Northern Uganda climate-smart agribusiness market system analysis and program design

climate smart agribusiness
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Situation

Even with northern Uganda having largely emerged from a generation-long civil war—that claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions more—major challenges concerning resettlements and access to gainful economic activity remained.

As a result, the region had yet to benefit from the positive economic transformation experienced in other parts of Uganda. Moreover, the area remained underdeveloped and largely isolated from the rest of the country, despite its vast potential for strengthened agricultural productivity and regional food trade.

Industries
Strategy, Data & Insights
Smallholder Agriculture Development
Program Design & Business Development
Agribusiness & Food Systems
Climate Action
Engagement

As part of program design and preparation for an expected release by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of a GBP£15 million climate-smart agribusiness market development tender focusing on northern Uganda, ORI was hired by a Big 4 accounting firm to conduct a detailed market system analysis, survey of agribusiness opportunities, and stakeholder mapping.

We supported the client by:

  • Designing research methodology and tools, conducting a comprehensive agribusiness survey, and mapping northern Uganda. This included extensive desk research, and a range of key informant interviews, among others.
  • Conducting extensive data analysis to inform the approach and design of an innovative climate-smart program.
  • Evaluating the political economy dynamics and preliminary identifications of priority opportunities for interventions.
  • Preparing a set of key findings and recommendations on the key content for responding to the Invitation To Tender (ITT).
  • Providing inputs and proposal development expertise in response to the ITT.
  • Identifying key technical experts for major interventions.
Outcomes
  • ORI designed interventions and investments to benefit poor households and vulnerable groups in northern Uganda and enable them to improve climate-smart agricultural productivity, enhance climate resilience, embed market-based climate-smart innovations, and adopt enhanced environmental risk management practices.
  • A climate-smart agriculture strategy was included in the program design, and approaches were developed to improve stewardship.
  • A staged investment program for delivering high-quality climate change outcomes was delivered.
  • Of all the tenders received by the donor, the client’s proposal, in which ORI was a consortium partner, had the highest score for technical design/approach and team qualifications.