding for populations displaced by road construction.
The land fragmentation makes it difficult to plan and construct a cost-effective road. For these reasons
both UFSI-I and UFSI-II placed a high priority on the development of community roads.
After the success of UFSI-I in Kabale District, UFSI-II expanded the community road activity to the
districts of Ntungamo, Rukungiri, Kanungu and Kisoro. The project planned to develop 20 km of
community roads per district, targeting 100 km. To date, 75 km out of the 100 km targeted in the DAP
have been completed. Of these, 47 km of roads have been constructed and handed over for maintenance
to the districts of Kabale and Ntungamo. The actual targeted road length differs slightly from that in the
DAP reflecting the actual measurements of the planned roads taken by the road engineer which have
differed slightly from that in the DAP (Table 5.1).
5.2 Partners
In the DAP it was envisioned that road building activities would make use of existing local district
government equipment during construction as well as involve the district staff in the supervision,
 
15 Class I murrum roads are trunk toads that connect to different district and administratvive centres, Class II
murrum roads connect the major towns to other rural poduvtive centres anc clas III murrum roads connect the rural
areas to maintrading centres withn the district.
- 69 -
mobilization and sensitization of the communities along the constructed road. As indicated below, this
arrangement worked well. During construction, the project employed a highly participatory approach to
 Figure 5.1 HOW AFRICARE COMMUNITY ROADS MAKE MIRACLES HAPPEN
Before
Africare’s
road
is built
Graphic Insert
of people carrying an ill person
on a stretcher
Graphic insert
of vehicle carrying that person
After
the
road
is built
 A ROAD IS LIFE! MAINTAIN IT WELL!
road construction in which the local communities have been fully involved in decisions on which roads
to open and/or construct. The roads component successfully uses a range of partnerships in
implementing activities. The most important are:
District Administrations.
Kabale District Administration: A total of 3 road segments were completed by the end of 2003,
amounting to 25.3 km. These three road sections are:
ƒ Nfasha-Kagoma via Mugyera 14.0 km.
ƒ Kisanjye-Mugyera 5.0 km. and
ƒ Kaharo-Nkumbura via Kasherere 6.3 km.
These have been handed over to the Kabale district administration for routine maintenance. As part of
the district contribution, the district provided two dump trucks, which were used during construction.
The District Engineer and Environmental Officer have been very helpful in providing supplementary
supervision of the road works and in carrying out the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Ntungamo District Administration: In Ntungamo, a total length of 21.7 km was constructed. The two
road sections constructed are:
ƒ Ruhara-Rukanda 5.9 km.
ƒ Rubare- Nyakaliro- Kyajere 15.8 km.
During the construction stage, the district contributed two dumper trucks and their driving staff. The
District Engineer and Environmental Officer also participated in carrying out the EIA. The constructed
roads have been completed and handed over to Ntungamo district administration for maintenance.
Kanungu District Administration: In collaboration with the Kanungu DLG, the project constructed the
Rutenga – Kinaaba - Kiziiba road (20.7 km.) that ends at the Ishaasha stream over which a bridge was
constructed by the project. Kanungu DLG leadership and technical staff actively supervised the progress
of the work and contributed 3,800 pine and 3,900 Cyprus seedlings to the local people. These were
planted alongside the road to help in its stabilization. The district also provided a dumper truck, which
was used throughout the construction period and two motor vehicle chassis bodies that were used in the
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making of the bridge at Ishaasha. In addition, the district technical staff participated in carrying out the
EIA, in community mobilization, and in training the communities in soil and water conservation
techniques and in road maintenance using labor-based techniques.
Table 5.1: Status the Community Roads Component as of Jan 17th, 2006
Road
No. Road Name/District Planned
Road Length
in km
Road length
completed
Remarks
1. Kabale District
a. Nfasha-Kagoma via Mugyera 13.0 km 14.1 km
b. Kisanjye-Mugyera 5.0 km 5.0 km
c. Kaharo-Nkumbura via Kasherere 7.0 km 6.3 km
Total
(DAP target 20.0 km)
25.0 25.4 km
Completed, in all
weather condition &
handed over. The
roads are currently
being maintained by
the use of petty
contractors
2 Ntungamo District
a. Ruhara –Rukanda 5.9 km 5.9 km
b. Rubare-Nyakaliro 16.0 km 15.8 km
Total
(DAP target 20.0 km)
21.9 21.7 km
Completed, in all
weather condition &
handed over. The
roads are currently
being maintained by
the use of ‘road
gangs’.
3. Kanungu District
b. Rutenga – Kinaba - Kiziiba 20.7km 20.7
Total
(DAP target 20.0 kms) 20.7 km 20.7
Completed, in all
weather condition but
not yet handed over.
4. Kisoro District
a. Ntebeko – Mgahinga 6.3 km 6.3
b. Murara – Foto – Muhangi 15.6 km 0
Total
(DAP target 20.0 kms)
21.9 km 6.3 km
The Ntebeko –
Mgahinga road
section is complete
but not yet handed
over, while the
Murara – Foto –
Muhangi road is still
under construction
ER conducted
5 Rukungiri District
a. Kacence -Nyakishenyi via
Nyarugando 11.8 km 0
b. Buyanja - Nyakaina - Mineera 10.8 km 0
Total
(DAP target 20.0 kms) 22.6 km 0
Selected, EIA was
conducted, submitted
to USAID and
NEMA all of which
were approved
Overall Total 112.1 km 74.1 km
Kisoro District Administration: There has been equally active participation in the road construction
activities by the Kisoro DLG leadership and technical staff. The DLG leadership participated in the
community mobilization along the roads before the start of the construction works and the technical staff
participated in carrying out the EIA. They also provided two dumper trucks. Work on one road section,
the Mgahinga – Ntebeko road (6.3 km.) is completed while the second, the Murara- Foto – Muhangi
road (15.6 km.) is still under construction.
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Rukungiri District Administration: The district leadership and technical staff, together with project
staff, carried out the selection of the proposed road routes and carried out an EIA of both road segments:
Kacence-Nyakishenyi via Nyarugando (11.8 km) and Buyanja-Nyakaina–Mineera (10.8 km).
Construction of the Rukungiri road is planned to begin shortly
Private Sector Garages: One of the strengths of the project is its commitment to developing private
sector partnerships and businesses. A local garage, Kabale Motor Garage (previously Bachu’s garage)
has provided equipmen,t repair and service in the Kabale district through a service and maintenance
agreement for the project’s cars and trucks used on the roads, while maintenance and plant service for
the heavy equipment is being done by specialized engineers and technicians from Mantrac (U) Ltd and
recently by Alpha General Enterprises. Motorbikes are also repaired by private mechanics in Kabale.
Another development has been the local sourcing of other essential materials used in road construction.
The project procured the necessary gabions for roads construction from Portadome (U) Ltd instead of
Terrain services since Portadome supplied better quality gabions at more competitive prices than Terrain
services.
The project also obtained reinforced concrete culverts from local sources in Mbarara, which were used
on the Kanungu and Kisoro roads. These innovations have greatly reduced the procurement time and
costs, while at the same time have supported local businesses. All the products and services supplied are
of good quality and have been at very competitive prices.
5.3 Evolution of the Project’s Activities
5.3.1 Intervention identification process
Early technical stages of road construction: Before a road is constructed, Africare undertakes a road
identification exercise, together with the district team. The district submits a list of proposed roads in
priority order to Africare, which then makes a selection based on the following criteria:
ƒ The roads must link inaccessible areas;
ƒ The roads connect the targeted communities in other UFSI programs;
ƒ The roads must be economically viable and feasible;
ƒ The total road length is in accordance with the budget.
The road construction stage: Road planning and construction starts with a team including the Africare
engineers, the District Environment Officer, the District Agricultural Officer, the District Secretaries for
Production and Marketing and for Health and Environment. This team carries out an initial IEA on the
selected roads. This involves:
ƒ Meeting with the communities along the proposed road to discuss the road, to determine the
negative and positive impacts of the road, and make recommendations to mitigate against any
identified negative environmental impact;
ƒ Submitting the EIA report to USAID and NEMA for approval;
ƒ After obtaining USAID and NEMA approval, sensitizing the communities on road construction
and maintenance, including the importance of growing of trees and shrubs along the roads. The
staff also mobilize the road equipment to site;
ƒ Asking the local communities to voluntarily harvest any useful vegetation along the road in
preparation for road opening;
ƒ Carrying out an engineering survey and preparing road designs and bridges;
ƒ Preparing bills of quantities, procurement and delivery of supplies;
ƒ Removing earth with a bulldozer to formation width of 5-6 meters, depending on terrain. Where
it is rocky, a compressor and jackhammer are used. A motor grader is then used to shape the
road to cumber, and the gravel is then compacted using a vibro-roller. After this, the drainage
- 72 -
team installs culverts in sections identified by the technical team. The engineer’s team, helped by
communities, installs bridges, if any, and culverts.
ƒ Installing culverts (by Africare). These have been mainly ARMCO steel culverts of sizes ranging
from diameter 600-1800mm supplied by M/S Terrain Services. However, good quality
reinforced concrete culverts, procured locally, have been used on some sections of the roads in
Kanungu and Kisoro. Headwalls and wing walls to the inlets and outlets of the installed culvert
are then constructed using stone masonry. Also, where necessary, gabions, mattresses and boxes
are used to construct simple bridges and stabilize the weak embankments. Grass, tree seedlings
and cuttings are then planted along the constructed road by the communities and casual workers
supervised by the roads supervisor.
ƒ Identifying (by the engineer) sections that require gravelling (spot gravelling, after the
completion of the road formation. The project then uses dumper trucks to ferry murrum from the
closest sit available as identified during the initial survey and given free by the community as
their contribution toward the road construction. The minimum gravel thickness after compaction
is 100mm for areas with good road base and 300mm for soggy or swampy areas;
ƒ The final step is handing the road over to the District authorities who select and contract road
maintenance gangs on a competitive basis, and usually from among the local communities.
5.3.2 Interventions and activities under UFSI-I
Community road construction started in February 1998, through a collaborative effort between the
project, Kabale District Administration and local communities. The intervention was piloted in Kabale
district, and the district council selected a list of 19 priority community roads estimated at 120Km,
though later after construction measured 163km. In selecting the roads, Africare gave priority to roads
accessing villages that were to be included in other UFSI activities. The District also provided
equipment and personnel. Unfortunately, the available machines were old, and broke down frequently,
and the District administration also needed the same equipment to maintain other roads. As a result, the
equipment was not available full time for Africare, slowing down substantially the pace of road
construction.
In June 1999, Africare began negotiation to reallocate project funds in a way that would enable it to
acquire its own equipment. USAID and Africare/W agreed to this reallocation. The first set of equipment
(120H Grader and CS 355S Compactor) arrived in June 2000 and the second set (D5M Bull Dozer and
950G Wheel Loader) arrived in August 2000. Others, like the dump truck (Isuzu tipper) arrived later in
October 2000. The arrival of this equipment enabled Africare to accelerate the rate of road construction
that continued to be executed in strong partnership with the district administration.
5.3.3 Interventions and activities under UFSI-II
After the successful first phase, UFSI-II scaled up to include other four districts in the Southwestern
Region. A total of 100km of road was planned to be constructed in the five district of Southwestern
Region, with each district (Kabale, Rukungiri, Kanungu, Ntungamo and Kisoro) having 20km each. As
noted above, when these road sections were measured by the engineer, it was found that, in fact, they
amounted to 112.1 km., compared to 100.0 km in the DAP.
As under UFSI-I, the second phase adopted a highly participatory approach to road construction in
which the local communities have been involved in the decision on which roads to rehabilitate, and in
the construction and maintenance of the roads financed by the project. The road-building activities also
continue to be executed in strong partnership with the district administration. This participatory approach
has been extremely important in ensuring that the local communities as well as local government
officials are fully on board and participate at all stages, including:
ƒ Making the initial decision concerning the routing (selection of the places/points where the
road is to pass) of the road;
- 73 -
ƒ Obtaining the necessary right of the way, this where by communities allow the project to
route (construct) the road through their land;
ƒ Cutting trees and bush clearing during initial bush clearing of the way.
ƒ Obtaining the basic road construction material, using mostly local materials;
ƒ Constructing and rehabilitating the road and constructing and maintaining the anti-erosion
measures needed to protect the roads.
ƒ Providing equipment and drivers as available and as needed.
5.4 Current status of the community roads: Monitoring and Impact Indicators
5.4.1 Summary of Community Roads Activities
Table 5.2 Summary of Roads Component Performances
Indicator Baseline
Value
Target
FY 05
Achieved
FY 05
(Sept. 05)
%
Achieved
FY05
DAP
Target
Sept 2006
Achieved
(Sept 05)/
End-term
Target
Monitoring Indicators
3.1 # km. of motorable
road to GOU Standards
0 95 75 79% 100 75%
3.2 # km. of roads
maintained by local
government/ communities
0 80 47 59% 100 47%
Impact Indicators
3.1 # new
businesses/services along
the upgraded roads by
type
0 144 116 81% 180 64%
3.2 Average # of daily
trips of autos & trucks on
upgraded roads
Planting
Harvesting
0
0
11
15
61
15
555%
100%
11
15
555%
100%
A.3.a Impact Indicator 3.1: # new businesses/services along the upgraded roads by type.
Baseline Value: 0
Targeted FY 06: 180
Achieved Final Evaluation (Sept 2005): 116
The opening up of roads has led to a most impressive emergence of new markets, schools, health centers
and businesses along the road sections in all the localities. In Kabale, for example, there has been a huge
increase in activities and settlements along the roads constructed under both UFSI-I and UFSI-II. Over
100 residential houses have been constructed, and a new primary school, a nursery, two clinics and one
government health center have been established. Businesses have also flourished: two grinding mills
have been set up, fish farming is now carried out alongside the roads, brick- and stone quarrying
businesses now operate, plus several shops, including 5 groceries, 3 butcheries, 5 restaurants and 8 road
side food stalls selling fresh vegetables and dry agricultural produce. Numerous local brew bars have
started operation, and there are now 3 locations for weekly markets selling household items, farm inputs
and local honey (which is also sold to vendors who travel to the now accessible area).
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Table 5.3 Summary of Community Roads Activities Jan. 2002 to Jan. 2006
Activities FY 02 FY 03 FY 04 FY 05 FY 06
12341234123412341234
1. District Councils
(Kabale, Ntungamo,
Rukungiri, Kanungu and
Kisoro) identify and
select target road sections.
xx xxx
2. Districts and Africare
technical conduct
reconnaissance and
environmental reviews of
sections as per
NEMA/USAID
guidelines.
xx xxx xx xx
3. Carry out engineering
survey, feasibility studies
and preparation of road
designs and bridges.
xxx xx xx xx x
4. Preparation of bills of
quantities, procurement
and delivery of supplies. x x x x x x x x x x xxxxxxxx
5. Road construction xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx
6. Mitigation of
environmental impacts
along road sections
xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx
7. Training of local
communities in road
maintenance skills.
x x xx x
8. Handover road to the
district for maintenance. x xxxx
In Ntungamo, the construction of the road has led to the establishment of two milk cooling centers, taxi
and boda – boda transportation businesses along the roads, and has facilitated the transportation of the
sick to health centers. It has also improved the access of agricultural produce to markets, including a
periodic animal market. The people along the areas served by the roads have also embraced the practice
of paddocking of their farms.
