PROJECT NAME

Loketa Agro-farming 

PROJECT NO.

2

Implementing Partner

Project Duration

DATE OF

STATUS ENTRY

PROJECTED DATE

OF COMPLETION

Implementing Partner: SINA LOKETA (SINAL)

12 Months

05-May-2021

05-May-2022

Funder: Playing for change Foundation (PFCF)

1. Project overview

SINA LOKETA (SINAL) is a youth-led non-profit organization in Uganda that works to strengthen the capacities of young people to become self-reliant and develop capital in refugee and host communities through personal and professional development. It was created in 2018 in Mpigi District by a team of refuge entrepreneurs from DR Congo, South Sudan and youth from northern Uganda. It has also been registered under the National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organizations as a local NGO, of File No. 1991 MIA/NB/2018/10/2208. SINAL is mandated to operate countrywide in areas of Community awareness and mobilization; Peace Building, Education, Digital Inclusion and Environment Protection, Sustainable Agriculture, Entrepreneurship and Environment Management for increased access to socio-economic services for effective and sustainable poverty eradication.

Each year, SINAL leads 180 new scholars through a personal and professional transformation based on project-based learning, where they learn through the development of actual projects, and hands-on experimentation, where they take organizational roles and responsibilities as part of learning through actual job placement. SINAL organizational structure fosters the growth of every individual and offers opportunities to explore capabilities by taking over actual responsibilities and learn how to become a leader through actually leading.

In 2019, SINAL in partnership with Playing For Change Foundation, are implementing‘‘SALAM Music Programme’’ that aims at unleashing the potentials of refugee and host community from the refugee and host

through structured cultural Music education and arts centre based in BidiBidi, the biggest refugee camp in Africa, located in Northern Uganda. In 2021, we enrolled more than 18 students who are actively learning different traditional dance activities to freely express through music and develop confidence as they master vocal singing and playing musical instruments.

In 2021 SINAL in partnership with PFCF is implementing Loketa Agrofarming, the agricultural branch of Sina Loketa is dedicated to creating sustainable farming training for refugees. With the decrease of the UN World Food Program this year, refugees will primarily depend on consuming their own-produced food stocks and selling their stocks for income. To help face this situation, Loketa Agrofarming is planning to implement a training program on sustainable agricultural practices. This training will be targeted to a core contingent of 50 women and 70 local farmers. The training will cover the full scope of the food production process: sowing, culture, processing, and local sale to help generate complementary revenues for refugees. One of the aspects of the projects will be around natural oil production and a substantial part of the budget for this project will be allocated to buy an oil processing machine that can work with a variety of local grains. All the activities will be coordinated by our partner Sina Loketa and supervised by the Playing For Change Foundation.

The total budget was 7,500 USD and includes local training workshops for 6 months, the purchase of seeds, and basic equipment and tools for the project.

2. Summary of the progress:

In 2021, SINAL with support from the Playing for Change Foundation, have started a Loketa Agro-Farming  Garden that aims at creating food security and wealth for people in refugee and host communities of Bidibdidi through sustainable agricultural practices and value addition to local yields. One of our goals is to support 50 women and 70 local farmers by training them on sustainable agricultural practices, providing them with seeds and land to put the training into action. This goal is being achieved by SINAL Team coordinating and conducting the training. A two hector’s land has been hired and cultivated by the trained and for the trainees to start the business. SINAL also provided them with the supports needed in terms of seeds and farming tools. So far 28 women and 7 men from the refugee and host communities have been trained in sustainable agricultural training, started preparing their gardens to kick start the Afro-farming Business that will create food security in Bidibidi and while doubling their incomes.

3.  Next Project Milestones to be achieved:

1. Fencing the Agro-Farm Garden
2. Setting up a small oil processing factory to start adding values to the produces
3. Hiring an expert to training the oil production Team
4. Buying the crops from our local farmer’s groups and others
5. Production of Cooking cooking oil as value 
6. Certification of our product by the UNBS to be allowed in the Ugandan markets
7. Packaging, marketing and selling of cooking oil Loketa Agro-Farm cooking oil.

4. Needs/Add challenges

1. We need to fence for Loketa Agro-Farm Garden to prevent the crops from being eaten by the cows and goats around Bidibidi.
2. Proving additional Boots to protect the local farmers against the sharpened stones and stones, and from being bitten by a snake on their legs.
3. We will need to provide a solar system to power the oil processing machine and a standard room for oil production.
4. There’s also a need of conducting customer discoveries to understand the available cooking oil markets in Uganda.

Key Indiquators

Status

Percentage

Description

2 Hectares of land being hireds in Bidibidi to support Agro-Farming

Successful 

100%

SINA LOKETA has hired a 2  hector’s land in Bidibidi refugee settlement, Zone 2 , Villages Six where  35 women from the refugee and host community are activaliy participating in the cultivation.

50 Women from Bidibidi being trained in sustainable agriculutre 

In progress

56%

28 Women have been succefully partcicipated in sustainable Agricutral training

70 Men from the refugee and host community bieng trained in sustainble farming

In progress

10%

Only 7 men have been trained in sustainable agriculture

50 women and 70 men having support to tools and seeds needed to start the business

In progress

66%

So far 35 people have been supported with tools and seeds need to start the plantation phase