(KABAROLE, UGANDA / THE EAST AFRICAN: 12th Jan 2026) – Like many farmers on the slopes of the Rwenzori Mountains, about 300 kilometres west of Kampala, Charles Katusabe was forced to rethink his livelihood after the collapse of the coffee economy at the turn of the millennium.
He tried alternative crops such as vanilla and moringa, but neither delivered the expected results. “We had large quantities that we could not sell,” he recalls.
Katusabe is now the chairperson of Mitandi United for Development, a farmers’ group formed in 2005 with 25 members. He was among 800 farmers selected by the Kabarole District Farmers Association (KDFA) to participate in a commercial garlic production project.
“Compared to five years ago, it is hard to believe the hopes we now have,” Katusabe says. “Garlic farming has not only brought income into our homes, it has restored our confidence in commercial agriculture.”
The project, supported technically and financially by Farm-Africa’s Maendeleo Agricultural Technology Fund and the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, has expanded well beyond its initial scope. Today, about 30 farmer groups with nearly 900 members are growing garlic on a commercial scale.
The first phase of the project, implemented between 2005 and 2007, focused on promoting garlic as an alternative income-generating crop. In its second phase, which began in 2008, activities were concentrated in three sub-counties, Katebwa, Bukuku and Mugusu under the Kabumu Co-operative. The emphasis shifted to commercial seed production and access to profitable markets.
Through the Kabumu Co-operative, KDFA has also promoted value addition. Farmers have started processing garlic into various products, including garlic oil blended with honey for medicinal use, garlic powder, neatly packed garlic bulbs, and peeled garlic preserved in vinegar.
The project has helped farmers adopt improved production techniques and work together to access better markets. Although garlic had long been grown in the area, it was not previously considered a commercial crop.
“Working with KDFA has helped us organise into groups, making it easier to share knowledge,” Katusabe says. Through these groups, KDFA provides training, planting materials and technical support. The association has also helped farmers construct storage cribs, allowing them to bulk their produce for collective marketing.
Farmers have learnt simple but effective practices such as planting in rows and proper spacing, which reduce labour and improve yields. From his first harvest, Katusabe earned UGX 1 million (about USD 278). He spent UGX 750,000 (about USD 208) on a long-horned cow and UGX 250,000 (about USD 69) on his children’s education.
He later expanded his garlic acreage to one and a half acres. From his additional earnings, he bought land worth UGX 1 million (about USD 278), where he is building a better house. If market conditions remain favourable, he plans to further expand his garlic enterprise and educate his children up to university level.
Beyond individual gains, Mitandi United for Development has invested in community projects. Members manage a communal field whose proceeds support local development initiatives. They also help one another prepare land for planting and sell produce collectively to avoid middlemen. The group has also established a tailoring school for women.
The impact of garlic farming is clearly visible in Katebwa village. Increased livestock ownership and the presence of butcher stalls point to improved incomes and better household nutrition.
KDFA’s success has been driven by simple but practical interventions such as seed multiplication and farmer training. Knowledge transfer has focused on identifying suitable garlic varieties and teaching basic skills, including line planting, seed ageing, deflowering and improved post-harvest handling.
Seed ageing involves treating garlic at controlled temperatures and humidity levels to break dormancy and enable quick sprouting after harvest. This has replaced traditional methods that required farmers to skip a planting season. The project has also trained 19 seed multipliers. KDFA buys seed stock from them and loans it to farmer groups.
KDFA co-ordinator Joseph Baguma says earlier attempts to commercialise garlic in 2002 faced major challenges. Suitable seed was scarce, and repayment rates were low when seed was loaned to farmers.
District production co-ordinator Thomas Nsemerirwe says garlic offers strong profit potential, but access to the right seed variety remains a challenge. Farmers can harvest two crops a year, each worth about UGX 1.8 million (USD 500). This compares with only about UGX 300,000 (USD 83) a year from cassava or green bananas grown on the same land.
He points to improved housing, increased school enrolment and greater land ownership as clear benefits of the project.
However, constraints remain. Seed costs about UGX 8,000 (USD 2.20) per kilogramme, and planting one acre requires up to 150kg. Irrigation is also difficult due to the hilly terrain, leading many farmers to cultivate smaller plots averaging half an acre.
Garlic grows best on the slopes, while many farmers prefer to build homes in the lowlands closer to water sources. KDFA has responded by constructing communal storage facilities and seeking credit from local banks, including Centenary Bank. It is also working to establish direct links with retailers, although improvements in packaging and branding are still needed.
A marketing and value addition facility has been established in Mugusu along the Fort Portal–Kasese Highway.
Women have been among the main beneficiaries of the project. Margaret Kezabu, a mother of four and leader of the 17-member Nyabuswa Initiative, previously earned about UGX 138,000 (USD 38) a year from cassava and sweet potatoes. After planting 100kg of garlic seed in 2005, she earned UGX 1 million (about USD 278) from her first harvest.
Similar gains have been recorded elsewhere. In Bukuku, Grace Kaliisa, chairperson of the 25-member Kanyamura Women Reflect Circle, says garlic has transformed livelihoods because, unlike cassava, it can be grown and sold twice a year.
Source: The East African