Along the completed Rutenga-Kinaaba-Kiziiba road in Kanungu district activity has also increased
markedly. The following have developed: 104 new houses that operate both as commercial and
residential premises, 2 grain mills in three markets places, 2 periodic markets, 2 dispensaries/clinics, 1
permanent structure staff house, and 1 nutrition school have been constructed and are operational. Other
businesses include sand excavation, stone quarries and lumbering.
Another major achievement was the start of the construction of a new Wildlife Education and Visitors
Center at the Mgahinga National Park by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) in Kisoro district, funded
by USAID Mission to Uganda. This was started after the opening of Mgahinga-Ntebeko road. On the
same road section, boda-boda businesses now flourish. The upgrading of the road has reduced travel
time from Kisoro town to the park by almost an hour and transport costs from Kisoro town to the park
have been reduced from Ug Shs 9,000-10,000 to Ug Shs 5,000. Farmers are also benefiting directly.
Potato prices, for example, have increased from Ug Shs 8,500 to Ug Shs 15,000 per bag as more buyers
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compete for the produce. Large trucks are now able to access the potato growing areas of Muramba,
which has given the farmers a direct access to the market for their product.
It is anticipated that by the end of the project (September 2006), additional new businesses will have
developed along the project roads and especially after the construction of the remaining Kisoro and
Rukungiri roads, it is expected that the target for this indicator will have been achieved.
A.3.b Impact Indicator 3.2: Average # of daily trips of autos & trucks on upgraded roads:
Planting season Harvest season
Baseline Value: 0 Baseline Value: 0
Targeted FY 06: 11 Targeted FY 06: 15
Achieved Final Evaluation (Sept.2005): 61 Achieved Final Evaluation (Sept.2005): 15
To better evaluate the impact of the roads on farmers’ activities, including both access to inputs as well
as markets for their produce, traffic count data has been collected for two season: planting and harvest.
Traffic surveys on UFSI-II roads indicated a large increasein both seasons in the number of bicycles and
motorbikes on the completed roads. The number of autos (trucks and cars and pick-up trucks) per day on
the completed roads of Kabale, Ntungamo, Kanungu and Kisoro roads during both seasons has also
increased. The huge increase in traffic in the planting season may well reflect, in part, the transit traffic
to Rwanda through Rubare – Kyajere road in Ntungamo.
The opening up of the Rutenga-Kinaaba-Kiziiba road made the once inaccessible areas in Kiziiba
accessible by vehicles. Visitors and district school inspectors are now able to reach schools in the area
and also the Kanungu local government officials can now reach local communities. In addition, local
people can now use an ambulance to transport their sick to the hospital in Kanungu instead of the hand￾carried stretchers used previously. The evaluation team met a local person who had bought a pickup car
that is used daily on this road to transport people and goods to and from Kabale town. On the Mgahinga￾Ntebeko road in Kisoro district, traffic has also grown well. Large trucks are now used to transport
potatoes from the growing areas of Muramba to Kampala. The indicators do not include the volume of
bicycles and motorcycles, but the evaluation team noted that the number of bicycles and motorbikes has
also increased considerably.
A.3.c Monitoring Indicator 3.1: # km motorable road to GOU Standards
Baseline Value: 0
Targeted FY 06: 100 km
Achieved Final Evaluation (Sept.2005): 75 km
In collaboration with Kanungu Local Government (LG), the project constructed the Rutenga -Kinaaba -
Kiziiba road (20.7 km.). The project also built a bridge at Kiziiba on the Ishaasha River so as to link the
Rutenga Sub County to Mpungu Sub County. The project carried out environmental mitigation measures
such as planting of tree species to stabilize the road embankments, To supplement the project’s efforts,
Kanungu DLG contributed over 3,800 pines and 3,900 Cyprus seedlings, which have already been
planted along the road.
This, is in addition to the constructed 25.3 Km of road in Kabale, consisting of Nfasha - Kagoma via
Mugyera (14.0 km), Kisanjye-Mugyera (5.0 km) and Kaharo - Nkumbura via Kasherere (6.3 km) plus
the 21.7 km of road in Ntungamo along Ruhara-Rukanda (5.9km) and Rubare - Nyakaliro - Kyajere
(15.8 km). All the roads in Ntungamo and Kabale have been handed over and are already being
maintained by the respective district authorities. In Kisoro, the Ntebeko – Mgahinga road 6.3 km was
constructed and is already completed. A further 8 km has already been opened up along the Murara￾Foto-Muhangi road in Kisoro district but is not yet motorable all year round since gravelling and the
installation of culverts is not yet completed. It is expected that the target of 100 km will be achieved by
end of project.
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A.3.d Monitoring Indicator 3.2: #km roads maintained by local government/ communities
Baseline Value: 0
Targeted FY 06: 100
Achieved Final Evaluation (Sept.2005): 47 km (handed over to the districts)
During FY03, the project handed over three road segments in Kabale totaling 25.3 km to the district
authorities for maintenance. These are Nfasha-Kagoma via Mugyera (14.0 km), Kisanjye-Mugyera (5.0
km) and Kaharo-Nkumbura via Kasherere (6.3 km). Kabale DLG has started routine maintenance of
these roads using the GOU’s Poverty Action Funds (PAF).
In Ntungamo, routine maintenance of constructed roads Ruhara-Rukanda (5.9km) and Rubare￾Nyakaliro-Kyajere (15.8 km.) has already been started on using a method of ‘road gangs’, whereby the
district pays community members along the road to carry out the works. It has also enacted byelaws
(Ordinance 1: Ntungamo District Burungi Bwansi Ordinance, 2004), obligating communities to maintain
community roads and water schemes with penalties in the form of fines if these laws are not observed.
The evaluation team met with Kanungu DLG officials including the Assistant Chief Administrative
Officer, the District Executive Engineer and the LC5 Secretary for Works, who were all very
enthusiastic about the road constructed and gave assurance that the constructed road would be routinely
maintained by the district after it has been handed over.
To build the capacities of the local people in road maintenance activities, the project has carried out on￾the-job training during road construction, and also trained them in soil and water conservation
techniques, particularly the planting of trees alongside the roads.
A.3.e Other Qualitative Evidence of Impact.
As noted in the Final Survey Report (Dec. 2005), there is ample qualitative evidence in addition to the
recorded indicators that the constructed road projects have had significant and lasting impact on the
communities along the roads as well as on the surrounding areas. Such indicators include:
ƒ Accelerated roadside settlements.
ƒ New social services such as education and health centers.
ƒ Introduction of new service providers such as those provided through NAADS as well as NGO’s
operating in the areas.
ƒ Training local community beneficiaries in soil and water conservation technologies and
imparting road maintenance skills to local communities. Such training has been done by a
combined team of Africare staff and district officials and skills include masonry works, laying
and placing of reinforced concrete and steel culverts and construction of gabion works.
ƒ In Ntungamo, which is predominantly a cattle-rearing area, communal grazing practices have
been changed in large part because of the new roads. Farmers have embarked on the fencing/
paddocking of their plots of land, which can reduce the spread of contagious animal diseases
and promotes controlled grazing and hence improved animal production.
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Photo
“If you go to the communities along the road, there is increased paddocking (fencing) of the farms,
people are planting other kinds of food, children are going to school, cooling centers are there, milk
supply has increased and there is car and boda – boda business” narrates a local farmer of
Ntungamo district.
The construction of the roads has led to an appreciation of land value and a change in the tenure system
in the area through which they pass. In Kanungu, in the areas served by the new roads, land rental prices
per parcel have doubled while the purchase costs have almost tripled. The land tenure system in
Ntungamo has also changed as a result of the intervention. Communal grazing of animals and communal
ownership of grazing land is now rare. Farmers now prefer owning land individually, and are practicing
improved animal rearing practices such as paddocking (fencing of farms) and construction of farms. This
has reduced the spread of animal diseases, and undoubtedly resulted in an improvement in productivity.
As in Kanungu, the price of leasing and purchasing land has increased sharply; both have doubled.
5.4 .2 Status of community roads activities at the time of the final evaluation
a) Status and activity on Kabale District Roads
The UFSI intervention of construction/improvement of community roads was piloted in Kabale district
in 1998 under Phase I. After constructing over 163 km, the district leadership asked MOWHC to release
road maintenance funds to protect the investment. The district currently uses the PAF funds to carry out
routine maintenance of these roads.
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UFSI-II constructed three road sections in the district: Nfasha-Kagoma via Mugyera (14.1 km),
Kisanjye-Mugyera (5.0 km) and Kaharo-Nkumbura via Kasherere road (6.3 km) These roads were
completed in 2003 and handed over to Kabale DLG in April 2004. Kabale DLG requested MOWHC to
use PAF funds to maintain these roads. This was granted and in July 2004 the district authorities
advertised for local maintenance tenders. When the final survey was done for UFSI-II in Sept. 2005,
road maintenance activity was already underway.
The construction of the road has provided a useful income-earning activity for communities. The district
pays community members who live along the road to carry out the maintenance. This system of “road
gangs” has worked very well. Local people, mainly women, have organized themselves into groups and
are sub-contracting for the routine maintenance of the newly constructed roads. According to the Vice
Chairperson Kabale district, most of the participants in these road gangs are women. Through such work,
women are earning money that has helped them and their families. The district has also enacted byelaws
obligating communities to maintain community roads and water schemes. This is a good system that
other districts are following.
As noted earlier, the expansion of economic and social activity along the constructed roads in Kabale
District has been most impressive. Communities now have better access to health centers, schools and
administrative centers. The people have also gained exposure to new technologies such as eco-san toilet
facilities, which is being used at Kagunga Health Center II. Farmers have also benefited. The market and
prices for their produce have increased enormously since their area is now accessible by vehicles. For
example, in Kagunga village, farmers used to sell a bag of sorghum for Ug Shs 17,000, and now that the
road is constructed, they can sell for Ug Shs 45,000 per bag. In addition, the demand for other
agricultural produce such as cabbages, beans and potatoes has grown as market access has improved due
to the road construction.
.
“We used the road to take my elderly sick
sister to the hospital. Without it, she would
have possibly died” Evarista Twinobusingye,
51, evaluates its contribution to their life, “we
were able to get a taxi along the road and
she was taken to Kabale hospital for
treatment”.
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b) Status and activity on Ntungamo District Roads
In July 2004, work on the following roads was completed and they were handed over to the district for
maintenance: Ruhara-Rukanda 5.9 km, and Rubare- Nyakaliro- Kyajere 15.8 km. As in Kabale District,
the constructed road length exceeds the 20km envisioned in the DAP, this time by 1.7km. Also as in
Kabale, the district has established ‘road gangs’ in communities along the roads that carry out road
maintenance. Many of the workers are women, and the system works well.
 The roads have also had an important positive impact on family welfare. In what is predominantly a
cattle rearing area, the roads in Ntungamo have helped raise the people’s standards of living. Cattle are
increasingly being fenced rather than graze freely, and this, in turn, has reduced the spread of disease
among them. The new road access has also led to a large increase in the demands and supply of dairy
products, especially milk.
c) Status and activity on Kanungu District Roads
In Kanungu, the road from Rutenga via Kinaaba to Kiziiba, measuring 20.7km, was constructed
and ends at the Ishaasha stream over which a bridge was also constructed by the project. The
road structures and mitigation measures have already been finished but the road is not yet
handed over to district officials since it has a dead end. After Africare had started constructing the
Rutenga – Kinaaba – Kiziba road, the Kanungu DLG started work on the two road sections Mpungu –
Kiziba road and Kanungu – Kiziba road that were to link with the UFSI-constructed road at Kiziba, at
Ishaasha bridge. Construction work on the district roads, however, stalled after the LGDP funds that the
district was using were exhausted at a point 2km away from the UFSI-constructed road.
The Kanungu DLG recently requested UFSI/Africare to assist and co-fund the completion (opening and
shaping) of this 2 km stretch. The district has pledged to contribute machinery (dozer, grader and dumper
truck) all valued at about 15 million shillings towards completion. Africare’s contribution is expected to
would be in terms of technical personnel, fuel and lubricants for the machines as well as allowances for
staff, which is valued at a total of about 9 million shillings. It is expected that, through this arrangement,
the remaining stretch of road will be completed before end of project.
Along the road, tree species such as eucalyptus, pine, and cyprus have been planted to stabilize the road.
At the time of the final evaluation exercise, the road was in good condition and the local beneficiaries
expressed gratitude to Africare for the huge contribution to the area’s development. There is clearly
increased settlement and business activity along the road. Periodic markets, shops, bars, schools, clinics
have been established. There is also increased traffic activity and the evaluation team was told of
examples where the road has helped the sick to access better medical services in urban centers.
“I have used the money I got from road
maintenance work to pay fees for my children
and the rest to establish a cabbage garden”
says Mary Promise Tingiromwe one of the
women contracted to carry out routine
maintenance work on Kaharo – Nkumbura
road.
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d) Status and activity on Kisoro District Roads
Originally, two road sections were targeted in Kisoro:
ƒ Murara- Foto – Muhangiroad measuring approximately 15.6 km and
ƒ Muramba – Bukazi road 5.0 km.
In order to link the various USAID funded projects in the area, it was agreed that the Muramba – Bukazi
road (of 5.0 km) be replaced with Ntebeko-Mgahinga road (6.3 km) which leads to Mt. Mgahinga
National Park where a Wildlife Education Centre is being constructed, as noted above. This has led to a
win-win situation and provided easy access to the park After successful writing of the EIA’s for both
road sections and approval from both USAID and NEMA, construction of the Mgahinga – Ntebeko road
is now complete but not yet handed over while work is still underway on the Murara – Foto – Muhangi
road.
The project has not yet finished constructing all the planned roads in Kisoro district. The Mgahinga–
Ntebeko road (6.3 km) has been completed, environmental mitigation measures such as installation of
culverts and planting trees and plant stems along the road have been done, but the road has not yet been
handed over to the district authorities for maintenance. This handover is planned to be done shortly
Ongoing work on the Murara Foto Muhangi Road is expected to be completed by end of February, funds
and weather permitting. When this work is done, a total length of 21.9km will have been completed,
1.9km beyond the anticipated 20km per district in the DAP.
