By THE INDEPENDENT UG
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Cooperative movement in Uganda is being urged to reimagine its approach and move beyond the nostalgia of its past successes, which were largely due to the monopoly granted by the government.
Until the 1980s, cooperative societies and unions played a crucial role in the procurement and distribution of agricultural inputs, post-handling and storage, processing, and marketing of produce. This made cooperatives the primary vehicle for the agriculture sector, contributing significantly directly and indirectly to the economy, as noted by the Uhuru Institute for Social Development.
However, the organization, now a social business supporting the revival and sustainability of cooperatives in a modern economy, believes that the movement must adapt to changing forces such as globalization and technological advancements.
Speaking at the climax of the Coop360 Innovation Challenge, Leonard Okello, the Chief Executive Officer at Uhuru Institute, emphasized the need for cooperatives to embrace change as they strive for the cooperative movement to account for at least 30 percent of the country’s economic activity.
The climax of the event followed a study conducted by the institute in collaboration with Goldstone Consulting and Training, which revealed the necessity for cooperatives to adopt new methods to ensure sustainability.
This insight informed the decision to initiate Innovation awards, with 25 cooperatives participating in the process.
The Innovation awards aimed at promoting creativity and innovation in the sector, which is facing challenges such as climate change, liberalization, and increasing land scarcity, among others.
According to Daniel Bukenya, head of the Judging Committee, the most innovative cooperatives were recognized based on a range of criteria, including the innovativeness of their inventions, governance frameworks, scalability, and sustainability.
He noted that the resilience of the cooperatives was a significant discovery during the study and urged them to brace for more challenges ahead.
Mengya Integrated Farmers Cooperative Society from Kween district emerged as the winners of the inaugural Coop360 Innovations Award. The Uhuru Institute aims to make this event an annual occurrence.
The group’s innovation aimed at addressing natural hazards in the mountainous region, which experiences excessive rains and landslides followed by extended periods of drought.
Their flagship innovations included what they termed as modified Irish Potato, capable of producing tubers as heavy as a quarter kilogram, along with a pressure irrigation system that operates without electricity or manual pumps, relying instead on gravitational manipulation.
Moses Kiptala, representing Mengya, explained that their innovations were tailored to the soil topography of the area, characterized by hilly and dry conditions unsuitable for many cash crops.
The first and second runners-up were Bushika Integrated Area Enterprise Limited from Bududa District and Kibinge Coffee Farmers Cooperative Society from Bukomansimbi, respectively.
Bushika Integrated was recognized for their “Forest Garden” Innovation, a climate-smart approach enabling coffee growers in the mountainous Elgon region to thrive. By recycling coffee waste into charcoal briquettes and promoting tree protection, they diversified their members’ incomes and increased the value of their produce, with a half-kilo pack of processed coffee fetching 20,000 shillings, well above the market average.
Kibinge Coffee Farmers Cooperative was praised for its Farm Management Initiative, which supports coffee growers facing plantation management challenges. In addition to water harvesting systems, they introduced a “succession plan” initiative to ensure retiring members have a better quality of life. General Manager Rogers Serubombwe noted that, at a minimal cost, they helped members achieve better harvests through improved inputs and systems that plantation owners may otherwise struggle to afford.
Other finalists included Amuca Coffee Producers and Marketing Cooperative Society, Reformed Poachers and Batwa Farmers Cooperative Society, and Uganda Central Cooperative Financial Services Ltd.
The winner received a 20-million-shilling cheque, while the first and second runners-up received 10 and 5 million shillings respectively.
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