History

The Sasakawa Global 2000 Uganda (SG2000 Uganda) country program started in 1996, with the signing an MOU between SAA and the Government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF). The main aim was to transfer improved agricultural technologies to enhance food security and household incomes of smallholder farmers. With funding from the Nippon Foundation of Japan since inception, SG2000 Uganda has operated in 60 districts and reached out to over 700,000 smallholder households and 400 Sub counties, trained over 4,180 extension agents in collaboration with various partners and stakeholders that support agriculture at various levels of the value chain.

SG2000 operates within the government extension structures and has further strengthened this by establishing Community Based Facilitators (CBFs), who are selected from farming communities and trained to complement delivery of extension and advisory services to smallholder farmers (SHFs).

The SG2000 Uganda program is managed together with the production sector under the district local governments in the program areas, where SG2000 together with the districts designate an SG2000 district coordinator who oversees the extension agents. Other partners include agro-input companies, off takers, financial institutions, Ministry of Trade Industry and Cooperatives, FBOs and Media houses.

SG2000-Uganda has been under the leadership of Dr. Michael Foster from 1996 to 2007, who was succeeded by Mr. Emmanuel Kayaayo as interim director in 2008; and subsequently, Dr. Sarah Osiya and Dr. Roselline Nyamutale as Country Directors in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

The program is currently implemented within 20 districts as follows: Nippon Foundation (NF) core project districts include: Oyam, Lira, Gulu in the North; Jinja, Palisa, Budaka, Tororo, Kamuli, Bugiri, Iganga in the East; Mityana, Nakaseke and Mukono in Central and Ntungamo in the West; the Farmer Based Organisation (FBO) project also funded by NF focusing on establishing economically viable FBOs continues in the 8 districts namely: Palisa, Budaka, Tororo, Jinja, Kamuli, Bugiri, Iganga, Lira and Kamwenge; Under the IFAD/Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) Vegetable oil Development Project2 (VODP2), project districts include Jinja, Kamuli, and Iganga, while the Growth for Uganda (G4U) project funded by K+S GmbH Germany continues in Dokolo and Apac Districts in the North. The Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers are currently promoting rice value chain in Namutumba, Buikwe, Mukono, Luwero, and Mityana districts.

About SAA
SAA and its country programs which used to be called Sasakawa Global 2000 (SG2000) work in close collaboration with national agricultural extension services in Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria and Uganda to support smallholder farmers along agricultural value chain. SAA aims to increase farmers’ income and food and nutrition security through promoting market-oriented, sustainable, resilient, and regenerative and nutrition-sensitive agricultural innovations and building the capacity of Extension Agents and farmers.

”Walking with the Farmer”

SAA’s new slogan, "Walking with the Farmer", represents the organization’s vision and ethos. Since the early stages of its establishment, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture in respective host countries, SAA has set up country offices staffed by local residents with a high level of agricultural expertise and deep understanding of local context, in order to promote need-based good agricultural practices (GAPs) and improved technologies in rural communities.

SAA is committed to work with smallholder farmers by adopting a participatory approach that provide need based feedback to farmers and value chain actors to establish technologies and fruitful market linkages that addresses the specific concerns of farmers. This participatory approach embodies SAA’s spirit of walking with the farmer.

Vision
To support Africa to fulfil its aspirations in building resilient and sustainable food systems

Mission
Catalyzing knowledge sharing with African farmers and enabling food, nutrition,and income security in their communities