As in the other districts, economic activity along the roads has increased sharply. For example, there has
been a huge increase in boda-boda (motorbike) business. Both the time and cost of going by boda-boda
from Kisoro town to the Mgahinga National Park have been reduced by half (with the time declining
from 3 to 1 1/2 hours, and the cost from about Ug Shs 10,000-8,000 to Ug Shs 5,000 per person).
e) Status and activity on Rukungiri District Roads
Construction of the selected roads in Rukungiri is expected to begin in February 2006. The start
has been delayed due to the late completion of the Kisoro and Kanungu roads. Two road
segments, Kacence-Nyakishenyi via Nyarugando (11.8 km) and Buyanja - Nyakaina –Mineera
(10.8 km), were selected.
“People have learnt a lot since the
construction of the road. They have
even started taking records of trees,
prices and other things because now
there is market for everything” says
the Chairman of Omuntuuro Cell,
Mr. Bomugisha Pascal.
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These roads lead to areas where there are other UFSI interventions. An EIA was conducted and the GPS
level done as well as the budget. The EIA’s of both road sections have received approval from USAID
and NEMA. Three bridges will be constructed on the roads. Large and mature eucalyptus trees are
readily available along the road, and could be used for cost-effective bridges, in conjunction with the
abundant strong stones. The communities interviewed indicated their willingness to work with Africare
and plant additional eucalyptus and other trees to secure the road.
5.5 Implementation of the Recommendations of the Mid-Term Evaluation
Table 5.4 Summary of the MTE Recommendations and Action Taken
Mid-Term Recommendations Action Taken Final Evaluation
Observations
Administration
Train staff in ACCESS, MS Word,
Excel and AUTOCARD
 Training in these
programs scheduled for
second quarter of FY 06.
The engineer and his
assistant will be trained in
AutoCAD and Excel. The
two technicians will be
trained in MS Word and
Excel.
Auto card program should
be installed on the
departmental computer.
The computer will need
upgrading to increase its
capacity.
Staff professional training/obligations:
Engineers &Technicians to join
relevant professional bodies such as
Uganda Institution of Professional
Engineers (UIPE) & Engineers
Registration Board as per Engineers’
Registration Act. UIPE provides
professional training.
One engineer is member of
UIPE.
Remaining staff should
also join.
Train the roads team for one week with
NEMA on environment issues.
None Difficult to arrange due to
tight schedule of ongoing
road works.
Cross cutting issues: Natural Resources Management
Assist communities to secure seeds of
important tree species, especially
Several tree nurseries were
established. Some
Several tree nurseries have
been established, but the
“We used to take about three hours
from town to the park and back while
nowadays it takes about one and a
half to two hours” says Habarurema
Chris a boda –boda cyclist.
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Mid-Term Recommendations Action Taken Final Evaluation
Observations
calliandra and greveillea, for raising
tree seedlings, which are currently in
severe shortage and are required to
stabilize of road base and the roadside
slopes. Seedlings should be raised and
planted by the community, covering at
least up to 60% of the watershed and
villages before project closes so that
communities can to continue to green
the watershed on their own. In
particular, communities along the roads
should be facilitated to raise enough
tree seedlings and other planting
materials to stabilize road embankments
along the constructed roads.
households adopting the
technology as an income
generating enterprise.
All communities were
provided with tree seed,
tree nurseries were raised
and transplanting is
currently on-going.
severe shortage of tree
seedlings, especially
calliandra, remains a real
problem. It is
recommended that, over
the remainder of the
project, an intensive effort
be made to increase the
number of tree seedlings
provided to villages, and
also too establish tree
nurseries (as
recommended in Chapter
4)
Strengthen the integration of NRM
interventions with road construction.
Road construction can disrupt natural
resource processes through increased
runoff and erosion. Mitigation measures
identified during environmental impact
studies were observed not to be
effectively implemented, especially
harvesting or safe disposal of runoff
water from roads, and planting of trees,
shrubs and grass on the road
embankments for stabilization. This
needs to be addressed
The project community
mobilizer, the project’s
NRM and Roads Sections
all worked together to train
communities along the
newly constructed road in
Kanungu in trench and
check-dam construction.
All these communities
received sensitization
training in tree/shrub
planting along the road as
an environmental
mitigation measure.
The Kanungu Road is a
good example of
integration of NRM and
Roads interventions. This
is a very good scheme,
which should be replicated
on other and future
Africare undertaken roads.
Future projects should also
better address the
harvesting or safe disposal
of runoff water from
roads.
Enhance the interest and capacity of
communities along the constructed
roads in harvesting runoff water from
roads to control erosion and increase
production. Besides directing it to
trenches and ditches, the water could be
stored for much-needed dry period
irrigation or used for fish farming.
.
In collaboration with
NAADS, some fish ponds
were established along the
constructed roads (Phase I
roads).
Fish farming technology
has not yet spread to the
newly constructed roads
but it is hoped that through
linkages with local
government programs, and
NGOs such as PRIME￾West more communities
along the constructed
roads will become
involved in this activity.
Storage of run-off water
should be more actively
pursued in future UFSI
activities.
Community Roads
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Mid-Term Recommendations Action Taken Final Evaluation
Observations
Create small scale appropriate irrigation
schemes utilizing water run off from
culverts, in the form of;
ƒ Trenches to farmers’ gardens
ƒ Water storage tanks/wells.
 Provide training of Africare staff and
communities in the technologies
involved in creating such schemes.
Communities were trained
in the construction of
trenches and check dams to
utilize water run off for
crop production.
The promotion of water
storage tanks/wells was
not widely done due cash
flow problems of the
monetization process.
District staff should be
encouraged to pursue this
in conjunction with
relevant NGOs and the
NAADS program.
Scale up appropriate trees/shrub
planting along the road by utilizing
technologies/inputs (seedlings in
particular) and funds from other
partners, and from remaining project
funds.
This was done in
collaboration with
beneficiary communities
and local government
forestry departments.
Utilize available road equipment to help
construct identified schemes of water
irrigation, fishponds and storage
facilities.
Not addressed due to
inadequate funds and also
not in the original
approved project design.
To the extent feasible
given the construction
demands on the road
equipment, this would be
useful to incorporate into
future projects.
Establish a research and development
component that can access/download
the technologies involved in such
activities, and train staff in utilizing it.
Not addressed due to
inadequate funds and time
and also not in the original
approved project design.
Consider budgeting for it
in future activities
Train road staff and selected
community members in the design,
construction and maintenance of
community roads using locally
available resources.
Liaise with other consultants and local
government officials to obtain technical
personnel and technologies.
In collaboration with
Kanungu DLG,
communities were trained
in road construction and
maintenance. More
training is planned for
Kisoro and Rukungiri
Districts in FY 06.
Continue over remainder
of project.
Where possible, the roads intervention
should precede other interventions, so
that access to these areas by the staff
dealing with other interventions is
secured.
Since UFSI has only one
set of equipment and few
staff, it was not possible
for roads to precede other
interventions. Also, by the
time project staff had
completed harmonizing the
roads selection criteria
with the DLG criteria,
other interventions were
already in progress
This was a good idea in
principle, but proved
difficult to manage in
practice for reasons given.
Create programs for roads supervisors
to carry out sensitization and training
This was done and will
continue until the Project
This should continue.
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Mid-Term Recommendations Action Taken Final Evaluation
Observations
programs on road maintenance in close
collaboration with the NRM and
agriculture interventions and staff.
LoA
Prepare an Africare Community Roads
Manual. This can be done through in￾house training, so that all relevant staff
take part in the process, which involves:
ƒ Production of typical designs of
bridges, culverts, cross sections etc,
which are typical on community roads;
ƒ Specifications of the same;
ƒ Format for the simple Bill of
Quantities and actual costs;
ƒ Project management and control
systems; simple supervision and
maintenance techniques.
The Manual would be the section’s
resource book for simple, pertinent
technical and mgmt. info. Simplified
versions/booklets of the Manual would
be translated into local languages.
Development of Africare
Community Roads Manual
was initiated internally by
project staff, but progress
limited due to competing
demands on staff time.
Preparation of a Manual
should be pursued, if time
and funds permit. Such a
Manual would also be of
use in future Africare
projects. The budgetary
implications of its
preparation should be
explored, as should the use
of ICG funding from FFD.
Africare can outsource
consultancy to work with
the roads department in
the preparation of the
Manual.
5.6 Lessons Learnt
Under UFSI-I, the construction of community roads made good progress. Under UFSI-II, this progress
has continued, and in some ways exceeded the earlier phase due to analyzing and evaluating the
strengths and weaknesses of UFSI-I and learning lessons. Although many of the roads are in place and
have been generally well constructed, the evaluation team proposes some improvements to strengthen
future interventions in this component. These include:
ƒ Budgeting to provide adequate staff and training in appropriate rural road construction and
maintenance practices.
ƒ Increasing the sensitization of communities and partners on the need to “clothe” roads with trees
and shrubs. The increased effort by project staff to do such sensitization has paid off. More trees
and shrubs are grown along the Kanungu and Kisoro roads, which safeguard the integrity of the
road, and provide income to farmers owning plots adjacent to the road. There is, however, a need
to develop this practice further. With the agreement of communities, more trees should be
planted alongside the roads. The NRM component can work with the roads section to continue to
promote the growing of appropriate trees and shrubs along the roads. Communities are most
willing to learn, so long as the extension workers deliver the messages appropriately, and the
supply of tree species is adequate.
ƒ Digging trenches and promoting the trenches to stop soil erosion and hold water for irrigation
should be given even more emphasis since these interventions provide a good lesson on how the
water run off from roads can be treated to the benefit of communities. Such run-off can become
water for production by creating simple small-scale irrigation schemes.
ƒ Utilizing the trenches more by using it for other relevant project component. For example, to
build community fish ponds, water-retaining dams etc. It is essential, however, that the road
equipment stays in the districts until all the planned project roads are completed.
ƒ Unpredictability in the flow of monetization proceeds caused considerable delays on the road
construction in Kisoro and Kanungu, which have, in turn, delayed the Rukungiri program.
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ƒ The considerable achievements of other project components as soon as the road is constructed
indicate the importance of this component to the people’s livelihoods. A Road is Life!
5.7 Opportunities for sustainability and exit strategy
As Africare contemplates the closing of UFSI-II and initiating a similar project elsewhere in Uganda, it is
important to have a well thought out exit strategy to ensure the sustainability of the project’s activities. There are
several opportunities to sustain the community roads programs.
At the planning and design stage: This is the stage at which technical staff, social scientists,
Government officials and the communities consider the community roads to be planned, upgraded or
constructed. To promote sustainability, the following is recommended:
• Facilitate the establishment of road construction and maintenance committees at the parish level.
This early empowerment of the local communities will enhance the need for the communities to
see the roads as truly theirs and thus mobilize other communities to become involved as needed;
• Train the communities in community road maintenance and environmental mitigation measures:
o Planting appropriate trees and shrubs along the roads for economic gains and to secure
the roads;
o Building drainage culverts to divert the run off water into trenches, thereby reducing soil
erosion. The stored water can be used for simple irrigation and other uses.
Local leaders may approach the DLG officials, who should supervise and connect the local communities
with relevant NGOs and partners in development for facilitation and incentives.
At the maintenance stage:
• Train communities along the road in community road maintenance and in bidding for road
work’ contracts. This earning power will consolidate the feeling of ownership of the road and the
desire to maintain it. There are competent groups that can undertake these bids, especially
women.
• Train identified members of communities and equip them with basic tools and equipment for
community roads’ maintenance as well as in business and organizational management skills.
This will go a long way to ensuring sustainability of the roads. The trained community members
will have a better opportunity to obtain district advertised maintenance jobs. Moreover, with
increased skills, they may start building small-scale irrigation schemes by harvesting the
rainwater and utilizing gravity, wind power and other sources of energy.
• Provide training certificates to workers who have received on-the-job training in road
maintenance and environmental mitigation measures. Community local leaders can be advised to
arrange this through the DLG officials who will be able to coordinate with other relevant
Ministries to provide the needed expertise, such as labor-based training on road maintenance by
the Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications and vocational training skills by the
Ministry of Education.
5.8 Recommendations
5.8.1 Recommendations A: Recommendations in Table 5.5 are at a no-cost basis i.e. assuming the
project is extended but continues using available funding:
Table 5. 5 Recommended Actions for Community Roads
No. Issues Recommendations
1. Closer integration of roads and NRM
components.
Planting trees and shrubs along the roads should
continue being emphasized as a pre-condition for
constructing/upgrading the roads. Within
available resources, scale up appropriate
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No. Issues Recommendations
trees/shrubs planting along roads.
2. Use of accurate technical methods to
measure distances of roads to be
upgraded e.g. the estimated roads in
Rukungiri and Kisoro.
Ensure accurate technical information as the basis
for the remainder of the road construction. There
is need to buy distance measuring equipment such
as the pedestrian meter (true meter).
3. Adequate time to be spent by roads
supervisors (technical extension agent)
after completion of the road to train
and sensitize communities on the
technologies and value of road
maintenance.
Create programs for roads supervisors to carry out
sensitization and training programs on road
maintenance in close collaboration with the NRM
and agriculture section staff, community mobilizer
and district staff or related disciplines. Such
programs would also be of use in future activities.
4. An Africare Community Roads
Manual is needed. This would be the
section’s resource book for basic
technical and mgmt. information that
ensures correct measures and control
systems for the planning, design,
construction and maintenance of
community roads. Without such a
manual, money and time may be
wasted by not applying simple but
tested techniques of design,
construction and supervision, using
locally available materials.
Prepare such a manual. This can be done in an
organized in-house training so that staff assist in
compiling and are in agreement with it. It should
have:
ƒ Simple typical designs of bridges, roads, cross
sections etc typical on community roads;
ƒ Specifications of the same;
ƒ Format for the simple Bill of Quantities and
actual costs;
ƒ Project filing and control systems;
ƒ Simple supervision and maintenance
techniques.
If possible, it is recommended that this be done by
accessing ICB funding from the FFD.
5.8.2 Recommendations B: The recommendations for the roads components of any new project
are set out in Table 5.6.
Table 5.6 Recommended Actions for Community Roads in a New Project
No. Issues Recommendations
1. In UFSI-II, the formulating and
enforcing of byelaws promoted
cohesion and compliance by
community members in implementing
interventions on roads, water and
sanitation, and other NRM activities.
The approach became so popular that
it attracted the involvement of local
govt. leaders who became supportive
of the interventions, thereby fostering
cooperation between communities and
the Local Govt.
Encourage the new communities and District
officials to set up similar bylaws on roads, water
and sanitation, and other NRM activities. As with
UFSI-II, this can encourage group cohesion and
compliance in implementing and managing the
interventions.
