ALFCO has cassava grater machine being used to train farmers in Gulu district on Gari making

GLOFORD UGANDA GREATLY IMPACTS ABUR LANGO FARMERS’ COOPERATIVE (ALFCO)

By Tonny Abet

GLOFORD Uganda continues to make social and economic empowerment in Northern Uganda a reality. Abur Lango is one of the many youth-led initiatives that GLOFORD greatly impacted and they have an exciting success story to tell.

Let’s read on together…..

Abur Lango Farmer’s Cooperative Society Limited (ALFCO) is a youth led cooperative with share capital and membership. It was incorporated in the year 2016 by only 30 members. The principal objective of the society is to empower rural farmers by improving food security and increase house hold income of the rural farmers through commercial production of agricultural products.

ALFCO now work with over 350 registered farmers, impacts hundred thousands of farmers through the radio programs for farmers and partners with handfuls of private and CSO players. Thanks to the seed help from GLOFORD Uganda.

Origin of the collaboration and subsequent change of story

It was GLOFORD Uganda through their WASH project; they were conducting a community dialogue in Akia, Lira district where Abur Lango Farmer’s Cooperative is located. While at the dialogue, a member of ALFCO who is a youth made a wonderful contribution during the dialogue and was awarded a T shirt that belongs to GLOFORD Uganda and also invited to meet the CEO of the organization i.e. GLOFORD Uganda.

Professionals from ALFCO talk to farmers at Voice of Lango Fm on 25/07/2018

Upon meeting the CEO of GLOFORD Uganda, he (the CEO) admitted to work with ALFCO. GLOFORD comitted to support ALFCO in the areas of capacity building, technical advice and networking.

GLOFORD would later facilitate one member of ALFCO to a farmer’s celebration day organized by O Community Action (OCA) in Apala, Alebtong District as part of capacity building and exposure. Then on the 16/03/2017, GLOFORD linked ALFCO to Uganda Cooperative Alliance (UCA) which is the apex body of all the cooperatives in Uganda.

The team of GLOFORD Uganda, UCA and Lira District local government attended a four days’ workshop in Mbale where Abur lango farmer’s cooperative members/leaders were equipped with lobby and advocacy skills. That was 19 to 21 April 2017.

Currently, ALFCO helps to disseminate policies, practices and procedures of growing, maintenance, buying and selling of agricultural products. ALFCO has conducted the advocacy on farmer’s issues at both at local and national platform.

Healthy cassava garden in one of the farms under Abur Lango

GLOFORD Uganda facilitated ALFCO in a number of workshops both within Lira district and outside the district. For instance, the Greater North Consultative workshop in Gulu, ACODE Consultative meeting in Lira, Farmer skills enhancement, etc.

Through capacity building and exposure from GLOFORD Uganda, Abur Lango was able to lobby for and get the cassava chipper from the Lira local government through the office of the District Agricultural Officer and received more than 200 bags of disease free cassava planting materials from district production department.

ALFCO now has more than 30acres of cassava gardens being grown by the individual members of the cooperative with the capacity to expand the production level and at least 300 acres by the outside growers allied to AFCO.

ALFCO has 43 fully registered members and works with more than 310 farmers in groups directly registered as allied members. ALFCO also impacts hundred thousands of other farmers in Northern Uganda through periodic radio talk shows at Voice of Lango Fm, Qfm and Radio Wa in Lira, Northern Uganda.

The cooperative still gets the management capacity and technical support from GLOFORD Uganda as a national NGO that works with the young people in Uganda.