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Mechanising Malikuru for increased agricultural productivity

Kepo Simon hard-at-work

Kepo Simon, 28, and a resident of Kangoropa village in the Kuruba sub-country grew up in deep poverty. A father of two, Kepo joined Malikuru Multipurpose Farmers Cooperative in 2021 with the goal of saving money to improve his economic status and pay for his younger sisters’ school fees.

He would save between UGX200,000 (USD 55) and UGX300,000 (USD 82) in one cycle; a full cycle is complete once every member has received the group’s consolidated savings. He now works as the cooperative’s tractor driver. Koboko District has three four‑wheel tractors—one of which is owned by the cooperative—and 17 walking tractors.

Prior to July 2025,​​ Malikuru Multipurpose Farmers Cooperative had the ambition of owning a tractor. A collective of 14 smallholder farmer groups with a total membership of 540, the cooperative is nested in Koboko District and is approximately 574 kilometres northwest of Uganda's capital city, Kampala. The cooperative started in 2010 as a formal adult literacy (FAL) group. The cooperative is supported by ForAfrika’s Agriculture Market Support Project (AMS). The overall objective of AMS is to sustain existing jobs, enhance livelihoods, create new jobs, and build the resilience of smallholder farmers among the refugees and nationals with a focus on women and youth in the targeted districts. The project aims to create 11,545 jobs by 2026.

ForAfrika strengthens the capacity of cooperative members through targeted training and mentorship. Members receive practical training in financial literacy, group governance, good agronomic practices, bulking and sales, produce marketing, farming as a business, and post‑harvest handling.

Most cooperative members grow maize, beans, cassava and rice as their primary sources of income. However, for years, their efforts to avail more land and expand production were hindered by the lack of a tractor.

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“We were tired of using rudimentary ways to plough our land. Our partnership with ForAfrika enabled us to acquire a tractor.”

- Yosa David, the cooperative’s chairperson.

With support from the World Food Programme, ForAfrika provides subsidies to individual farmers, farmer groups, cooperatives, farmer organisations and small and medium enterprises. Through this arrangement, ForAfrika covered 67 per cent of the tractor cost, equivalent to UGX 70 million (USD 19,336). The total price of the tractor was UGX 108 million (USD 29,822). Malikuru Farmers Cooperative Society Limited contributed the remaining 33 per cent, amounting to UGX 25 million (USD 6,903). The cooperative was unable to raise the required contribution. However, ForAfrika connected them to a commercial bank that provided a loan, enabling the cooperative to acquire the tractor in July 2025.

“Currently we have linked the cooperative with Northern Uganda Tractor Association, an umbrella organisation for tractor owners. It will be easier for them to get support for maintenance and acquisition of quality spare parts from the association,” states Shakila Okuu, ForAfrika’s Agriculture and Value Chain Development Officer based in Koboko District.

Shakila Okuu, right, with the cooperative’s chairperson, Yosa David.

The cooperative has established a committee tasked with managing the operations of the tractor. To date, the tractor has ploughed 343 acres. Members of the cooperative pay UGX100,000 (USD 27) per acre. Non-members are charged UGX120,000 (USD 33) per acre. The income accrued from tractor leasing services is injected into the cooperative as capital. The tractor is now the society’s primary income earner. Part of this income is loaned out to farmers to undertake their economic activities.

Cassava chipper

Apuniki Grace, 23, is a member of the cooperative. Like many residents of Koboko District, she grows cassava, a staple food in the area. Through the partnership between Malikuru Cooperative and ForAfrika, the group received support to acquire a cassava chipper, creating an additional source of income.

Apuniki chips her cassava at the cooperative’s aggregation centre.

Apuniki uses the chipper regularly. “The benefit of the chipper is that one can harvest the cassava in the morning, chip it, dry it and mill it into flour the same day,” she explains. This contrasts with the traditional method where the cassava is harvested, peeled and takes four days to dry before milling.

Aggregation centre

The cooperative operates a village saving and loans association (VSLA), which allows members to save and access funds for productive activities. The loans are offered at low interest rates, making them affordable for members.

The cooperative society also has an aggregation centre where produce is stored and sold. This makes it easy for off-takers to access the produce and eliminates exploitative middlemen. Transport of produce from farms to the aggregation centre is done through the cooperative’s tri-cycle.

“ForAfrika is one of the best organisations that have made a significant impact in Koboko District. I am confident that our people will put the skills they have gained from ForAfrika into action to improve their lives. I will ensure that the good relationship between ForAfrika and the community is sustained. We are grateful that ForAfrika is now a part of the district,” states Mambu Asirafu, Chairperson of Koboko District Local Council V.

This support continues to transform lives at the individual level as well. For Kepo, the change has been profound since he became the cooperative’s tractor driver. After four months of training, he secured a job that now enables him to care for his family, fund his personal development projects, and pay school fees for his sisters. “I don’t spend all the money I earn. I save part of it so I can continue developing myself,” he explains. His goal, to break free from the poverty that defined his childhood.

Uganda’s West Nile region is well‑suited for agricultural mechanisation thanks to its extensive arable land and favourable climate, which support commercial production of crops such as cassava, maize, rice and soybeans.

However, progress toward mechanisation remains slow. The high cost of machinery, limited farmer knowledge on machine operation and maintenance, and inadequate agricultural extension services all hinder adoption. These challenges are compounded by poor access to financial services, unfavourable credit terms, and the absence of strong local support systems for machinery repair and spare parts.

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© 2026 | For Afrika to Thrive (Registration Number: 2010/025117/10) is a multi-national public charity with a global reach. We have affiliate offices in:
• South Africa (ForAfrika South Africa NPC, Registration Number: 1983/011022/08, NPO Number: 052-455-NPO, PBO Number: 130000144)
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