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No. Issues Recommendations
2. In the Kisoro Mgahinga road, a
partnership between the Uganda Wild
Life Authority, the community and
Africare is being sought. The
Mgahinga/Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Conservation Trust (MBIFCT) is
being requested to contribute funds to
maintain of the road, which, by
reducing halving the time needed to
gat there from Kisoro town,
encourages tourists.
Once a community road has been select for
construction or rehabilitation Africare should seek
possible partners, who may directly or indirectly
contribute towards the cost of construction or
maintenance.
3. Closer integration of roads and NRM
components needed. In particular,
appropriate trees and shrubs should be
grown along the roads.
Planting trees and shrubs along the roads should
be a pre-condition for their construction or
upgrading, and appropriate byelaws may be
needed. Ensure adequate supply of tree seedlings
and give adequate time and support to the devt. of
tree nurseries.
4. Some road equipment spares, supplies
and materials were not procured on
time. This led to delays as equipment
was grounded or road works halted,
awaiting repairs and procurement.
 Prioritize funding, to ensure that needed road
equipment and supplies can be procured on time.
Factor into the planning and budgeting the fact
that the monetization process can be unpredictable
in both amounts of funds forthcoming and their
time of arrival.
5. Accurate technical methods needed to
measure road distances to be
upgraded.
Ensure accurate technical information as the basis
for the road construction. Provide a total station,
GPS and a pedestrian meter for the department.
6. Roads supervisors (technical
extension agent) need to spend an
appropriate time after completion of
the road to train and sensitize
communities on the technologies and
value of community roads
maintenance.
Create programs for roads supervisors to carry out
sensitization and training programs on road
maintenance in collaboration with local district
officials, the NRM and agriculture related
interventions and staff.
7. Maintenance of the roads upgraded or
constructed by the project is crucial.
The capacity of district officials to do
this has become increasingly difficult
now that the graduated tax has been
abolished and local govts. have no
alternative source of revenue.
To the extent possible, district officials should
maintain these roads. This has, in fact, been the
case on the UFSI-I and II roads, where district
authorities have generally maintained the Africare
roads well. Africare should make it a pre￾condition to the district officials to immediately
start maintaining the upgraded roads. The project
should also give adequate training to the
beneficiary communities to maintain these roads.
8. Internal and professional training is
needed for capacity building and to
conform to the professional legal
requirements
Internal training with AutoCAD for engineers &
technologists, MS word and excel for technicians
and all to join Uganda Institution of Professional
Engineers for professional training and to conform
with the law.
- 88 -
No. Issues Recommendations
9. An Africare Community Roads
Manual is needed. This would be the
section’s resource book for simple but
pertinent technical and management
information that ensures correct
measures and control systems are of
the planning, design, construction and
maintenance of the community roads.
Without such a manual, money and
time may be wasted by not applying
simple but tested techniques of design,
construction and supervision, using
locally available materials.
Prepare such a manual. This can be done in an
organized in house training, so that staff assist in
compiling and publishing it. It should have:
ƒ Simple typical designs of bridges, roads, cross
sections etc typical on community roads;
ƒ Specifications of the same;
ƒ Format for the simple Bill of Quantities and
actual costs;
ƒ Project filing and control systems;
ƒ Simple supervision and maintenance
techniques.
It is recommended that this be done by accessing
ICB funding from the FFD.
.
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CHAPTER 6 – NUTRITION
6.1 Problem context
6.1.1 National context
Despite favorable food production conditions in Uganda, successive demographic health surveys have all
shown no improvement in the country’s nutritional status and in some cases it has declined as shown in
Table 6.1. This is in sharp contrast to the appreciable gains in economic growth the country has
experienced for over a decade (MFPED, 200116). Indeed, Uganda is one African country that has been
highlighted as meeting national food supply needs, yet a large proportion of children still remain under￾Table 6.1 National Malnutrition Rates of Children Under Five Years of Age
Childhood (less than 5 years of age) Malnutrition Rates (% < -2SD)
1988/89 1994/95 2000/01
Stunting 45 38 39
Underweight 25 26 23
Wasting 3 5 4
Source: Uganda Bureau of Statistics and ORC Macro, 200117
weight (Benson and Palmer, 200418; Benson and Satcher 200419; FAO, 200420).
Malnutrition has remained a major public health problem in Uganda, especially among the under-fives
and women of reproductive age. According to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS)
(2000/01), 39% of the under-five population are stunted, 23% are underweight while 4% are wasted.
These high levels of malnutrition have a negative impact on the general survival, body immunity,
educability, growth and development of under-five children in the country.
Micronutrient deficiency disorders has been increasing in Uganda and those of public health significance
are Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD), Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) and Iodine Deficiency Disorders
(IDD). A demographic and health survey carried out by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) in
2000/2001 noted that 28% of children in Uganda below 5 years of age suffer from VAD and the total
VAD prevalence rate is 5.4%. In addition, 64% suffer from IDA and 60% suffer from various IDDs. The
total goiter rate ranges from 60-70%. Moreover, 52% of women in the reproductive age suffer from
VAD and 30% suffer from IDA (UBOS, 2000/01).
6.1.2 Regional context
The southwestern region of Uganda has a favorable climate and generally good soils for crop and animal
production. The region should be able to produce sufficient food production for its population. Yet high
rates of malnutrition and of nutrition impacting diseases as well as general poverty prevail. Inadequate
knowledge of and time for childcare and poverty have resulted in several manifestations of malnutrition
(Table 6.2).
To help communities build capacity to deal with malnutrition, AFRICARE/Uganda pioneered a
comprehensive food security initiative in Southwestern Uganda. Activities started in Kabale District in
 
16 Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development, 2000/01. Uganda Poverty Status Report.
17 Uganda Bureau of Statistics and ORC Macro., 2001. Uganda Demographic and Health Survey, Kampala. 18 Benson T., and Palmer T., 2004. Crossing boundaries to reduce malnutrition? An institutional study on
Agriculture and nutrition in Uganda, Mozambique and Nigeria. Report submitted to ICRW under the Agriculture
Nutrition advantage project, Washington DC. International Food Policy Research Institute.
19 Ibid.
20 FAO, 2004. Incorporating nutrition considerations into the development policies and programs, Rome.
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1997 under UFSI- I before expanding to the surrounding districts of Kisoro, Ntungamo, Rukungiri and
Kanungu under UFSI-II in 2002.
Table 6.2: Comparison of National and Southwestern Region Malnutrition Rates
National Western Region
Stunting 39 47.8
Underweight 23 23.7
Wasting 4 4.3
Source: Uganda Bureau of Statistics and ORC Macro 2001
6.2 Evolution of Project Activities
6.2.1 Intervention Identification Process
Both phases of the UFSI program undertook a multidisciplinary participatory rural appraisal (PRA)
approach, involving all relevant stakeholders (beneficiary communities, district local government staff
and community level organizations). The project focused on household food and nutrition problems for
which long-term sustainable solutions could be identified. Such problems included inadequate dietary
intake due to poor crop yields, high incidence of diarrhoeal diseases, poor feeding practices and lack of
safe water supplies It was concluded that village/community-based education and training, particularly
targeting mothers and children, would be the best way to address these problems of malnutrition.
6.2.2 Interventions and activities under UFSI-I
The nutrition intervention under UFSI-I started in August 1999 with the aim of improving the nutrition
and health status of the communities. To achieve this objective, activities in appropriate feeding
practices, hygiene and sanitation education, as well as growth monitoring of children below five years
were initiated. Altogether, 106 villages were targeted in 12 sub-counties in the Kabale District. At the
end of the project, it was recommended that the nutrition activities in these areas be carried over into
UFSI-II.
6.2.3 Interventions and activities under UFSI-II
UFSI-II implemented the same nutrition activities as in UFSI-I, and extended coverage to other sub￾counteis in Kabale District and in Ntungamo, Kisoro, Rukungiri and Kisoro Districts. The objective of
the UFSI-II nutrition activities, as conceived in the DAP21, was to improve the household utilization of
nutritious food, particularly for women and children under 5 years old. The main interventions are as
follows:
a. Nutrition, Health and Sanitation Education:
The project set up community-based nutrition education centers where nutrition and sanitation education
sessions are held. At these centers inappropriate nutrition and sanitation practices are discouraged and
appropriate practices promoted in a participatory and interactive two- way communication. Nutrition
topics covered include the following:
ƒ Causes, signs and symptoms of malnutrition
ƒ Meal planning and balanced diets, food preparation, food nutrients, their importance in the body
and their food sources,
ƒ Feeding of vulnerable groups,
ƒ Breastfeeding, preparation of weaning foods, complementary feeding
ƒ Family planning as a health and nutrition practice
ƒ Immunization.
 
21 UFSI-II DAP, page 23.
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HIV/AIDS, being a cross cutting socio-economic problem, is also covered in these sessions to help the
communities cope with the disease. The importance of the extra nutrient needs for people living with
HIV/AIDS is emphasized.
Practical cooking demonstrations are also routinely held for beneficiaries to have hands-on experience of
preparing different dishes intended for different categories of people. These demonstrations emphasize
the need to prepare meals that meet the dietary needs of individuals in the targeted household in quantity
and quality. The foods used are sourced locally. The intention of this intervention is to emphasize to
communities that they can balance their diets using locally available food items.
During the initial stages of UFSI-II, community members would gather once a month to attend a
teaching session by Africare staff. This proved a heavy burden on the project’s extension workers. So
the staff, in collaboration with the district directorate of health services, trained volunteer mothers and
district community health workers in the basics of nutrition to help boost Africare staff efforts and
ensure sustainability. Under the same collaboration, Africare and the District Directorates of Health
Services in all the target districts jointly support and guide the resource persons. They make their own
schedules with communities, move from house-to-house supervising and guiding members in sanitation
and basic hygiene a well as providing cooking demonstrations in the kitchens of participating mothers.
The above interventions have helped beneficiaries understand the importance of adequate nutrition and
sanitation practices and the adoption of the practices has increased. Collaboration with local community
leaders has been extremely important. Local community leaders have helped enforce the adoption of
good sanitation practices. Some communities have formulated bylaws to govern proper pit latrine
construction and use, plate drying racks establishment, compost pit construction and proper household
hygiene. Consequently, the end term survey results show that there has been a huge improvement in
sanitation in the targeted villages. For example, 96% of targeted households now have a pit latrine.
b. Child growth monitoring and promotion:
This activity started in the second quarter of 2001 and covered the 106 villages of UFSI-I and 103
villages of UFSI-II. A total of 7,218 children under-five years of age have registered in growth
monitoring and promotion in all the villages covered (3,235 children from UFSI-I and 3,983 from UFSI￾II villages). In addition, 185 community-based growth promoters (GPs) have been trained under a
collaborative arrangement with the central government’s Ministry of Health and district health officers.
It is planned that a further 41 community-based volunteer child growth promoters from FY 04 and FY 05
villages be trained in FY 06. This will bring the total number of volunteer mothers to 226 in the project
area. Africare’s nutrition staff check the records at the community weighing centers. The GPs under the
supervision of the nutrition extension workers identify children at risk and offer counseling to the mother
as in the story below. Severe cases are referred to health units for therapeutic care. Refresher courses in
growth monitoring and promotion are held for the GPs on a quarterly basis.
c. Dietary micronutrient supplementation
ƒ Dark Green Leafy Vegetable and Fruit Promotion:
Diet and food-based approaches play an essential role in preventing micronutrient malnutrition by
increasing the availability and consumption of micronutrient-rich foods. The project has emphasized
strongly the importance of the communal and household backyard vegetable gardens (BYGs). These
BTGs grow mostly vegetables and are an important way to increase the production and consumption of
micronutrient-rich foods. This will, in turn, improve the micronutrient status of the targeted
communities, since the family primarily consumes produce from home gardens.
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The agricultural component of the project pr omotes communal nurseries where farmers are trained in
agronomic practices of horticulture. Indigenous vegetables such as Amaranthus cruentus, Amaranthus
hybridus, Amaranthus dubius, Solanum nigrum, Solanum anguiivi, and Solanum aethiopicum are
promoted. These are locally available, culturally acceptable, disease/pest/drought resistant, have longer
harvesting periods and above all, are nutritionally sound. From the communal nursery, the vegetable
eedlings are shared among group members to grow in individual households. Africare nutrition
extension staff continue guiding the farmers on the management and utilization of these crops at the
household level.
The NRM component of the project promotes the planting of fruit trees including avocado, mango,
oranges and apples. In addition to providing incentives to farmers adopting the natural resources
practices because they take relatively short time to harvest, they also improve access to micronutrients
for the households.
Mr. & Mrs. Tumuhimbise Rwabaganga are
participants in the UFSI-II program. They live in
Rwempazi village in Ibumba parish, Rwamucucu
sub-county in Kabale district. As the two were
headed for a burial ceremony in a neighboring sub￾county on Dec. 14th, 2003, they noticed what looked
like a bundle of clothes dumped on the roadside.
Inside the clothes they found was a baby girl,
abandoned. Her name was Angela. They reported
this to the police. They didn’t have enough money to
go through all the bureaucratic government
procedures that they were advised to follow so they
decided to adopt Angela. This was not easy, but they
were very determined. The foster mother tried to
wet-nurse the baby, but she was not successful. “ I
took several cups of local herbs to help me
rejuvenate my breast milk flow but unfortunately it
didn’t work, so I decided to use cows milk” When
this village became part of Africare’s program in
2005, the Nutrition Training Agent noticed that this
child was malnourished and severely wasted and needed urgent special help. Angela was less than
60% of the normal weight for her age. The agent taught the foster mother how to prepare enriched
meals for Angela but also referred the child to Rugarama Health Center. Africare staff provided
transport and paid admission fees for the child. When she was admitted at 24 months, Angela
weighed 8.0 kgs, again less than 60% of the normal weight for her age. Project staff kept on
checking and encouraging her while in the hospital. After 3 weeks, she was discharged and
weighed 10.5 kgs. – 80% of the normal weight for her age. The foster mother prepared the child
multi-mix diets with help from Africare staff and a volunteer growth promoter. After two weeks
at home, Angela’s weighed 11.9 kilograms and is now thriving and healthy. The foster mother
could not hide her appreciation. “I heartily thank Africare. I had almost lost hope because
Angela’s life was gone. I was taught how to prepare meals for her and she can now play with the
rest of my family and she is strong. I know Angela will grow into a big girl and will be successful
in life”, says Mrs Rwabaganga.
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Under UFSI-II, an estimated total of 27,512 individual BYGs were established and maintained. From
these gardens, an estimated 153,140 kgs of vegetables have been harvested and consumed primarily by
the beneficiary households.
The communities visited during the final evaluation emphasized that vegetables are no longer considered
“a poor man’s diet” or “lean season’s relish” or “last resort dish”. The women are now well aware of the
beneficial value of vegetables, and stressed the importance of including vegetables in their children’s
meals. This was confirmed by the end term survey results, which showed that 78% of households
surveyed consumed vegetables from their own production.
