Change project: Urban Food Systems Resilience to Flood and Drought Risks (RUFs)

The long-term change that this change project seeks is to achieve and contribute to create flood- and drought- resilient communities in the Mbale City and Kasese urban regions. This will be achieved by strengthening existing and leveraging new partnerships between smallholder farmers, respective urban adminsitrations and other key actors that are engaged in promoting resilient urban food systems. In addition, to achieve this goal, the project will enhance community awareness and preparedness about the flood and drought risks and actions, advocating for and integrating local knowledge in decision-making processes, and co-creation of knowledge with state and non-state actors towards mutual benefit through evidence-based and collaborative decision-making processes.

Voices from the project
People sitting at a lecture

Teddy Nyamusiba’s journey from garden to greatness

In Kilembe Central Division, Teddy Nyamusiba is living proof that you don’t need a massive plantation to build a multi-million-shilling enterprise. Once a subsistence farmer with limited technical know-how, Teddy’s partnership with the Resilient Urban Food Systems (RUFS) project transformed her small home plot into a powerhouse of diversified agribusiness.

From hospitality to harvest: The agribusiness evolution of Wepukhulu Juma

For over a decade, Wepukhulu Juma climbed the ladder of the hospitality industry in Mbale District. But after eleven years as a hotel manager, he realized that true stability required a different kind of growth, one that started with gardening. Inspired by a simple newspaper story about a kitchen garden, Juma traded his suit for a business mindset in urban farming, proving that agriculture is the ultimate “five-star” venture.

Woman standing next to bags with plants

The transformation of Eunice Mutoro Sunday

For many, retirement is a time to slow down. But for Eunice Mutoro Sunday, a retired headteacher in Kilembe Division, Kasese Municipality, it was the beginning of a second calling. Today, she is not just an urban farmer; she is a champion of nutrition, a digital entrepreneur, and a leader of women.

Lecture

The professional perspective: Resilience through RUFS

According to Professor Frank Mugagga, the success of the current phase (2024–2026) is built on Integrated Farmers’ Training. This approach acknowledges that a successful farmer must be more than a cultivator; they must be a business manager and a communicator.

News from the RUFS change project

Video from the RUFS change project

Follow the RUFS change project in AgriFoSe2030 on a tour around home and farm. Join us for amazing insights!

Scientific articles published in the project

Using a Theory of Change Approach for Inclusive and Resilient Urban Food Systems in Uganda
Published online by Springer Nature Link, 22 Feb 2025
Mugagga, F., Mukwaya, P. I., Kasaija, P., Nagawa Kiggundu, P., Nakanjako, R., Kiiza, A., Muyama, E., Wepukhulu, J., Kemigisha, M., Mackay, H. and Jirstrom, M.