At least 16 million people are set to benefit from the $150 million (Shs 543.8 billion) second phase of the Local Economic Growth Support (LEGS) project.
The LEGS (Local Economic Growth Support) Project is a Ugandan initiative designed to improve rural livelihoods and accelerate economic transformation. It focuses on integrated interventions in agricultural production, natural resource conservation, and rural infrastructure development, alongside increased access to affordable finance.
Implemented under the ministry for Local Government, the five-year project focuses on addressing climate change, supporting youth and women entrepreneurs, providing irrigation for small-scale farmers, promoting agro-processing, and improving post-harvest handling services.
Dr David Siriri, who provides technical backstop- ping to the implementation of the LEGS project at the ministry of Local Government, says the first phase of the $43 million project has been running for more than five years across 17 districts in Uganda.
These districts include Alebtong, Katakwi, Kumi, Kibuku, Tororo, Buikwe, Buyende, Nakaseke, Luweero, Bunyangabu, Ntoroko, Rukungiri, Kabarole, Kyenjojo, and others. The project initially focused on core economic infrastructure, ensuring communities had the basic facilities needed to support business development, production, and income-generating activities.
“Our focus has been on community access roads to ensure that whatever our communities produce can reach markets,” said Dr. Siriri.
“The project has constructed markets, access roads, processing units, and provided access to financing for people to invest in income-generating activities.”
Christopher Kisinde, the monitoring and evaluation officer for the LEGS project, emphasized that the initiative will transform lives by addressing ongoing needs such as water, roads, fertilizers, and other agricultural inputs.
A transformative climate-smart agriculture project funded by the World Bank and the Government of Uganda is set to benefit at least 3.9 million Ugandans across the country, Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister of Agriculture said.
The Minister of Local Government, Raphael Magezi said the Local Economic Growth Support [LEGS] project is on track to improve the lives of more than one million farmers in rural areas.
Magyezi said so far more than 6,000 small-holder farmers have benefited from the LEGS project, having received 4.5mln seedlings for high-value cash crops coffee, tea, vanilla] for the export market, 375 tons of organic fertilizers,20 kilogrammes of fruits and vegetable seeds for income and nutritional security and 1,821 tools and equipment.
The five-year project was launched in 2019 with an aim of improving living conditions in 17 districts through improving livestock production, financing the acquisition of 729 pieces of farm equipment, and financial support for farmer groups across a variety of agricultural produce among others.
“Our top agenda involves taking the nation from low to middle-income status by collaborating with key players in the private sector to stimulate transformative growth across Uganda’s rural communities,” Magyezi said.