In rural Uganda, agriculture is the backbone of household income, for both young and old people. But for too long, youth in districts like Mityana and Kassanda have struggled to turn their hard work into sustainable profit.
While urban food prices rise, rural farmers often sell their produce at low prices, mainly to local middlemen, because they lack access to bigger markets, value enhancement, storage, or transportation. Without value addition, market information, or business skills, youth are stuck in a cycle of low earnings and limited opportunity.
Through a multi-pronged approach, TeamUp is helping youth go beyond basic farming and tap into more profitable value chains. Whether it’s drying beans, branding honey, or packaging produce for urban markets, value addition is becoming a game-changer.
Youth groups are being trained not just to grow, but to process, package, and promote their products. These skills mean better shelf life, higher-quality goods, and stronger bargaining power in the market.
“Before TeamUp, we sold fresh produce at low prices. Now, we dry and package produce and sell them at a better price. We didn’t know these skills before, and they’re changing our income,” Says John Bosco Mukiibi, Marketing Manager, Kamuli Youth Millers.
TeamUp is working to break the isolation that rural youth face by building market linkages that connect them to buyers, cooperatives, and trade associations. This means:
TeamUp is establishing value addition facilities in strategic locations. To serve as hubs for processing, storage, training, and trade, reducing post-harvest losses and ensuring that youth farmers can meet the standards of larger markets.
With better market access, stronger skills, and value-added products, youth across Mityana and Kassanda are beginning to earn more and see farming not as a fallback, but as a viable business path.