By Mike Rwothomio
Zombo, Uganda: The Uganda Agribusiness Alliance (UAA) has rolled out a three-day refresher training in Paidha Town Council, bringing together 18 farmers and six Community-Based Trainers (CBTs) from six micro stations across Arua, Nebbi, and Zombo districts to strengthen agronomic, post-harvest, and business skills within the onion value chain.
The training, underway at Daudi Courts in Paidha from November 19–23, 2025, marks the beginning of closeout and sustainability activities under the five-year onion value chain development project implemented across the West Nile sub-region.
Day One opened with hands-on sessions focusing on onion and garlic agronomy, climate-smart agriculture, post-harvest handling, value addition, business development, and financial management—core areas aimed at boosting farmer productivity and competitiveness in domestic, regional, and global markets.
Consultant Agronomist Kukunda Medias welcomed participants and highlighted the significance of the training as the project enters its final stretch. “This refresher training is designed to reinforce the knowledge and practical skills farmers have gained over the last five years,” she said.
“Our focus is to help farmers continue improving productivity, adopt climate-smart practices, build capacity in value addition, and position their onions for wider market opportunities.”
Kukunda encouraged farmers to maintain peer consultation networks to sustain knowledge sharing and stimulate increased production.
Farmers actively engaged in the discussions, drawing insights from experienced facilitators on best practices in onion farming, knowledge expected to support the continued growth of onion production in West Nile.
Zombo Town Council Agricultural Officer Moses Openjmungu described the training as timely, noting ongoing challenges in horticultural production in the area. He urged farmers to ensure the project makes a tangible impact on their livelihoods by embracing sustainability, value addition, and loss prevention.
“Let us share knowledge and consult among ourselves to avoid preventable losses,” he said.
The training falls under the broader Power of Voices Project (PvP), funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Oxfam and implemented by UAA in partnership with the Agency for Community Empowerment (AFCE), SEATINI Uganda, ESAFF Uganda, and CSBAG Uganda. Running since 2020, the project is set to close in December 2025.
Over the past five years, the initiative has supported 1,388 farmers (665 female, 723 male) through advocacy engagements, Global GAP training, seed support, and exchange learning visits to seasoned onion farmers in West Nile. Beneficiaries have also been helped to access markets and adopt improved agronomic, post-harvest, and financial management practices.
The ongoing training aims to strengthen farmers’ and CBTs’ capacity in onion and garlic agronomy, post-harvest handling, value addition, financial management, and sustainability planning as the project winds up.
In the coming days, farmers will receive additional training on garlic production, business development, and financial management to boost the viability and sustainability of their enterprises. Many participants expressed optimism about translating the new skills into improved production and better market access.
UAA reaffirmed its commitment to supporting farmers even after the project’s closure, noting that the gains achieved over the last five years have laid a strong foundation for continued growth of the onion sector in West Nile.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.
