Title: Co-designing and Implementation of Farmer-led Multi-Stakeholder Innovation Platforms: Climate-Resilient Circular Dairy Innovation Centres in Uganda.
Programme: OACPS Research & Innovation Programme — ACP Innovation Fund, with financial contribution from the European Union.
Consortium: AGRENES (Lead), AGRILIV, Makerere University, National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), AGRITECH Advanced Systems
Location: Wakiso (urban), Mityana (peri-urban), and Gomba (rural) districts, Uganda’s central cattle corridor.
Contact: Dr Ssemwanga Mohammed · Project site: faraafrica.org/airtea.
Inputs
Financial & institutional
- ACP Innovation Fund grant, financed through the EU’s contribution to the OACPS R&I Programme
- A five-member consortium combining implementation capacity (AGRENES, AGRILIV), research (NARO, Makerere University), and technical/engineering support (AGRITECH Advanced Systems)
Supported by the EU-funded ACP Innovation Fund under the OACPS R&I Programme, this initiative leveraged multi-sector institutional expertise. The effort combined field implementation by AGRENES and AGRILIV with research leadership from NARO and Makerere University, alongside specialized engineering solutions from AGRITECH Advanced Systems.
Human resources
- Over 500 dairy farmers and stakeholders engaged from the outset through community entry meetings and Participatory Rural Appraisals (PRAs) across the three districts
- District Local Government officials, extension officers, and private agribusiness actors brought in as co-implementers, not just observers
Community-driven leadership formed the backbone of the project, mobilizing more than 500 dairy farmers and local stakeholders through early entry meetings and field assessments across three districts. The human resource strategy deliberately integrated district government leaders, extension personnel, and commercial agribusiness partners to co-manage execution on the ground.
Technical & physical
Three sites selected to deliberately span Uganda's dairy contexts: urban (Wakiso), peri-urban (Mityana), rural (Gomba) Baseline survey infrastructure (structured questionnaires, farmer cluster sampling) run May-December 2022 Circular technology inputs: biogas digesters, forage/silage/hay systems, Azolla, UMMBs, Black Soldier Fly larvae stock, water harvesting equipment, mechanized fodder choppers