Projects
Ongoing Projects
- Strengthening Agribusiness Resilience and Competitiveness Project (STAR) funded by the International Trade Center (ITC)
The project objective is to strengthen the capacity and functionality of District Disaster Management Committees (DDMC) to effectively integrate agroecology and climate resilience in the communities (Community based disaster risk management and community resilience to climate change-related disasters/hazards). Also to produce two (2) evidence‑based policy briefs to address Mainstreaming gender responsive Disaster Risk Management (DRM) needs in District Development plans; and how to strengthen vertical coordination between line ministries and district local governments for DRM and climate resilience. Organizing five (5) District level meetings between rights holders, DRM committees and Policymakers on DRM and climate resilience, and organize two (2) multistakeholder policy dialogues (including MAAIF, Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Water and Environment, CSOs, Disaster Risk Management committees, representatives of producer groups, etc. in the dialogues.) to disseminate the developed policy briefs.
The project focuses on parts of Northern Uganda covering districts of Agago, Kitgum, Lira, Oyam and Pader district. Implementation of the project started in November 2025 ending June 2026.
2. Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Eastern Africa (KHEA) -Project
The KHEA Hub is one of the five Hubs of the Knowledge Centre for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Africa (KCOA) Project. It is part of the One World – No Hunger initiative by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through its executing agency GIZ to support a network of regional knowledge hubs for organic farming in Eastern, Western, Northern, Central and Southern Africa. Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) is the Lead Coordinating Agency of the project in Eastern Africa and Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Uganda is a Co-Host of the KCOA-KHEA Project.
The implementation of Phase I and II of the Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Eastern Africa (KHEA) Project started in August 2019 and ended in January 2025. The KCOA-KHEA Project aligns with the Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative (EOA-I), an African Union-led continental undertaking with the oversight of the African Union Commission (AUC) Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (DARBE)
Countries Implementing the KCOA-KHEA Project
KHEA is currently being implemented in Implementing Partners (CIPs) as follows: Kenya; PELUM Kenya, Uganda; PELUM Uganda, Rwanda; ROAM, Tanzania; TOAM and Madagascar; GSDM and SYMABIO.
Overall Goal of KHEA
The overall goal of the KHEA Project is to ensure that Ecological Organic Agriculture is integrated into the various countries’ agricultural systems.
About the Digital Knowledge Platform
One of the key project achievements has been the development of the Digital Knowledge Platform (DKP) which is part of the KCOA Project coordinated by GIZ as a major component of the initiative.
This online resource currently provides excellent learning materials and resources for multipliers, farmers and other value chain actors. The DKP was launched in the Phase II of the KCOA-KHEA Project.
To know more about the KCOA project, please visit these links:
To know more about the KHEA Hub implementing the KCOA Project, please visit this link:
3. The Rooted in Diversity (RiD): Partnerships for Food Security and Livelihoods Project 2024 – 2029
The RiD Project is a 14.2 million Euro, Norwegian agency for Development Corporation (NORAD) funded, 5-years project being implemented in 3 countries (Uganda, Niger and Malawi) through a consortium led by PELUM Uganda working with CIRAD and Oxfam Netherlands. Being the consortium lead, PELUM Uganda is responsible for the overall project coordination and grant management; financial oversight; monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL); capacity building and provision of technical support to all implementing partners and their respective sub-grantee organizations. This project prioritizes local knowledge and skills to improve food production and consumption in marginal lands and variable agroecologies, driven by the potential of agrobiodiversity to ensure food and nutrition security and climate resilience. Specifically, the project aims to: (1) amplify the availability and use of locally adapted crops and varieties, including neglected and underutilized food plants; (2) enhance market access and income opportunities for small scale food producers, enabling them to capitalize on the commercialization of diverse crops, thus extending these advantages to additional rural communities via markets and exchange networks; (3) promote best agrobiodiversity management practices through exchange, collaboration and shared learning among researchers and farmers; and finally (4) support the voice and collective actions of small-scale food producers to advocate for policy changes that support farmer-managed seed and food systems.