ƒ Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
To further promote foods rich in vitamin A in the communities, the project has promoted orange fleshed
sweet potato production and consumption. By the end of FY 04, a total of 1,080 households had
established orange-fleshed sweet potato gardens. To reinforce Africare’s efforts, the Gender Informed
Nutrition and Agriculture (GINA) project has budgeted for 40 community-based orange-fleshed sweet
potato multiplication centers to be established in the project area. This project aims to improve
nutritional outcomes, especially of children below five years of age, by promoting integrated nutrition
and agricultural activities that are informed by gender analysis. To provide various products of orange￾fleshed sweet potato such as juice, chips, flour and doughnuts, Africare has planned to train communities
in small scale/household-based appropriate processing as a way of increasing consumption. This is
expected to be a major sustainability strategy for their increased and continuous utilization.
d. Small livestock promotion
Protein-Energy Malnutrition in Uganda is extremely high and this is particularly evident in southwestern
Uganda where, as noted above, the level of stunting among under-five children is the highest in the
country. In this region, proteins, especially from animal sources, are very limited in the diet. Ownership
of cattle serves as a form of capital accumulation owned and controlled mostly by men. Slaughter for
home consumption is not a common practice except for feasts.
To address this problem, the project promoted the practice of raising small ruminants, particularly
rabbits and pigs, thereby providing protein/energy-rich meat. Small ruminants are traditionally not
owned and controlled by men, giving women, the custodians of nutrition, independent control over the
animals, which they could then include in the family diets. Rabbits have the advantages of having a high
multiplication rate, do not require special feeding and take little space to rear. These attributes make
them a cheap source of animal protein for households.
In addition to addressing Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM), small livestock production will improve
households’ micronutrient intakes. FAO/ILSI (199722) emphasizes that small animals (rabbits, goats,
pigs, poultry and fish) can make key contributions to micronutrient intake, mainly because of the higher
absorption of iron and vitamin A from these foods.
Under UFSI-II, 16 community-based rabbit multiplication centers and 16 community-based pig
multiplication centers were established. At these centers, nutrition extension staff train participating
farmer groups in basic rabbit and pig husbandry. These centers have been very successful. Africare
provided parent stock and non-locally available materials and the communities provided the rest.
Families are able to easily build the rabbit and pig pens and feeding the animals is also almost costless as
they are given backyard garden and field refuses. Women reported enjoying the quality of the breeds
Africare introduced which grow faster and bigger than local breeds.
 
22 FAO/ILIS, 1997. Preventing micronutrient malnutrition: A guide to food-based approaches, ILIS press,
Washington.
- 94 -
Each woman receiving one rabbit from the multiplication center must provide at least one offspring to a
new interested “backyard farmer.” This farmer-to-farmer multiplication scheme accelerates the
multiplier effect and is expected to greatly increase households’ consumption of first class/complete
proteins. It also generates income for women to use in accessing foodstuffs they may not be able to
grow. Since the inception of the project in January 2002 up to December 2005, 1,362 rabbits and 469
piglets have been distributed. It has been further estimated that up to 876 households built their own
small livestock units after they had learned from community-based Africare- built ones. This is an
impressive performance.
In the Final Evaluation Survey, the index children in Africare households consumed more meat (7.4%)
than non-Africare households (3.7%). According to the same survey, the total count of food consumed
for the index child in the households was significantly higher for Africare than non- Africare households.
These are strong indications that Africare interventions are yielding the expected beneficial results. From
the field visits of the evaluation team, it was evident that the people have started eating rabbit meat and
appreciate it. Some women reported that they had not yet started consuming because they were still
breeding to share with others. It was clear that the popularity of rabbit rearing is increasing; the demand
for rabbits has exceeded the supply from the multiplication units. This is clearly an activity that will
continue after the project closes.
e. Provision of safe water and sanitation facilities
To address domestic water needs, the project has promoted the harvesting of water from rooftops. In
collaboration with Kisoro District water department, a team of 16 masons was trained in ferro-cement
tank construction. Together with these masons, Africare constructed 25 communal water tanks/jars,
repaired 5 ferro-cement tanks for water harvesting and distributed 400 tippy taps to ‘model homes’
among beneficiary households. Each tank benefits 12 households on average. Water user contracts
between the beneficiary households and the owners of the water catchments were signed; water user
committees were established as well as water-user byelaws formulated to govern the use of the
communal water sources. Beneficiaries were trained in water tank/jar maintenance.
As a result of this intervention, women can save both time and energy by not having to walk long
distances in very hilly terrain to collect water. Women interviewed during the evaluation noted that they
used to spend around 3 hours daily fetching water. That time can now be used on other activities, such as
preparing meals for children in the home. However, the team observed that clean water is still a
challenge especially in Kisoro during the dry season where women have to go to water sources two to
three hours away. The demand for water tanks far exceeds the present availability.
Africare developed a checklist for promoting sanitation and hygiene in the home. This checklist, also
known as UFSI sanitation index, emphasizes the construction and use of pit latrines, hand washing
facilities (tippy taps), drying racks for dishes, drinking boiled water, having a drinking water storage
facility, use of compost pits, clearing of stagnant water clearing near homes, personal hygiene and
bathing facilities.
6.3 Partnerships
At the entry of Africare’s UFSI-I and UFSI-II interventions, key partners were identified for
complimentary purposes as well as to form linkages that would strengthen impact on the ground. The
degree of formalization with these partners has varied, but the important point is that through such
arrangements, the impact of the project on the ground has increased enormously. Table 6.2 below lists
the partners as well as a summary of the nature of partnerships with Africare.
- 95 -
Table 6.3 Key UFSI Partnerships in Nutrition Activities Related to Food Security
Partner Area of partnership
Ministry of Health (MoH)- Kampala ƒ Trains community based resource persons (Volunteer
community- based child growth promoters) in growth
promotion activities
ƒ Exchanges Information Education and communication
materials
Mwanamugimu Nutrition Unit
(Mulago Hospital)
• Trains staff and volunteer mothers in child rehabilitation and
growth revival
• Trains staff and volunteer mother is GMP and nutritional
counseling
GINA project/Makerere University
Kampala
• Trains community-based resource persons in nutrition
• Trains certified service providers like NAADS, AAMP in basic
nutrition
• Promotes nutrient-rich foods like orange - fleshed sweet potatoes
and immune-boosting Aloe vera
• Creates awareness of nutrition issues among local leaders and
policy makers to enable the make of nutrition-responsive
development plans and policies
• Develops IEC materials and community training manuals
• Reinforces Africare’s nutrition education messages on local FM
radio stations (Voice of Kigezi, Radio Kanungu and Radio
Rukungiri)
District Directorates of Health Services • Trains community-based resource persons (growth promoters) in
GMP
• Organizes bi-annual child days workshops
• Jointly supervises and monitors community-based resource
persons’ activities
• Trains district personnel in basic community Nutrition
Kigezi Diocese Water and Sanitation
Department
• Provides community-based health care
• Trains community-based resource persons in sanitation
• Constructs water jars to provide safe water for both consumption
and production
District Local governments, village local
councils
• Creates an enabling environment for project activity
implementation
• Supports and enforces nutrition and sanitation by-laws formulated
by the communities
• Participates in community conflict/dispute resolution sessions
NARO • Promotes production of nutrient-rich foods like Orange-fleshed
sweet potatoes
6.4 Status of Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators
Table 6.4 shows the status of the Monitoring and impact indicators as of September 2005.
- 96 -
Table 6.4 Current Status of the Monitoring and Impact Indicators
Indicator Baseline
Value
Target FY
05
Achieved
FY 05
%
Achieved
FY 5/FY05
Target
Target
End-term
(DAP)
%
Achieved
at End￾term
Monitoring Indicator
2.1 Number of children in
GMP of UFSI 0 8,640 7,151 83% 8,640 83%
2.2 % of mothers
exclusively breastfeeding 6
mos. after birth 40% 80% 47% 59% 80% 59%
2.3 % of households
adopting adequate
sanitation practices
according to the UFSI
index
41% 65% 70% 108% 70% 100%
Impact Indicator
2.1 Reduction in %
stunting of children 24-59
months (< -2 Z score
ht/age) 36% N/A 30% N/A 29% 97%
2.2 Reduction in %
underweight of children 0-
35 months (< - 2Z score
wt/age)
28% 21% 22% 86% 19% 86%
2.3 Average Dietary
Score* at:
HH level
Men
Women
Children > 6 mo
4.3
3.6
4.2
4.0
5.5
5.5
5.5
5.5
N/A N/A 7%
7%
7%
7%
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
* Average number of food groups consumed in given period of time.
6.5 Comparison of UFSI-II Achievements in Relation to DAP Targets
Monitoring Indicator 2.1 Number of children registered in GMP program of UFSI: A total of
7,151 children were enrolled as of FY05, comprising 83% of the LOA target. Altogether, 106 UFSI-I
and 103 UFSI-II villages were covered. It is expected that more children will be enrolled over the
remainder of the project, given that some of the GMP activities are in the early stage. This is especially
true of communities enrolled in FY05. It is expected, therefore, that the target will be achieved after the
life of the project. The evaluation team noted that the GMP activities also attracted mothers that did not
belong to the targeted groups - a positive spill over effect.
Monitoring Indicator 2.2 Percentage of mothers exclusively breastfeeding for 6 months after birth:
The FY 05 Results Report noted that 47% of mothers reported breastfeeding exclusively for the first 6
months. This achievement is lower than the LOA target of 80%. Anecdotal evidence from the field
visits pointed to a number of cultural reasons for this shortfall. Most of the mothers work in fields that
are far away from home and to where it is difficult to carry a child. As a result, they only breast fed until
- 97 -
such a time that the child could be left in the care of younger siblings. Usually, liquid foods were
introduced at around 5 months.
Monitoring Indicator 2.3 Percentage of households adopting adequate sanitation practices
according to the UFSI index: Toilet coverage improved in the targeted communities. As noted in the
FY 05 Results Report, 70% of households had adopted adequate sanitation practices. The Final Survey
report noted that the percentage was much lower in non-targeted households (37%). However, some
challenges were observed during the field visits. For example, for some groups visited in Ntungamo and
Kisoro it was not possible to dig latrines deep enough because of underlying rock; the volcanic rocks
make it difficult to construct structures.
Impact Indicator 2.1 Reduction in % stunting of children 24-25 months (<-2Z score ht/age):
Results show that, as of September 2005, the percentage of stunting of children 24-25 months (<-2Z
score height for age) was 30%, only slightly higher than the DAP target of 29%. This is an impressive
reduction from the baseline stunting percentage of 36% and can be attributed to the project’s community
participation in the nutrition education activities and also active involvement in identifying potentially￾at-risk children. It is expected that the target will be achieved by the end of the project, given that there
are some communities where activities only started in FY 05.
 Impact Indicator 2.2 Reduction in underweight of children 0-35 months (<-2 Z score):
The percentage of underweight children 0-35 months (-2 Z score) as of September 2005 was 22% against
the targeted 19%. This was slightly above the FY05 target of 21%, and well below the baseline figure of
28%. It should be noted that the Final Evaluation Survey found that only 15% of children surveyed to be
underweight. Africare’s partnership with Ministry of Health, Mwanamugimu Rehabilitation Centre in
Mulago, CIP, and DDHS offices in training and backstopping nutrition extension staff to provide
community-based solutions has greatly contributed to this improvement. From practical demonstrations,
women have been able to try different recipes for meals which they fed to children. Also, the
improvement in sanitation and hygiene in the targeted households contributed to the achievement;
reduced occurrence of diarrhoeal diseases has enabled children to gain and retain their weight.
Impact Indicator 2.3 Average Dietary Score at the HH; Men; Women; Children > 6mo levels:
The dietary diversity at the household level improved in the targeted households from 4.3 at Baseline to
more than 6.0 for all the categories of household members according to the Final Evaluation Report (no
such estimates were available in the FY05 Results Report). The evaluation team noted that the project
has emphasized women’s participation and equipped them with relevant nutrition information, thereby
benefiting all household members. The improved utilization of vegetables and fruits is especially
noteworthy. It is expected that the LOA target of 7 is achievable given that the FY05 villages are
increasingly following better nutrition practices and that the rabbit multiplication will be accelerated as
more multiplication sites are established, and also as households will have reared more rabbits over a
longer time frame, it can be expected that they would consuming them more frequently.
6.6 Implementation of the Recommendations of the Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) .
The FE team noted that almost all of the MTE recommendations had been carried out or were presently
underway, and would be completed by the time of project closure (Table 6..5). The team especially
notesthe strong collaboration developed between Africare health staff and the District Helth workers.
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Table 6.5 Implementation of the Recommendations of the Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE).
Recommendations Action Taken/Remarks
1: Develop/adopt and avail IEC
materials for nutrition and
sanitation education
Collaboration with CIP enabled the section to obtain materials on
the nutritional benefits of orange-fleshed potatoes. Other
materials on breastfeeding, vitamin rich foods and antenatal care
were obtained from MoH headquarters in Kampala and
distributed to GPs. The project plans to aquire additional IEC
materials from the MoH
2: Procure weighing scales and
growth charts for all villages.
Out of 144 phase II villages, 103 have trained community-based
volunteer child growth promoters (CGPs), each with weighing
scales and all practicing GMP. Only 41 villages out of the 144
have not yet had their GPs trained in child growth promotion
activities. To cover all UFSI-II villages, therefore, an additional
41 weighing scales are needed. Last year (FY05) 23 scales were
procured but these have not yet been distributed because the GPs
are not yet trained. Training of these 41 GPs, as well as
procurement of the remaining 18 scales and their distribution is
planned for the second quarter of FY06. In fact, the process has
already begun23.
3: Agree with the District
Directorate of Health Services in
Kabale to let sub-county staff
backstop the GPs in all 106 UFSI-I
villages, ensuring that data
collected is shared. Identify and
document lessons learnt.
It has been a practice of the project to fully involve the district
health workers in activities, and this is still on going. Initial
discussions on sustainability of all nutrition-initiated activities
were held between Africare and the District Directorates of
Health Services in all five districts. Through these meetings, the
DDHS Offices approved the sharing of weighing scales (Kanungu
District) and to have joint training sessions for both the GPs and
health workers at the parish level (Health Centers II). An
important part of the sustainability strategy is involving the GPs
in the MoH quarterly review and planning workshops. This will
be handled at the next step of negotiations with the Local
Governments. It is important to note that there have not yet been
any negotiations for the GPs in UFSI-I communities in Kabale to
start planning with the rest of the health workers. The FE team
recommends that this be done before the close of UFSI-II.
4. Build the capacity of GPs to
participate in the quarterly sub￾county work plan meetings for
health and support the cost of their
participation until the DDHS can
included it in their next budget.
