Those of you in the UK that may be thinking of me in Uganda, and imagining me in a dusty field, dripping in sweat, holding my phone in the air looking for signal, suffering from lack of water….I’m afraid I have to disappoint you!
Chris and I are currently in Kampala, the capital of Uganda and are enjoying some wonderful Africa coffee (which i can assure you is the best in the world!), using good wifi, connected to 4G, in a nice 20 to 25 degree heat…absolute bliss!
We have had avery busy week promoting what we are doing to various agricultural organisations, all of which has gone very well. We are receiving a lot of support and there is a big move towards business in agriculture here in Uganda. It is what the government is crying out for – private sector investment in smallholder farmers.
We have held many meetings with banks, machinery dealers, and agricultural equipment suppliers to build up relationships with current businesses in Uganda. Already we are building a very useful network of contacts.
Kampala is a very busy place, buzzing with activity and business from early in the morning till late at night.
Kampala has developed a lot and is changing rapidly, many big new office blocks are appearing. Of course not all of Uganda is like this. However, what it shows is that the country is moving, and as the cities get richer, the diets change, the food demand increases, and with that the need for farmers produce more food becomes even more important. Also it is an opportunity – for farmers in rural areas, supplying cities with food is where the best prices can be achieved. However what is needed is good links and connections – this is what we are able to provide to our farmers. Finding good markets and adding value is one of the main struggles smallholder farmers here face.
I hope that one day soon, I can sit in a Kampala coffee shop, drinking the best coffee in the world knowing it has been produced by the farmers we work with.
Having Chris with me is great, we have a lot of laughs together! He is learning how to manage our accounts system, and is very good at organising me and where we need to be at what time. Google calendar has never been used so much on my computer before!
I hope you are all enjoying England winning the ashes! – and for farmers I hope harvest is going well, I hear yields have been good so far.
Jonny