4. Biodiversity Enhancement and Agroecology for Climate-Resilient Communities, Advocacy and Nature based markets in Uganda (BEACON) Uganda (2026-2028)
This intervention phase, co-designed by farmer associations, civil society organizations (CSOs), all members of PELUM Uganda will see to unlock the potential of local knowledge, skills, and capacities of small-scale farmers to improve community resource management practices that address agricultural production, water for production, market access, household socio-economic factors including gender and household incomes, early warning systems and community managed disaster risk management, clean/low carbon energy sources, ecosystem restoration, enabling environment influencing and management among poorly predictable agroecologies where they live. Based on the premise that local knowledge is central in solving production, trade, and consumption of agroecological foods, adapting to unpredictable weather, and encouraging ownership needed most for sustainability, this intervention phase will build on the concluding phase: i) Promote adoption of climate-resilient agroecological practices by smallholder farmers in 5 regions of Uganda by 2029 using the created model villages at target units. ii) Improve access to agroecological markets and income opportunities for small-scale farmers to enable the commercialization of agroecological produce/products, extending its benefits to more people through markets and exchange networks. iii). Increase participation of SSFs in activities/platforms promoting a collaborative environment for systemic food and agriculture policy change
5. Harnessing Agroecology for Resilient, Value-Driven, and inclusive Sustainable food Transformation through Empowering PELUM Uganda Member Organizations and farming communities – HARVEST Uganda 2026-2028
This project phase is based on 3 interrelated objectives i.e. i) for the first objective, Improved capacities of 15 Mos to promote adoption of agroecological practices for improved food security and resilience among smallholder farmers and marginalized groups, ii) Increased income opportunities for smallholder Farmers affiliated to 15 Mos through local value chains of agroecological products. iii) for the third objective, strengthened capacity of 15 Mos to influence enabling policy environment that facilitates the promotion, adoption, and scaling up of agroecology practices in Uganda. It employs strategies like research, policy analysis & reviews, learning visits, social media influencing, use of community structures as natural resource management committees, community-based paralegals, Land right advocacy team, regional advocacy platforms, and community-based paralegals to mention but a few to strengthen grassroot engagements and movement for natural resource governance and land rights especially for women and vulnerable groups.
6. Power for Food Partnership programme in Uganda (2025 – 2029)
The Power for Food Partnership Uganda Programme aims to catalyze multi-actor partnerships and strengthen local capacities for the transformation of Uganda’s agri-food systems. It supports the adoption of Regenerative Agriculture (RA) and Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE) through an integrated and systemic RA–PURE Nexus approach, positioning these domains as mutually reinforcing levers for systems change. Through this approach, the programme seeks to deliver impact on renewable energy and regenerative agriculture-driven transformation towards resilient food systems, rooted in equity and inclusion.
7. Cultivating change in a warming World CCWW 2024-2029
Cultivating Change is an integrated program to accelerate efforts to shift global food systems to meet the needs of those most impacted by inequality and compound disasters. It’s of fair and sustainable food systems that support thriving, food-secure and climate-resilient rural communities. To achieve this, we work at the nexus of the food, land and the climate crisis recognizing the need to address systemic inequalities through a multi-sectoral, integrated approach. This integrated programme was developed to build on Oxfam’s and partners’ decades-long experience of working with rural communities and allies from local to global levels to fight the food, land, biodiversity and climate crises, including SeedsGROW program (2013-2023). The program contributes towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2: Zero hunger, 5: Gender equality, 8.8: Protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, 12: Responsible consumption and production, 13: Climate action and 15: Life on Land.
8. Scaling Up Agroecology in Uganda (SCAU), phase 3, 2025- 2026
The project seeks to facilitate vigorous stakeholders’ engagements towards the realization of enabling policy environment for scaling up agroecology as a pathway to an inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food system in Uganda. The 3rd phase was built on the successes and lessons generated during phase 1 and phase 2. The 3rd phase further mobilized agroecology actors and catalyzed processes for scaling up Agroecology in Uganda through the development of the final draft of the National Agroecology Strategy (NAS), shaped the Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (GRFA) policy, supported and increased Multistakeholder’ engagement foras such as the Regional Agroecology Actors’ Platforms (RAAPs), and the inner working group on the development of NAS.
