agriculture 30 August 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Busoga Youth Embrace Piggery and Poultry to Combat Poverty
Over 500 young people and women in Uganda's Busoga region are turning to piggery and poultry farming as a means to fight unemployment and eradicate poverty. Beneficiaries of the "WeWork – Green and Decent Jobs for Youth Project" have formed groups to engage in these agricultural ventures. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/busoga-youths-eye-piggery-poultry-keeping-to-fight-poverty-5576546
In an effort to uplift their region, youths from Kamuli and Jinja districts in Busoga have adopted piggery and poultry farming as a strategy to combat persistent unemployment and poverty. A significant cohort of 96 young individuals, part of the “WeWork – Green and Decent Jobs for Youth Project,” are leveraging six months of acquired skills to transform their community’s economic landscape.
These initiatives are spearheaded by groups of 10 members, with over 500 participants, primarily housewives, focusing on collective agricultural projects. Recently, ten of these groups received start-up capital totaling Shs5 million. Nine of these recipient groups are venturing into poultry, each receiving 300 chicks, while three groups are focusing on piggery, each being gifted four pigs.
The start-up packages, which include chicks, piglets, feed, and other essential business inputs, were facilitated by Cordaid, in collaboration with development partners such as CEAVA, Rikolto, and Enabel. Cordaid, implementing the project on behalf of the Belgian development agency Enabel, aims to foster economic empowerment, decent employment, and entrepreneurship among women, youth, and individuals with disabilities.
Project coordinator Rosemary Namutebi highlighted the project’s objective: creating jobs and promoting self-employment through provided start-up capital, based on submitted business plans. The “WeWork” project intends to transform rural youth from idleness into productive entrepreneurs and housewives into farmers. Participants undergo extensive training, including practical skills, business management, and record-keeping, often culminating in assessments by the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB).
Beneficiaries, like Barbara Wamusaaliza, have reported significant personal transformation, moving from being housewives to establishing successful farming businesses. The project also emphasizes the importance of teamwork and networking for long-term sustainability, with calls for continued support from local governments and the private sector to ensure these young businesses thrive. The initiative aims to create a multiplier effect, encouraging trained youth to establish individual farms and contribute to a wealthier generation in Busoga.