Better harvest in Uganda with Danish tech

Danida has granted 8.8 million Danish kroner from the Danida Market Development Partnership Program to the Access2innovation Association for the implementation of a four-year project aimed at improving the living conditions of small-scale farmers in Uganda. The project is named the Integrated Grain Handling Project for rural communities in Uganda.

The improvement will be achieved by establishing 25 decentralized grain processing centers that combine three Danish technologies, each contributing to increasing income for the farmers in different ways. In addition to boosting farmers’ income, the 25 grain processing centers are expected to create 500 new jobs, with at least half of them allocated to women and individuals under 25 years old.

The project funds have been allocated to Access2innovation based on the established local network and experience as the Danish platform for innovative, sustainable, and commercial solutions for African growth markets. The funds will primarily be used to train 3,000 farmers in Uganda in connection with the introduction of equipment developed by three Danish companies in collaboration with Access2innovation and with support from the European Regional Fund. These companies are:

• BM Silo, Holstebro, which produces small, flexible silo systems with built-in drying capacity, allowing quick drying of harvested grain while preserving its quality.
• Gl. Buurholt, Brønderslev, which has developed a mobile seed cleaner that increases field yields by approximately 10 percent.
• Engsko A/S – United Milling Systems, Randers, which manufactures stone mills and complete milling systems for grinding grain. This technology allows the entire grain, including the husk, to be ground, and as it happens at low temperatures, it ensures the utilization of all nutrients.

Landbrug & Fødevarer (The Danish Agriculture & Food Council) is also a partner in the project. The Ugandan partners in the project are Opportunity International, an NGO with development projects in 22 countries, which will be responsible for training farmers and the cooperatives managing the decentralized grain processing centers. Additionally, the Ugandan company AG-Ploutus Ltd., involved in trading grain and agricultural inputs, particularly targeting small farms and cooperatives, is also participating in the project.