9. Accelerate circular enterprises to design out food waste in East Africa and build a supportive ecosystem for many more to follow 2024- 2029
The project aims to strengthen the entrepreneur support ecosystems in Kenya and Uganda for SMEs to play a critical role in designing out waste from the regional food. A growing, maturing cadre of circular agribusiness SMEs will help reduce food losses, creating positive impact by easing the pressure that food production and processing put on planetary boundaries. We work with a larger group of SMEs to remove and valorize food losses and waste. Further, the project seeks to contribute to better livelihoods for entrepreneurs, their employees, suppliers and consumers. The latter include smallholder farmers and low-income households.
10. Addressing Non-Economic Loss and Damage Among Batwa Communities 2025 – 2027
In this project, PELUM Uganda uses multi-faceted methods to minimize and address non-economic loss and damage and their cascading impacts. Cultural Heritage Preservation: PELUM Uganda supports documentation of traditional knowledge and practices, including indigenous knowledge on food, agriculture, climate through cultural festivals and events to promote and preserve traditional practices, customs, and values especially for sustainable livelihoods for marginalized communities. Capacity building and empowerment: training and capacity-building programs for communities, focusing on climate change adaptation, resilience, and non-economic loss and damage, empowerment of community leaders especially women and youth, to take charge of climate change adaptation and resilience efforts. Livelihood diversification: PELUM works with the community structures to map and identify youths for skilling to reduce dependency on the livelihood impacted by climate change through formation of VSLAs and establishment non-land-based income streams. Awareness Creation: on NELD, intangible cultural heritage attached natural resources and sites, conservation, community development, mitigating negative impacts of climate change, behavior change, alternative livelihoods, train Batwa and host communities in agroecology, to build social attitudes, behavior, and structures for biodiversity conservation, sustainable natural resources management and ecosystem restoration as pathways for reducing non-economic loss and damage. Community-Based Initiatives: as a key and critical process for reducing vulnerability to climate-related impacts. Planning support for communities to promote economic, social, and environmental development that considers climate change focusing on non-economic losses and damage. Advocacy and Policy influencing climate and land justice, pushing for policies and practices that address non-economic loss and damage. Policy engagement with policymakers to ensure that the concerns and needs of rural communities are integrated into climate change and land policies and programs.
11. Advancing African agroecological entrepreneurship and territorial markets (AAE & TM) 2023- 2025
PELUM Uganda with funding from Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) is implementing a project entitled “Advancing African Agroecological Entrepreneurship and Territorial Markets (AAE & TM) in Uganda. The goal of this project is to advance Ugandan agroecological entrepreneurship and territorial markets by supporting the development of sustainable and socially responsible agroecological businesses. This is being achieved through a combination of interventions targeting various market systems actors such as agroecological entrepreneurs, Territorial markets, markets systems support service providers and policy makers in Uganda.
12. Agroecology Promotion Programme (APP) component on: Strengthening youth Networks (YALTA) in Uganda (YALTA project) (2023-2026)
The project aims on strengthening agroecology and climate change resilience for sustainable food system in Eastern and Southern Africa. This project supports young entrepreneurs to apply agroecological principles and to co-create networks around them, in view of contributing to the increased sustainability of food systems and youth employability. YALTA creates awareness on business opportunities in agroecology amongst the youth across East Africa.
13. Capacity Enhancement for Women Change Agents through the 3Rs Project Reporting guidance, November 2024 to October 2026
The project seeks to contribute to women’s resilient transformation anchored on the 3 Rs (Rights, Resources, Representation) and within the framework of the 3 Rio conventions. Its strategy is anchored-on evidence that ensuring Women’s economic empowerment through the 3Rs (Rights, resources and representation) which is important for sustainable development. When women are empowered, they protect and defend their rights as well as amplify their voices for the rights of other women. When women have access to Resources such as land, finance and other productive resources, they invest in agriculture which is a key productive sector in Africa, and as well start and expand their business to meet the food security, livelihood, health, and education needs and the general welfare of their families. Furthermore, when women are well represented in political and public policy spaces it enhances their participation and decision making in policy formulation, programming, and budgeting that meet the needs of women and others.
