From smallholder farming to sustainable agri-food systems
Farmer-Centric Extension & Sustainable Avocado Farming Model (Pilot & Consolidation)
đź“Ť Location: Busoga Sub-Region, Eastern Uganda (4 districts in pilot phase)
🗓 Duration: October 2025 – September 2026
🟢 Status: Large Project – Pilot & Consolidation
🎯 Focus Areas: Sustainable agriculture · Farmer organisation · Extension services · Agri-food systems · Policy engagement
đź’° Funder: Civil Society in Development
About the project
This project pilots and consolidates a farmer-centric, scalable extension services model that enables smallholder avocado farmers in Busoga to meet market standards, adopt climate-smart practices, and strengthen healthy agri-food systems.
At a Glance
Uganda’s avocado sector—especially Hass avocado—is rapidly emerging as a high-value market opportunity. Yet smallholder farmers, who form the backbone of production, struggle to access consistent extension services, technical knowledge, and market readiness support.
This project strengthens Busoga Avocado Farmers’ Cooperative Union (BAFCU) to deliver its own proactive extension services—embedding sustainable farming, food systems health, and farmer agency into the heart of a growing cash-crop value chain.
The challengeÂ
In Busoga—Uganda’s second poorest region—smallholder farmers face a paradox:
A fast-growing global avocado market
Strong national promotion of Hass avocado
But limited access to effective extension services
Low adoption of climate-smart and quality-compliant practices
Risk of cash-crop expansion undermining household food security
Only about 24% of Ugandan farmers currently access extension services, leaving most smallholders without the guidance needed to compete sustainably in emerging markets.
Our partnership role
Civil Connections Community Foundation (CCCF) works with BAFCU as a capacity broker, systems facilitator, and learning partner.
Together, we:
Strengthen BAFCU’s institutional capacity to serve its members
Co-develop a farmer-centric extension services model
Support learning, documentation, and strategic storytelling
Bridge grassroots farmer realities with policy and system-level dialogue
What we intentionally do not do:
Replace farmers’ own knowledge and organisation
Deliver top-down agricultural solutions
Promote cash crops without food-system safeguards
Expected outcomes
By the end of the project:
286 smallholder avocado farmers supported across 4 districts
900+ households reached through cascading community learning
A fully operational BAFCU extension services program established
Increased adoption of sustainable and climate-smart practices
Improved food availability and resilience at household level
Stronger farmer voice in policy and market conversations
Most importantly, BAFCU shifts from a coordinating body to a service-providing cooperative with long-term relevance.
Early hypothesis
Sustainable cash-crop farming must be embedded in healthy agri-food systems
Extension services are most effective when owned by farmer organisations
Peer learning and demonstration farms accelerate adoption
Policy influence is stronger when grounded in lived farmer evidence
What we plan to follow with
This project lays the groundwork for:
Expansion to additional BAFCU districts
Adaptation of the model to other crops and cooperatives
Long-term policy engagement in Uganda’s avocado value chain
Continued documentation and knowledge sharing beyond the project period
The ambition is systemic change, not isolated success.
Alignment with Civil Connections’ Theory of Change
This project contributes by:
Strengthening grassroots organisational capacity
Enabling collective sense-making and learning
Supporting locally owned, scalable solutions
Bridging community practice with policy and systems change
It reflects CCCF’s core belief that resilient communities emerge when local actors lead transformation.