Activities in which both district health workers and GPs have
particularly been involved are Growth Monitoring and Promotion
(GMP), practical cooking demonstration and home-to-home
sanitation visits. Africare GPs freely share growth-monitoring
data with the MoH workers (though this is yet to be formalized),
and the Food Security Committees for all community members to
know the status of their children as far as weight for age is
concerned.
Also, Africare, in partnership with Kabale DDHS, conducted a
refresher-training workshop in GMP; 48 GPs and 9 health
workers at Health Center II (Parish level) were trained on the
importance of action planning, GMP, child development and the
use of child health cards to monitor growth of under five children.
As a result, some GPs have been selected as MoH drug
 
23 The reason the project is procuring 41 and not 45 scales as recommended in the MTE is that 4 villages have
already received scales from the Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Project (in Kanungu).
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distributors. The DDHS have also expressed interest in taking
over some Africare nutrition education centers as part of the MoH
outreach program for health-related activities. Further
involvement of MoH workers in Africare activities is planned for
FY 06 so that the DDHS can fully ‘buy in’ to the project activities
and sustain them once the project closes.
5. Train GPs in the interpretation of
village results and build their
capacity to share these results with
the FSC and at sub-county level.
Majority of GPs were trained to summarize and share growth￾monitoring information in the monthly village meetings.
Summaries included number of children who
gained/lost/maintained weight in a given period, number of sick
children as well as referrals made to nearest health facility.
Follow-up is made on the households with growth faltering
children and nutritional counseling is done to ensure that
recommended care and feeding practices are adopted.
6. Determine the extent and effects
of non-participation on nutritional
status
The end-term survey was conducted in which beneficiary and
non-beneficiary households were targeted. Case studies to
compliment the findings are planned for in FY 06 to address this
issue and enhance the sustainability strategy
7. Promote planting of drought
resistant vegetable varieties where
there is limited access to water:
All targeted communities have been trained to establish BYGs of
indigenous vegetable varieties* Most indigenous vegetables
species are not only drought resistant but are pest and disease
resistant, early maturing, easily accessible, locally available,
multi-seeded, culturally appropriate, nutritious and have longer
harvesting periods. For these reasons, project staff found their
promotion appropriate and sustainable and recommended them
for even those areas that are not water-stressed.
8. Improve access to potable water The project established 20 water tanks of 10,000-liter capacity
and 5 of 6,000-liter capacity each targeting 12 households in
Kisoro district. A total of 30 water jars of 400 liters, a gravitated
water scheme, 1 communal water tank in Ntungamo and two in
Kabale each of 10,000 liters.
* Such as Amaranthus cruentus, Amaranthus hybridus, Amaranthus dubius, Solanum nigrum, Solanum
ang
24uiivi, Solanum aethiopicum and Cleome gynandra).
6.7 Lessons learnt
1. The nutrition interventions of the project were highly appropriate for the needs of the
communities. The project helped create awareness of existing malnutrition and empowered
communities to identify causes of malnutrition. It also introduced households to better ways of
using locally available food items. For example, before the project, children were fed ‘enkumba’
(ungerminated sorghum porridge) and not germinated sorghum porridge ‘obushera’ in the belief
that germinated cereals were not good. Now, they prepare obushera in a hygienic way and
restrict its fermentation so that the complex sugars in the cereal are broken down for easier
digestion.
2. Community participation and commitment played a crucial role in adopting the nutrition
interventions and in fostering ownership of the program.
3. Utilizing readily available products both in nutrition and sanitation interventions meant that
households readily adopted better feeding practices, especially for the children.
 
24
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4. In all the communities visited by the evaluation team, records showed that all the children in the
community GMP program regularly attended the sessions. This impressive performance was
attributed to the follow-up done by the GPs as well as the responsiveness of the mothers. The
use of GPs from within the targeted communities motivated the mothers to bring their children
for GMP activities.
5. Field visits noted that the use of the improved cook stoves had changed the way meals were
prepared and saved preparation time. Also, the food is said to better retain its flavor. Besides
saving on the firewood, used, the improved stoves improved the quality of life for the women
since they could cook more efficiently and also there was much less smoke.
6. Targeted groups were encouraged to draw up bylaws to enforce the implementation of village
action plans. For example, all households are required to have a latrine or risk paying heavy
fines or imprisonment. Involving the local leadership consolidated the operation of the laws
initiated in the groups.
7. The phasing of the nutrition components in UFSI-II was crucial in the adoption of appropriate
practices. The introduction of rabbits was intentionally timed after communities were
empowered to use locally available materials to balance their diet. Since available food items
were mainly plant based, it was also easier to adopt the uncommon practice of rabbit keeping
after appreciating the need and importance of animal protein in the diet.
8. The linkages between UFSI’s sections were advantageous in enhancing the efforts to improve
food utilization at the household level. The multi-sectoral approach of increasing agricultural
productivity, energy conservation, provision of safe water, improving sanitation and
demonstrations of appropriate feeding maximized the impact of the interventions dealing with
the underlying problem of food, health and the related causes of malnutrition. Farmers were
able to observe immediate benefits in the health and nutrition of children.
9. Partners such as the Ministry of Health complemented project interventions by providing
services not provided by the project. For example, in some communities visited, women and
children were able to access immunization, de-worming services, and vitamin A
supplementation after being linked by UFSI-II nutrition extension agents and the child growth
promoters.
10. Partnership with Makerere Univerisity and others enhanced UFSI-II efforts. The GINA project
reinforces the UFSI-II activities by sponsoring weekly radio messages. Farmers reported never
missing any of the informative radio programs. AFRICARE nutrition staff are involved in the
program production and presentation on radio. This is a window of opportunity that is often
used to emphasize the messages delivered by field staff. Below is a brief extract from a typical
radio show presented by staff from the nutrition section on Voice of Kigezi radio (Box 6.2)
11. The nutrition section administration, like other project sections, has extension staff residing in
the targeted districts and a section head that oversees them. This has worked well to enhance the
interactions of the field staff with the communities, helping them identify problems and find
workable solutions with UFSI’s help.
6.8 Appropriateness of Monitoring and Impact Indicators
Monitoring Indicator 2.1 Number of children registered in GMP program of UFSI: This is an
appropriate in assessing progress of attendance at GMP activities and tracks GMP.
Monitoring Indicator 2.2 Percentage of mothers exclusively breastfeeding for 6 months after birth:
This is a useful indicator to monitor the progress of adoption of child health promoting practices and to
assess impact at end of project. In setting this indicator, it is important to take account of the context.
The UFSI-II DAP target was set at 80% while the actual value according to the end term survey was
51%. Women are still limited in their desire to exclusively breastfeed due to their workload, distance to
fields over the hilly terrain in this part of the country. Hence a relatively lower LOA target should have
been set.
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Monitoring Indicator 2.3 Percentage of households adopting adequate sanitation practices
according to the UFSI index: The UFSI index on sanitation is relevant for monitoring purposes. In this
index, scores of up to 29 points are assigned to the 7 components of hygiene and nutrition in a
household; pit latrine, compost pit, hand washing facility, drinking water storage facility, utensil drying
rack, bathing facility, boiled water. A household is considered to have adequate sanitation if it scores
50% or more. However, to have a sense of priority among these practices, it is important to also measure
the prevalence key sanitation practices such as % of households with toilet facilities, boiled drinking
water and plate drying rack.
Box 6. 2 GINA/AFRICARE Nutrition Broadcast
Show No. 8: Nutrient Needs During Pregnancy and Lactation
“Last week we were talking about how we can have a balanced diet for our family. We are now
continuing this program and are going into the needs of those groups most vulnerable to malnutrition,
i.e. pregnant women/child bearing women, lactating, infants and children of the sick and elderly.
Today we are specifically concerned with pregnant and lactating women. If you remember we pointed
out that proper feeding implies maintenance of a balanced diet throughout the life of the individual,
which, in effect, starts at conception. Since in this case the food must come from the mother’s body
therefore if we are interested in the nutritional/health status of the child then we automatically have to
get interested in the mother and the woman in general. I again emphasize to people out there if you are
interested in healthy well fed children then you must be interested in healthy well fed women.i.e. feed
the woman and feed the nation. Because you can have a woman who may be already malnourished in
infancy then it upon the family/man to feed and have good care of the mother who is basically the
human factory. The woman must also take upon herself to feed herself if she needs a healthy and well￾fed child. It is not about waiting for the man/daddy. Why really? It is you women who produce the
food for the whole family. Many times in our awareness training courses we have mostly concentrated
on teaching women to feed and care for children and left women out. Now we are saying that is quite
wrong. Researchers have found out that poor nutritional status of the mother will affect the newborn.
Even in later years (middle and old age) a malnourished baby at birth will be affected so much. This
person will be more susceptible to diseases of affluence such as high blood pressure, & diabetes. Also
poorly fed mother in her younger days (stunted) will have poor bone formation that can lead to
difficulty during birth and even failure to deliver a baby. Thus the importance of today's course”.
Impact Indicator 2.1 Reduction in % stunting of children 24-25 months (<-2Z score ht/age): The
indicator should be stated in actual percentage and not reduction in percentage, which is the objective of
the intervention. It should be modified to read ‘ % stunted children 24 –25 months (<-2Z score ht/age)’.
Impact indicator 2.2 Reduction in underweight of children 0-35 months (<-2 Z score): As suggested
for impact indicator 2.1 this should be ‘% underweight children 0-35 months (<-2 Z score).
Impact Indicator 2.3 Average Dietary Score at the HH; Men; Women; Children > 6mo levels: The
desegregation of this indicator by men, women and children is appropriate given that intra-household
food distribution can influence nutrition outcomes.
6.9 Opportunities for Sustainability
1. The existing district health structures at the village level can be involved more in nutrition
intervention activities. Information collected by the GPs can be fed into the district health
information system. To the extent feasible, GPs should be absorbed into the District Health
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Teams and be trained to not only follow-up on growth promotion among children but also to be
useful health agents.
2. The GPs have been useful in follow-up as well as providing nutrition counseling to women both
in their groups and in the villages in general. This has not only created awareness about their
services but also impressed villagers who now have a source of useful information in their
locality. The project can equip these GPs with nutrition, health and sanitation materials such as
manuals, counseling cards, booklets and brochures that they can retain once the project closes.
3. Pilot the GMP to take on the Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC)/Hearth model. Since
GPs are from within the targeted communities, the nutrition extension staff can work with them
to mobilize women in participation and eventually, ownership of the GMP activities within the
villages after the project ends.
4. The awareness created of the benefits of vegetable growing can be translated into income
generation for the households. With the opening up of opportunities as a result of improved
infrastructure and given the availability of land, farmers can be encouraged to expand their
backyard gardens to commercially viable levels.
5. CIP has developed simple technologies to increase the utilization of orange-fleshed sweet
potatoes. The project should take advantage of this and train beneficiaries in collaboration with
CIP. Also additional multiplication sites for planting material for orange-fleshed potatoes can be
set up and handed over to the communities to manage.
6.10 Recommendations
6.10.1 Recommendations for the remaining UFSI-II period
1. Utilize available nutrition information and education materials from Ministry of Health and
other agencies both in English and the local language as soon as possible. The project should
contact the Ministry of Health and other agencies for possible reproduction of available
materials. The key messages needed include breastfeeding, complementary feeding, causes,
signs and symptoms of malnutrition, meal planning, nutrients and their food sources and uses in
the body, family planning, hygiene and sanitation.
2. Farmers need to be encouraged to keep growing the indigenous vegetables including
Amaranthus cruentus, Amaranthus hybridus, Amaranthus dubius, Solanum nigrum, Solanum
anguiivi, Solanum aethiopicum and Cleome gynandra.
3. The field visits indicated that the demand for improved rabbits is high. It is recommended that,
before the project closes, the number of multiplication sites be doubled from the present 16. This
should be accompanied by intensified nutrition education activities to promote the benefits of
rabbit consumption in the communities. The extension services should be conducted in
collaboration with the sub-county veterinary department.
4. More men and women should be involved in the GMP activities and encouraged to offer support
to the identified GPs in the community. The project’s nutrition extension workers could then
identify those suitable for training before the end of the project.
6.10.2 Recommendations for the MYAP
1. Although a mid-term survey was not planned for in the project DAP, it is necessary to have it in
the DAP for the MYAP especially for tracking indicators such as the UFSI sanitation index,
underweight and dietary diversity.
2. Nutrition information and education materials should be developed and disseminated alongside
the GMP activities. Both should start early in the project life since social cultural changes take
time to effect.
3. More than two volunteer GPs per community should be involved in the GMP; increased
community involvement will enable the communities sustain the activities at the end of the
interventions.
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4. The CIP partnership in the promotion of value addition of orange-fleshed potatoes should be
continued. Where possible, these value addition activities should be built into the nutrition
education demonstrations.
5. More partnerships in nutrition interventions should be sought and built at both national and local
government levels, especially at planning and implementation.
6. Improved cook stoves should be promoted as an integral part of the nutrition education
activities, in view of its advantages of conserving energy as well as enhancing the quality of life
of both women and children.
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 Chapter 7 EXIT STRATEGY AND PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY
7.1 Exit Strategy and Sustainability of Project Activities
7.1.2 Exit Strategy and Sustainability for the Project as a Whole
The UFSI Phase II project is scheduled to end on September 30th, 2006. As noted both in the Mid-term
Evaluation Report and in this Final Evaluation Report, the project has recorded some remarkable
successes. In a region where extreme poverty and environmental deterioration were endemic, where
remote villages had few, if any, roads, where children had very high rates of preventable diseases and
suffered from severe malnutrition, and where food shortages plagued the population, the impact of this
project has been remarkable. This is evident not only from the indicators, but from the palpable
enthusiasm of the project beneficiaries, and the obvious positive impact on their well-being. Yes, there
have been setbacks – some administrative difficulties, funding uncertainties, and unexpected weather
extremes, but the considerable improvement in the quality of life of the beneficiaries cannot be disputed.
The challenge now, before the project closes and within the available resources, is to ensure that systems
and linkages are in place to promote the sustainability of project-initiated activities. In many ways,
Africare is in a strong position to promote the sustainability of the project’s activities. Developing and
fostering cohesive and dynamic farmer groups and working in close partnership with many organizations
will both contribute in a critical way to the sustainability of the project activities. Over the remaining
project period, however, there are several key issues to be addressed both at the overall level of the
project, and at the component level. These are:
ƒ The Farmer Communities. Issue: Do the supported communities have sufficient motivation
and capacity to continue on their own should no other partner or agency come to their aid? If
not, what can the project do to strengthen this motivation and capacity over the remainder of the
project? Cohesiveness of the community groups is key to sustaining each of the project’s
components and the project has empowered communities in leadership and group dynamic skills
to achieve this cohesiveness.
It is recommended that groups be identified that could benefit from additional training in group
capacity building and the project make a special effort to provide such training on a selective
basis over the remainder of the project. Where relevant, leaders from these groups should be
given additional training in group dynamics, in how to approach potential partners/agencies, and
in what to request from local government officials.
