Research Areas
Agrobiodiversity, CropsCountries
UgandaTimeline
Start Date: 1 June 2009 | End Date: 31 May 2012Overview
The purpose of the project is to improve incomes of farmers through improved productivity and high farm gate price of sesame. This will be achieved through provision of high yielding end user preferred varieties, ensuring that the produce meet grades and standards demanded by high value niche markets and reducing transaction costs along the value chain
The consortium has come together to work with farmers in unlocking the potential of local sesame genetic diversity to improve farmer income. Throughout the project, work will be participatory, partnership based and the key partner is the farmers in the project area. There will be joint collection, evaluation and selection from local and improved varieties of sesame. Low cost integrated crop management techniques will be developed, evaluated and disseminated and would aim at improving the livelihood of women who are the ones mostly involved in the labour intensive work. Alternative effective and low cost post harvest technologies that improve the quality of grains will be tested and disseminated Last but not least, a market information system based on farm data combined with market price informations shall allow farmers to take their own choices in selling.
The project is in alignment with government policy of modernization and commercialisation of agriculture with emphasis on value-addition. The enrichment of the variety of crops with sesame – highly valued within the local diet – will not only improve food security but also nutritional food security, incomes and poverty reduction.
Research Partners
- ARI - Advanced Research Institute
- Austrian Institute of Technology(AIT),Austria
- NARI - National Agricultural Research Institute
- African Innovations Institute (AfrII),Uganda
- National Semi Arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI),Uganda
Tags
integrated crop management, sesame, Value addition5 Responses to “Sesame improves livelihoods of farmers: Enhancing agricultural productivity and profitability in Northern Uganda”
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what is the marketability of sesame in the regions of gulu,kitgum and lira districts?are there any challenges in its marketing?how is the general market structure,as in storage,marketing,demand and supply,the quantities available how the prices are determined and generally its availability.
Sesame is grown by smallholder farmers using landrace varieties. Quantity produced by a farmer is small and quality varied. A lot is bought and exported. Long value chain makes marketing a problem.There is a huge export demand. Due to high rainfall, Uganda does not produce white seeded type. We are working with producer marketing groups to reduce the long value chain.
(written on behalf of Dr.Said Silim)
Do the project do a research on sesame seed varieties? who are the main exporter of sesame seeds in Uganda, where do these company export to? do the project done a value chain mapping and development for sesame? what do report say !
Is there quntifieable data indicating how sesame smallholder farmers has benefited from this project? how do the project organize markets? has there been any collective marketing of sesame by smallholder producers?
Are there any reports about this projects which are accessible now?