14. The Africa Women Leaders in Agroecology (AWOLA) initiative 2023-2027
AWOLA (Africa Women Leaders in Agroecology) is a leadership career development initiative of PELUM network, with the aim of equipping women working on agroecology, sustainable agriculture and food systems with leadership skills. The program aims to create high level women leadership in agroecology, sustainable agriculture and food systems transformation, who will influence and negotiate for the space of agroecology in policies and programs across African countries. The initiative involves mentorship where mentee and mentors who are at different scales and career levels develop supportive relationships around their professional and personal capacities.
Completed Projects
1. The Right to Food project
The Right to Food (R2F) project was implemented in a consortium of Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF), Coalition of Pastoralists Civil Society Organizations (COPACSO), and the Food Rights Alliance (FRA) from 2016 to 2018 with the goal of having the vulnerable women, men and children exiting poverty and realizing their right to food hence attaining livelihood sustainability.
The project was implemented in the North, Eastern and West Nile regions. PELUM Uganda specifically headed the component of national Policy Advocacy on Agriculture and Land Rights. We were able to support communities in West Nile districts to strengthen their land tenure security through Customary Land Registration where over 400 Certificates of Customary Ownership (CCOs) were issued in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development. We were also able to establish the Land Rights Advocacy Teams (LRATs) and subsequently the Community Based Paralegals across nine (9) districts in west Nile who played critical role in enhancing access to justice on land rights and related matters.
2. The Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative (EOAI) 2021-2023
Was a consortium partnership between PELUM Uganda, Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) as the prime, Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF) Uganda and Kulika Uganda. The Project Overall objective was, to avail information and knowledge for EOA value chain actors through demand-driven, multi-disciplinary, gender sensitive and participatory research and repositories.
PELUM Uganda was the Country Lead Organisation and therefore led in coordination, overall implementation, monitoring, consolidated planning and reporting of the entire project as well as coordinate National Platform and National Steering Committee meetings and participation in the project activities. PELUM Uganda was also responsible for ensuring policies, programmes and strategies are reflective of EOA aspects.
3. Support the implementation of interventions under the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA II) Loss and Damage funding 2021-2023
PELUM Uganda is currently one of the key partners implementing project tasked with the responsibility of building the capacity of action aid Uganda local partners on Agroecology, strengthening community adaptation, response and resilience.
4. Partners for Resilience project
Partners for Resilience (PfR) focused on strengthening community resilience against climate-related hazards using an Integrated Risk Management (IRM) approach. The project also focused on integrating Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Ecosystem Management and Restoration (EMR), and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) into local and national policies.
The project’s key Aspects included:
- Focus Areas: The project focused on influencing policies related to natural resources, such as the National Climate Change Bill and Wetlands Management Policy.
- Approach: PELUM Uganda, as part of the alliance, promoted agroecology and sustainable natural resource management to enhance food security and income for small-scale farmers.
- Activities: Key activities included training communities on sustainable agriculture (e.g., beekeeping, tree planting), supporting wetland management, and fostering advocacy for disaster risk reduction.
- Capacity Building: The project emphasized building the capacity of local partners in agroecology and community resilience.
The partnership was instrumental in promoting a landscape approach to disaster risk reduction and ensuring that community voices are considered in national policy dialogues.
5. Agro ecological farming in Uganda, a partnership project (PostKod)
The project was implemented by PELUM Uganda in two of The Hunger Project´s Epicenter in Uganda, which are selected, inter alia, due to their geographical location. The project focused on a number of important aspects, including increase in self-reliance and long-term production of surplus. The overall objective of the project was to enable small-scale farmers in Uganda to switch from chemical-based agriculture to chemical-free agro-ecological farming.
The purpose of the project was to create opportunities for small-scale farmers in Uganda to improve their farming practices. Among other things, by increasing the number of crops and varieties, a higher degree of biodiversity is achieved, thus increasing the sustainability potential. The project promotes long-term sustainable use of natural resources and ensures an increase in biodiversity as well as ecosystem services which are important factors for people to permanently be free from poverty and improve their living conditions.
