MBALE. Small-scale food crop farmers in the Bugisu sub-region have formed a new union to push back against low market prices and exploitative middlemen, as they seek collective bargaining power for staple food crops.
The coalition, named Ubuntu Farmers Union, brings together smallholders growing matooke, maize, beans, groundnuts, vegetables, cassava and fish farmers across the Mount Elgon slopes.
For decades, agricultural organising in the region has been dominated by the Bugisu Co-operative Union (BCU), which primarily serves Arabica coffee growers. Food crop farmers say they have been left out of similar institutional support and exposed to unregulated open markets.
“We have the most fertile soils in the country, yet our food farmers remain trapped in poverty,” said Mr Jamada Kisambira, the union’s chairperson, while addressing the launch at Namunsi Primary School in Mbale City’s Northern Division.
“Individually, a smallholder cannot dictate the price of a bag of maize or a bunch of matooke to traders coming from Kampala. But as a united union, we will set the price, bulk our produce, and process it ourselves,” he added.
Mr Kisambira said the union now draws membership from farmers across the region and neighbouring districts.
Bulking centres planned
The union’s Executive Secretary, Mr Mabeli Francis, said the group’s priority will be establishing localised bulking centres and investing in post-harvest infrastructure, including modern maize mills and cold-storage facilities for perishable produce.
“By pooling resources, the farmers also intend to bypass middlemen and supply food staples directly to large institutional buyers, including schools, hospitals, and regional cross-border markets,” he said.
Leaders back initiative
Local leaders welcomed the move, saying organised food crop farming would boost household incomes and strengthen regional food security.
Mbale City Deputy Mayor Abdul Aziz Sharaf commended the union’s leadership, saying it would strengthen their bargaining power. “When we are lobbying, we look for groups like [the union] for funding. It is now easier to support you because you are a united team,” he said.
Northern Division Mayor Mr George Mwanika echoed the sentiment, noting that government support is often directed at organised groups.
Assistant Resident City Commissioner for Northern Division, Mr Ibrahim Ssemakula, said the union fits into the government’s wealth creation agenda. He urged its leadership to identify farmers who have benefited from the Parish Development Model (PDM) to help boost productivity.
“The government has given money to individual farmers as a way of improving their livelihoods. I implore you, the leaders, to tap into those farmers and help them grow,” he said, adding that farmers should add value to their produce to earn more.
Mr Woniaye Enock, Constituency Coordinator for Northern Division MP Nangoli Umar, said the legislator was ready to work with the farmers to fight poverty through shared prosperity. He said the union marks a shift from subsistence to commercial farming.
“Add value to your crops. As a union, you should desist from selling raw products and instead add value, which will increase revenue generated within the union,” he said.
Post-harvest losses
The Bugisu sub-region regularly suffers post-harvest losses during bumper seasons due to inadequate storage — a gap the union hopes to close through collective investment.
The union’s interim committee has launched a registration drive across Mbale, Sironko, Manafwa, Bulambuli and Bududa districts to bring primary farmer groups under its umbrella.
By Kirinya Ayubu