Gopele Farmers Reap More with DRDIP Support

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Gopele Farmers Group members in Obongi district believe that the foundation stone for achieving social economic transformation in their district and beyond has been laid. This follows a funding support and trainings from the Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP), a World Bank funded initiative implemented by the Office of the Prime Minister of Uganda.

Edaward Maiku C/P CPMC at the group farm

The group Community Procurement Management Committee Chairperson (CPMC), Edward Maiku Onzima, told this publication that Gopele Farmers Group received 185 million shillings from DRDIP, which was invested in commercial agriculture involving over 50 acres of cultivation land. The group also started a milling station and a Bakery unit.

Gopele Farmers Group initially operated as a Village Savings and Loans Association(VSLA) only, but Maiku says, “We decided to expand and start up other investments as soon as DRDIP gave us trainings on financial literacy and funding to support our sub project”. He adds that, “with the funding, we were able to buy a maize mill, a maize huller and a tricycle to ease transportation needs of the group milling plant”. The group was also able to erect a shelter for these machines, which they describe as the first of its kind in Obongi district.

Some Gopele Group Members at the Milling unit

The group also cultivate their own maize which they mill, package and send to the market locally and outside Obongi district.  Apart from the group farm, each group member is expected to cultivate at least one acre for home consumption. “It’s what we have agreed on as a group and we follow up members to ensure compliance”, Maiku explains.

“By the next season, we intend to double the size of the land for maize growing to at least 100 acres so that we produce in bulk for the external market”, he shares. According to Maiku, the group intend to produce and sell to government and other agencies who currently buy food stuff from far to feed the refugee community in West Nile sub region.

The enterprise has already created employment opportunity and continue to improve the life conditions of the 345(245 women, 100 males) members of the group. All members are able to make weekly savings in their VSLA. Florence Anyigudra is grateful for what the project has enabled her achieve. She is physically impaired and life was difficult as she could not easily get employed before joining the Gopele group when DRDIP extended support.

The Gopele Farmers Produce are branded 

The Gopele Farmers' Grain Milling Station


“The members of this group encouraged me to join them and, I got a loan of UGX500,000 from the group, hence I was able to start my tailoring business”, Anyigudra appreciates. She adds that she couldn’t even afford sanitary pads, soap, clothes and food items for herself before joining the group. “I am grateful to DRDIP for the support, now I have rested from begging every time because my sewing machine feeds me and allows me to save every week”, Anyigudra says with pride.

Another member, Margaret Mura says the group helped her to socialize with others and to start up a restaurant business which now earns her daily income. “I buy bread from our group business for my restaurant so that we continue growing together”, says Mura.

The Bakery section

Gopele Farmers intend to register as a cooperative company in the nearby future after expanding acreage of land for cultivation and acquiring machineries.  Apart from earning profits, they also want to see young people employed by their company.

“we should be able to employ more youth, I see many of them are running away from Farming, but we need to engage them more and we intend to use them more when we mechanize our farming and cultivate more land”, adds Maiku.

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