It is also recommended that selected communities be trained in writing simple proposals that can
be presented to development partners for funding.
ƒ NGOs and other Agencies. Are there competent and relevant agencies or partners that will
continue in the villages when UFSI-II closes? What can feasibly be done to develop linkages
with appropriate NGOs and other agencies before the project closes?
It is recommended that, over the remainder of the project, staff identify such agencies or partners
and identify a strategy for linking them with appropriate farmer groups. It is recommended that
Project management consider holding a workshop (or workshops) where leaders of selected
farmers’ groups could meet with NGOs and other relevant agencies to discuss common interests
and plan joint activities. It would be important to invite local government officials to keep them
informed of progress and needs. Special attention to the NAADS program is recommended, and
farmers should be encouraged to register as a group at the sub-county level and request services
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from NAADS. Many are already doing this, as noted in Chapter 4, but it is important that all
possible groups make the link with NAADS.
ƒ Local Government. What should be the role of the local government in this process, and what
can realistically be expected of them?
It is recommended that section heads in collaboration with field staff identify interested and
motivated local government officials who would give support to farmers in conjunction with
NGOs and other agencies once the project closes. Once such officials are identified, it is
recommended that the PM (and if possible, the CR) together with the section heads visit with
them and formally request their continued support in specific activities. Where appropriate, a
support strategy should be worked out jointly with the officials and appropriate communities.
ƒ Private Sector. How can the private sector play a role in supporting the communities, and what
is needed to facilitate this before the project closes? Linkages with certain private sector partners
have already been made (such as the fast-food restaurant Nandos in Kampala for potatoes, and
the connection between the Apiary Farmers Groups and the Agriculture Development and
Integrated Organic Farming (ADIOF) which exports honey to the EU), but more should be done.
It is recommended that a concerted effort be made to promote linkages between private sector
partners (e.g. traders, entrepreneurs, retailers and wholesalers), and farmers. There is already
considerable informal trading in the area but, as the farmers’ capacity to produce a surplus for
sale increases, further linkages will be needed. Private sector partners should be invited to the
workshop(s) proposed above.
It is also recommended that linkages be made with any market information services active in the
area, and that the possibility be looked into of using the local radio to broadcast the market
prices of agricultural products (e.g. Irish potatoes, beans, mangoes, apples, etc) and agricultural
inputs (chemical fertilizer, pesticides, etc.). The broadcast could also give information about
transport availability for produce (e.g. the timing of trucks passing through certain localities,
etc). The nutrition section head of the project is already broadcasting weekly on nutrition
information (see Box 6.2), funded by the GINA project. Since the majority of the farmer
beneficiaries are women, the possibility of the GINA project also supporting such a market
information service should be explored.
ƒ Extension of the Project Using Non-Title II Funds. There is clear evidence that the longer the
project has a presence in communities, the stronger the cohesion of beneficiary groups and the
more likely the adoption of promoted interventions. The field visits of the final evaluation team
as well as the end-term survey findings clearly show that households that have spent longer with
the project are benefiting much more from Africare’s interventions than those taken up much
later. This is because, while the groups formed first were found to have adopted the new
practices with commendable success, those formed towards end of the project (especially FY05
groups) lacked in-depth understanding of issues and the adoption of practices was relatively low,
thus requiring additional support.
The Final Evaluation team strongly recommends an extension for the project after September
30, 2006. It is clear that funding would have to come from non-Title II resources, and it is
recommended that USAID together with Africare seek possible funding sources to support the
following activities:
1. A skeleton staff in the Kabale office to supervise remaining Africare activities and
facilitate the transition to complete phasing out for a twelve-month period.
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2. Continuation of the NRM activities for a period of at least six-months. As discussed in
Chapter 4, NRM interventions take time to become absorbed and fully understood by
communities, and to be carried out and maintained. Yet these interventions are crucial to
the economic well-being of the beneficiaries, as well as to the environment of the region.
The newer groups in the project need continued support to encourage them to adopt such
practices, and sustain them. Also, as discussed in Chapter 4, the implementation of the
NRM interventions has been delayed due to funding problems.
To ensure the sustainability on the NRM interventions, and the commitment of groups, especially those
formed in FY04 andFY05, to adopting the activities promoted by these interventions, an extension of at
least an additional six-month is strongly recommended. Since the number of villages to be covered
would be limited, the extension would be at a reduced level of operation than the present level, but it is
the view of this evaluation team that such an extension would be invaluable.
ƒ Preparation of a Documentary Video. There is much to learn from the success of the UFSI
project. As noted in the MTE: “Conceptually, the project is brilliant. Food security, being a
multi-sectoral concept, requires a multi-sectoral approach, which is exactly the design of UFSI.”
(Executive Summary, pg.i). The project was nominated for the 2004 Equator Prize, and has been
written about is glowing terms by an independent evaluator, Stephen Smith, in his book “Ending
Global Poverty.25” Lessons learnt from the concept and practical implementation of the project
would be extremely useful not only for Africare staff, but as a tool for other development
practitioners.
It is recommended that a video be prepared to document the evolution of the UFSI project, to
examine the synergies of such a multi-sectoral approach, to present the challenges of the funding
process, and to demonstrate the positive impact that the project has had on the lives of
beneficiaries. Such a video would need to be prepared before the end of the project.
7.1.2 Exit and Sustainability Strategies by Component
The following are the proposed activities and steps to be taken by each component over the remainder of
the project to promote the sustainability of the project’s activities.
Agriculture
1. Scale down the supply of demonstration materials and community trainings for FY02, FY03
groups and intensify activities in those groups formed in FY04 and FY05 (note: the exception
would be groups which had no or little harvest due to the recent drought, e.g. the group in
Buhumuriro village in Rukungiri District).
2. On a selective basis, and if funds are available, information brochures should be prepared and
distributed to farmers on key agronomic practices, on IPM and on disease management. The
section head would do this, with support from other staff.
3. Strengthen current partnerships (NARO, CIAT, UNSPPA, NAADS, local government) and
initiate new ones (AAMP, KADFA). This could be done at the workshops proposed above,
under the leadership of the section head, as well as in the daily activities of staff..
4. Establish parish-level and village-level task forces to control the banana bacterial wilt disease in
collaboration with the local government. This should be discussed at the meetings proposed
above between project management and staff and the local government officials.
5. The UFSI intervention model is based on the concept of reinforcing the technical and
administrative capacity of the Food Security Committees (FSC) in villages where Africare
intervenes. Women are especially involved in the training; estimates by the project staff place
 
25 Smith, Stephen C., Ending Global Poverty: a Guide to What Works, Macmillan, 2002
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women’s participation in the training programs at approximately 80%. Africare’s strong focus
on institutional capacity building should later translate into autonomous activity implementation
by farmers, thereby promoting sustainability. During the remaining project period, project staff
should intensify the training of the FSCs at the village level (FSCCI), and review village action
plans using the “A326” approach. Other stakeholders should also be involved in the process.
Marketing
1. Foster market linkages through discussions with various stakeholders (AAMP, CIAT, NAADS,
CARE, KADFA, UNSPPA, local government). This could be done at the workshop(s) proposed
above, as well as in the daily activities of staff.
2. Facilitate beneficiary groups in developing business plans to help them be more aware of simple
business practices. This could be done in the training and review of the VAPs proposed in the
agriculture section.
3. Facilitate groups in gaining legal business status through formal registrations. The registration at
the sub-country level is important since this enables groups to access NAADS services.
4. Encourage the formation of Saving, Credit and Cooperative Societies (SACCOS) to target
government rural micro-finance schemes; conduct exposure visits to successful SACCOS.
5. Link agro-processing groups to markets (such as the Apiculture Development and Integrated
Organic Farming-ADIOF, schools, hotels, and retail food stores). This should be done in the
daily staff activities over the remainder of the project, and also through the proposed
workshop(s).
Natural Resource Management
1. Strengthen tree-seed production and distribution systems. This needs to be done on an urgent
basis.
a. Increase the number of tree-seed banks.
b. Accelerate the training of farmers in tree-seed harvesting.
c. Link farmers groups /NRM committees to prospective seed suppliers and the immediate
and external buyers of the tree seedlings.
2. Strengthen the community maintenance system for the Nyakishenyi gravity-flow water scheme.
a. Design and sign a maintenance contract with the local authorities. Africare staff should
facilitate this (this could be one of the topics to be discussed at the project management
meetings with district officials proposed above). There is, however, the issue of whether
it will be honored and binding to the local authorities, given their severe shortage of
funds.
b. Hand over the GFS to the community/local government. (Note: this may need a MoU
and/or guidelines)
3. Review the VAPs and community work plans through meetings with stakeholders at the
community level. Strengthen the partnership with the local government environmental offices to
ensure enforcement of the environmental byelaws. Conduct advocacy campaigns for enforcing
the water-user byelaws.
Community Nutrition
1. Intensify the number of visits to communities to explain long-term benefits of nutrition
activities, in partnership with local authorities and other stakeholders implementing health
interventions.
2. Modify the Growth Monitoring and Promotion program based on the Community-based
Therapeutic Care (CTC)/Hearth model (as described in Chapter 6).
 
26 Assess, Analyze, and take Action
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3. Conduct education training sessions in nutrition and sanitation in partnership with health
workers at both sub-county and parish level; nutrition staff to participate in the Ministry of
Health outreach activities at parish level.
4. Assist in establishing Saving, Credit and Cooperative Societies (SACCOS) to target government
rural micro-finance schemes (as recommended in the Marketing section above) to finance
construction/purchase of a greater number of water jars for household use.
5. Establish more small livestock multiplication units; involve district veterinary officers in the
management of these units.
6. Continue to promote production and consumption of indigenous vegetable varieties that are
easily accessible, more resistant to pests and diseases, and nutritionally sound.
7. Establish additional multiplication centers for orange-fleshed sweet potato varieties in
partnership with the CIP, NARO and GINA project, and train farmers in value-added processing
of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, such as production of juice, chapattis, bajiya, and crisps.
Community Roads
1. Facilitate establishment of road maintenance committees at the parish level in line with
government’s recommendations.
2. Review MOUs with the local governments to advise them on roads maintenance after the
handover and to the extent possible get a formal commitment. This should be done at the
meetings recommended above between project management and district officials.
3. Advise communities along the road of the benefits to them of environmental mitigation
measures, and train them in how to undertake these measures. Decide on what
facilitation/incentives are needed to ensure such measures are undertaken after UFSI-II. What
would be the role of the road maintenance committees? Should byelaws be established to
support these measures? And what would be the role of the local government officials?
4. Train communities along the road in road maintenance and bidding for road works. Identify
competent groups that can undertake these bids, and support them with relevant training until
project closes.
5. Provide training certificates to workers who have received on-job training in road maintenance
and environmental mitigation measures.
Monitoring and Evaluation
1. Given funding availability, translate the FSCCI and the Food Security Calendar tool, training
manuals, and information brochures into local languages and facilitate the communities in using
them autonomously.
2. At the workshop(s) recommended above, introduce and discuss the sustainability strategy and
review all MoUs with the partner district LGs.
3. Conduct field visits to the project sites with present and potential partners to enable the to
experience first-have the project activities and benefits. It is recommended that this be done after
the workshops.
4. Hold exit Participatory Rural Appraisals (PRAs) in communities. Work-plans and budgets need
to be prepared for all these proposed activities
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REFERENCES
AFRENA-Uganda Project .2003. Annual Report , ICRAF/FORRI, Kampala, Uganda.
Africare/Uganda 2001. Uganda Food Security Initiative Title II Development Assistance Proposal,
Kampala.
Africare/Uganda. 2002. Uganda Food Security Initiative (UFSI) Project- Phase 2 Baseline Survey
Report, Africare – Kampala, September 2002
Africare/Uganda. 2005. TheIimpact of Africare’s Uganda Food Security Initiative (UFSI) II Program. A
Final Survey Report, Kampala, December 2005
Appleton S. 2001. Poverty reduction during growth: the case of Uganda. Mimeo, Center for African
Studies, Oxford University, U.K.
Armstrong J. 1995. Uganda AIDS crisis and its implications for development. Washington DC
Sserunkuuma, Dick. 2005. The Adoption and Impact of Improved Maize and Land Management
Technologies in Uganda. Journal of Agricultural and Development Economics 2: 67-84.
Benson T., and Palmer T., 2004. Crossing boundaries to reduce malnutrition? An Institutional Study on
Agriculture and Nutrition in Uganda, Mozambique and Nigeria. Report submitted to ICRW under the
Agriculture Nutrition Advantage Project, Washington DC. International Food Policy Research Institute.
Chenery, E.M (1956-1960): The Soils of the Uganda Protectorate; Uganda Dept. of Agric. Research
Memoirs Series, Kawanda Research Station, Uganda (cited in Africare’s UFSI-1 Evaluation Report
2001).
 FAO, 2004. Incorporating nutrition considerations into the development policies and programs, Rome.
International Food Policy Research Institute. 2004: The South-Western Uganda Sustainable Natural
Resources Management Project- Community and Household level Income and Asset status Base line
Survey; IFPRI Kampala Office.
MAAIF (Ministry of Agriculture, Animal IndusAtry and Fisheries). 1998. Towards a sector wide
approach: Developing a framework for the modernization of Agriculture in Uganda. 57 pp.
MAAIF (Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries). 1999. Soil Fertility concept paper.
Report number 99/024. CP Uganda.
MAAIF AND MFPED (Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and Ministry of Finance,
Planning and Economic Development). 2000. Plan for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA): Eradicating
Poverty in Uganda. Kampala, Uganda: Government Printer: 14-29.
Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development, 2000/01. Uganda Poverty Status Report.
National Biomass Study. 2003. National Biomass Study Technical Report, Ministry of Water, Lands and
Environment, Kampala, Uganda, November, 2003.
Nkonya, E., J. Pender, P. Jagger, D. Sserunkuuma, C.K. Kaizzi, H. Ssali. 2004. Strategies for
Sustainable Land Management and Poverty Reduction in Uganda. International Food Policy Research
Institute, Research Report #133, Washington D.C.
Stoorvolgel, Smailing Ema and Janssen BH. 1993. Calculating soil nutrient balances in Africa at
different scales.
Uganda Government 1991: The Uganda National Population and Housing Census; Ministry of Finance
and Economic Planning, Kampala.
Uganda Bureau of Statistics and ORC Macro, 2001. Uganda Demographic and Health Survey, Kampala.
UNDP 1998. The Uganda Human Development Report; UNDP, Kampala.
UNDP 2005. The Uganda Human Development Report: Linking environment to development; UNDP,
Kampala.
UNDP 2002, Human Development Report, New York.
US Agency for International Development. 2002: The integrated strategic plan for USAID’s Program in
Uganda 200-2007; USAID, Kampala.
