When the current phase of the TeamUp program began in September 2022, it carried a bold promise to equip young people with knowledge, skills, and opportunities that would outlast the program itself. Today, that promise is ripening on branches across villages in Mityana and Kassanda disricts in central Uganda.
Grouped into 180 Youth Farmer Field Schools (YFFS), young people have been learning, practicing, and sharing knowledge on climate-smart agriculture, business management, and gender equality.
Henry Ssebaggala, a Youth Farmer Field School Facilitator in Kikandwa Sub-county, Mityana District, stands proudly in his coffee demonstration garden planted in April 2024. Today, his trees are heavy with cherries.
“When I joined TeamUp, I learnt climate-smart coffee farming and finally accessed quality inputs I had only dreamed of. The demonstration garden planted on my land is already yielding, and my first harvest is ready. This gives me great hope for a better future. I have shared skills with many fellow youth who are now opening new coffee gardens in our community.”
Henry is not alone. Across the program, 120 coffee demonstration plots were established alongside others for seasonal crops including beans, maize, and tomatoes. These plots have become living classrooms where knowledge is seen, practiced, and replicated.
Syrus Jjuuko is among those who took the lessons and made them his own blueprint. After attending YFFS sessions at the start of the program, he invested in coffee seedlings and planted three-quarters of an acre on his land. By following the recommended practices faithfully, his garden is now productive and expanding.
“Immediately after learning from the YFFS sessions conducted at the start of the program in my area, I bought coffee seedlings and planted my garden. I followed the good practices they taught us to the dot and I have never looked back. I am already expanding my garden with the money earned from the older one.”
This cycle of learning, applying, harvesting, and reinvesting is transforming livelihoods and many youth are turning into entrepreneurs, role models, and mentors within their communities.
Monica Salinge, another host of a coffee demonstration garden, describes her journey as one of the best decisions she has ever made.
“The impact stretches beyond coffee alone. With knowledge of intercropping coffee with matooke (food plantain), many of these gardens now provide both income and food security. Families no longer face the same seasonal food shortages as before. The banana plants offer steady food for households while the coffee provides long-term income.”
In many communities, these young farmers are now sources of inspiration not only to their peers, but to parents, neighbors, and entire villages. Communities are witnessing a new generation that is confident, knowledgeable, and interested in agriculture as a business.
In 2025 alone, 3,980 YFFS sessions were conducted and reached 6,577 young women and men already enrolled in TeamUp program, while an additional 10,751 none members also participated from the sessions.