World Bank. 1997. An assessment of phosphate rock as a capital investment: Evidence from Burkina
Faso, Madagascar and Zimbabwe.
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Annexes
Africare/Uganda
Uganda Food Security Initiative – Phase II
Scope of Work: Final Evaluation
Date: January 2006
1 Introduction
The focus of this final evaluation is on the second phase of the Uganda Food Security Initiative, a
program funded under the USAID P.L. 480 and USAID/Uganda, and implemented by Africare Uganda.
All activities under this program will be evaluated on their individual merits as well as on their impact as
complementary interventions launched in pursuit of the overall goal – enhancing food security in
southwestern Uganda.
1.1 Project description
The second phase of the Uganda Food Security Initiative (UFSI-2) ends in September 2006. This activity
builds on the successes of the activities implemented in Kabale, UFSI-I (FY 97 – FY 01), and continues
to implement steps towards enhanced food security in the region through interventions in five major
areas: agricultural production and post-harvest handling, natural resource management, community
nutrition and sanitation, marketing, and farm-to-market road access.
Africare expanded its intervention into five districts in Southwestern Uganda (Kabale, Kanungu, Kisoro,
Rukungiri and Ntungamo) in response to the high level of food insecurity in the region as indicated in
the baseline survey 2002. As defined by USAID, food security is “when all people at all times have both
physical and economic access to sufficient food to meet their dietary needs for a productive and healthy
life”. Under UFSI II, Africare has been working to achieve this goal by addressing the three main aspects
of food security – availability, access, and utilization. For example, in order to increase food availability,
UFSI-2 staff provides training households and communities in soil and water conservation methods that
lead to an increase of annual crop yields. To improve food access, UFSI-2 encourages production of cash
crops, which provide farmers with additional sources of income. In addition, roads are built to facilitate
commercial activity related to agricultural production. The income generated can, in turn, be utilized to
buy food, especially in times of shortage. Interventions in community nutrition and sanitation target
women and children under five and serve primarily to improve food utilization through consumption of a
variety of nutritious foods, vegetable backyard gardening, nutrition, and sanitation education sessions,
growth monitoring, and promotion and promotion of small animal husbandry.
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Under UFSI-2, Africare assists in the region through the following interventions:
Natural Resource Management – Africare supports ongoing activities and initiates new ones to address
soil erosion, fertility decline, and dry spells, which were identified by the farmers as the major
contributors to high food insecurity in the baseline survey. Such activities usually include construction of
trenches, terraces, and trash lines, planting of hedgerows and new tree varieties to prevent soil erosion,
composting to improve soil fertility, and building fuel-efficient cooking stoves to preserve firewood.
NRM interventions are typically conducted through village-based action plans and community resource
maps, based on which the community identifies the problems and prioritizes activities in a participatory
way. By this community-centered approach, UFSI-2 attempts to address the problem indicated in the
baseline survey, namely that there was very little or no collective community effort to prevent soil
erosion and conserve natural resources.
Agricultural Production/Post Harvest Handling and marketing – This intervention assists farmers in
overcoming various constraints on agricultural production and to prevent food shortages in individual
households resulting from low yields and high post-harvest losses. UFSI-2 addresses the major
production constraints on production as indicated by farmers in the baseline survey – crop diseases and
pests, poor seeds, and infertile soils by promoting improved agronomic practices such as line-planting,
fallowing, crop rotation, mulching, organic manure use, and supplying improved seed varieties for
further multiplication and dissemination among farmers. The baseline survey also identified inadequate
storage and fast spoilage as a major source of food insecurity, which UFSI-2 addresses by promoting the
construction of light-diffuse community stores and other storage facilities.
Community Roads – Similar to the first phase, UFSI-2 constructs community road segments to connect
commercial farmers with potential markets for their produce. This intervention is especially important in
the communities in where the lack of road access hinders farm-to-market movement agro-business and
access to social services (such as schools, hospitals, and maternity centers). The baseline survey findings
indicated that though most communities depended on the local government for construction and
maintenance of roads, the technical capacity and funds for such services were limited at the sub-county
level.
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Community Nutrition – UFSI-2 disseminates valuable information on diet, nutrition, and sanitation
especially to women with children less than five years of age, who most often suffer from inadequate
diet and, consequently, malnutrition. The baseline survey indicated that 71% of all children interviewed,
ate only 1-2 times a day and their diet was severely lacking especially in the protein-rich and vitamin￾rich food groups. UFSI-2 therefore promoted activities to improve food availability and variety in
households through establishment of backyard gardens and introduction of small livestock farming, for
example. Other related activities focus on household sanitation practices, breast-feeding habits, and
growth monitoring, because of the frequent illnesses and stunting among children under-five years of
age.
All UFSI-2 activities aim to render the improvements in food security durable and sustainable in the long
run. Therefore, UFSI-2 activities are applied through community-based groups and Food Security
Committees in cooperation with the local government. This community initiative approach is crucial to
realize an important objective of UFSI-2 – to strengthen the capacity of farmer groups and partner sub￾county governments to prioritize, plan, budget, implement, and evaluate food security activities to meet
their own needs.
Project scope
While the previous phase of UFSI focused only on Kabale district, UFSI-2 scaled out to four adjacent
districts – Kisoro, Ntungamo, Rukungiri, and Kanungu. The project targets an estimated population of
148,700 beneficiaries in 144 villages. Interventions in community nutrition and sanitation were
continued in selected UFSI-1 communities in Kabale district.
1.3 Main project partners
The main project partners are the target communities. Other partners per intervention included:
Community Roads - National Environmental Management Agency, United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) Mission to Uganda and District local government works
departments.
Agricultural Production/Post Harvest Handling and marketing – International Potato Center (CIP),
Center for International Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), National Agricultural Research Organization
(NARO), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and National Agricultural Advisory
Services (NAADS).
Community Nutrition and Sanitation – Ministry of Health, Makerere University Kampala, Mwana￾mugimu Nutrition Unit, Child Development Center, Mulago Hospital and the District Directorates of
Health Services.
Natural Resources Management – International Center for Research in Agro-forestry (ICRAF),
Uganda National Agro-forestry Development Network (UGADEN), African Highlands Initiative (AHI),
NAADS, CIAT, Diocese of Kigezi, water and sanitation program, Makerere University, Faculty of
forestry and nature conservation, IFPRI, Mgahinga – Bwindi Impenetrable forests Conservation Trust
(MBFICT), Kigezi Private Sector Promotion Center Limited (KPSPCL) and Africa 2000 Network.
2 Task description
2.1 Purpose of evaluation
The primary purpose of this final evaluation is to provide an independent and comprehensive review and
analysis of the results and achievements of the UFSI-2 with respect to the original goals, objectives, and
targets identified in the approved technical proposal. The evaluation should clearly present the successes,
problems, and constraints encountered during the execution of project activities, and make
recommendations for improvement in future activities, and consolidation of realized results. The final
evaluation should substantially refer to the data collected during the end-term household survey
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(conducted August/September 2005) and provide a temporal analysis of the achievement levels for key
indicators as reported in the baseline survey in 2002 and the end line survey in 2005. More generally, the
final evaluation should review the level of achievements for all indicators as reported in the USFI-2
Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT 2005). This exercise should also determine the extent to
which the principle findings and recommendations from the USFI-2 Mid-Term Evaluation (conducted
July 2004) were implemented. This report should make specific recommendations for the design of
future food security activities that Africare will implement in Uganda.
2.3.1 2.1.1. Evaluation report customers
UFSI-2 implementation team, Africare/Uganda Country Representative and Administration Officer, and
Africare/Washington are the primary customers of the evaluation report. Other customers are USAID,
Government of Uganda, local government authorities, and other UFSI II stakeholders.
2.2 Objectives of final evaluation
1. Assess the effectiveness of program design/management and implementation of the activities in
achieving intermediate results and impact with respect to the project’s three strategic objectives.
2. Evaluate the usefulness of the key indicators in assessing the long-term impact of program
activities and in providing needed monitoring information to improve program management
throughout the LOA.
3. Assess the relevance and quality of the baseline and end-term survey data; make
recommendations as to what additional data should be included in the future baseline studies and
M&E systems for similar projects.
4. Determine the extent, to which the project has achieved its targets, as outlined in the DAP and
updated throughout the project, based on the following:
a) analysis of the data presented in the UFSI-2 end-term survey IPTT;
b) assess administration and management of resources and their efficient delivery to
achieve the intended results
5. Review the impact on the efficiency and efficacy of the project of the following:
a) Africare’s methodology of intervention;
b) staff capacity and capacity-building efforts;
c) administrative framework including financial management systems;
d) technical and administrative backstopping by Africare/Washington and the USAID
Mission to Uganda;
e) current deployment of staff for each of the sections.
6. Assess the usefulness of the project’s partnership structures and the how these have supported
the sustainability of the project’s results/activities in each intervention area.
7. Examine the sustainability of the direct and indirect results attained in each of the intervention
areas, and make recommendations as to what additional measures may be needed to increase the
sustainability of the project impact.
8. Distill the “lessons learned” from this particular project for future food security projects.
2.3 Documents to be Reviewed
Evaluators should review the following documents:
• UFSI-2 Development Activity Proposal (DAP)
• Detailed Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation Plan
• Food Security Field Manual
• Baseline survey report (2002)
• Mid-term evaluation report (2004)
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• End-term survey report (2005)
• Annual results reports (FY’s 02, 03, 04, 05)
• Quarterly progress reports
3 Evaluation process
Prior to the fieldwork phase of the evaluation, the consultants will review all documents listed above.
The team will have the opportunity to conduct an initial briefing and orientation with the AFR/Uganda
Country Representative, USAID/Uganda mission staff, and key technical service partners in the GOU.
Much of the final evaluation fieldwork shall be guided by the findings in the end-term survey, which is a
principle instrument to validate the impact on the ground.
The following activities will take place after the team has arrived in the program area:
1) UFSI II technical team (the UFSI-2 program manager and each UFSI-2 section head) will
present the project’s achievements, constraints and the lessons learned to the evaluators.
2) The evaluation team will interview members of the community Food Security Committees,
members of farmer groups assisted by the project, village leaders in the communities which
directly or indirectly benefited from UFSI-2 interventions, governmental and NGO partners in
the region, the UFSI-2 technical and administrative staff, and appropriate USAID officials
(FFP). The structure and format of these interviews will be determined by the Team Leader.
3) The evaluation team will visit at least one village per district in each year of uptake. The
villages should be selected randomly from the list of targeted villages. The final decision about
which villages to be visited will be made by the Team Leader.
4) The extension staff (not the section heads) should arrange for the interviews, with independent
translators provided where necessary.
The team leader should plan and carry out the evaluation in a participatory fashion, amongst all the
stakeholders. The study should note the opinions of the members of target communities with regard to
the relevance of the program in addressing their needs, paying particular attention to significant gender￾based differences.
4 Deliverables
1. The consultants will produce a final evaluation report containing the following elements:
Title Page, Date
List of Acronyms
Table of Contents
Lists of Tables, Figures, etc.
Executive Summary
1) Purpose of the final evaluation
2) Background information of the project
3) Achievement of results against the program set targets with reference to:
3.1 Project institutional structure
3.2 Crosscutting themes in project design and implementation
 3.3 Project intervention (Agricultural Production, post-harvest handling and 
marketing, Natural Resource Management, Community Nutrition and 
sanitation and Community Roads construction/rehabilitation,)
3.4 Institutional Capacity-Building (for both staff and target communities)
4) Lessons learnt
5) Conclusion
6) Recommendations
7) Annexes
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7.1 Evaluation SOW
7.2 Composition of the evaluation team
7.3 Methodology
2. A presentation of draft findings and recommendations will be made by the consultants to
AFR/Uganda, USAID/Uganda and other partner agencies. Specific comments from this
presentation will be incorporated into the final report.
5 5 Team Composition and Qualifications
1) External staff:
• Expatriate Team Leader
• National Nutritionist
• National NRM Specialist
• National Roads Specialist
• National Agricultural Specialist
• Technical Reviewer (USAID Uganda Mission Representative)
2) Africare staff:
• UFSI II Program Manager
• All program technical staff
• District LG extension staff and the target area health workers
6 6 Schedule, Logistics and Level of Effort
The UFSI II program final evaluation fieldwork will be conducted during a two-week period to start o/a
01/09/06. This period coincides with the expatriate Team Leader’s travel to Uganda. Four national
consultants will be contracted to work with the Team Leader during this period. The entire team will be
provided with relevant project documents for review prior to the fieldwork phase of the evaluation.
The consulting team shall be availed office space at Africare Kabale office, for the duration of the period
of this evaluation. Africare will facilitate a one-day, on site (Kabale) Team Planning Meeting (TPM) for
this evaluation with all the evaluation team members. The consulting team will work in close
collaboration with Africare staff to continuously review existing literature during the evaluation period.
After presentation of the draft findings and recommendations at the end of the fieldwork phase, the Team
Leader will have the responsibility to complete the final draft of the evaluation report. This Level of
Effort will be provided after departure from Uganda. The level of effort of the national consultants
contracted for this evaluation will include several days for final write up and forwarding of the revised
relevant sections to the Team Leader for incorporation into the final report, which will be submitted in
both hard copy and electronic format to Africare/Washington.
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ANNEX VI
Africare’s Program in Uganda
Africare is also developing a project proposal for funding under the SSA-CP (Sub-Saharan Africa
Challenge Program) concerning the Lake Pilot Learning Site Africare is aspiring to get involved in
with other partners who are spearheaded by the various Task Forces lead by NARO-ICRAF, CIAT &
CIP is within the East & Central Africa (ECA) sub-region of the SSA-CP. The SSA-CP has been
designed to contribute solutions to three major issues facing the agricultural sectors in Africa: the failure
of agricultural markets; inappropriate policies; and natural resource degradation. The approach would be
through the Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D), and this is in response to the
goals of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) to improve agricultural productivity as
the engine for economic growth. In this connection ASERECA identified the Lake Kivu Pilot Learning
Site (LK-PLS) so as to enable the SSA-CP to link and support the objectives of the ECA countries with
respect to modernization of agriculture in the sub-region. The KL-LPS was selected to focus on areas
with high bio-physical potential, but endemic poverty due to limited marketing-oriented of the
agricultural sector. The SSA-CP envisages anew paradigm, IAR4D that fosters synergies among
disciplines and institutions, along the renewed commitment to change at all levels from farmers to
national and international policy makers. The research & development objectives of IAR4D are focused
on the following;
• Develop technologies for sustainable intensification of subsistence oriented farming systems;
• Develop smallholder production systems that are compatible with sound natural resource
management.
• Improves the accessibility and efficiency of markets for smallholder and pastoral products;
and
Catalyze the formulation and adoption of policies that will encourage innovation to improve the
livelihoods of smallholder and pastoralists.