COFIA Demonstration Farm
COFIA’s organic Demonstration Farm provides training in modern farming practices, tools, high-quality seeds, organic fertilizer and pesticides to a 60-woman Farming Collective in Peta Pakoi, Tororo, Eastern Region of Uganda, about 16 kilometers from the Kenyan border.
In addition to training, the 15-acre/hectare, irrigated Demo Farm features crop storage and residential facilities, greenhouse space, solar power and water well access for surrounding villages.
COFIA is a market intermediary centered around the Demo Farm, directly purchasing farmers’ yield and selling in high-margin markets, enabling a financially sustainable enterprise model.
Center of Excellence.
COFIA board, staff and partners are working toward the vision of the COFIA Demo Farm as a Center of Excellence in the research and development of sustainable food and agricultural systems in Uganda’s Eastern Region, addressing critical gaps in agricultural research, innovation, extension, skills and knowledge, natural resource access and management, quality input supply, climate adaptation, market access, and domestic and global value-chain participation. COFIA has created an innovative solution to engage smallholder farmers—on less than five acres each—to sustainably increase productivity, household income, and food security while conserving the natural resource base. Our robust agri-business social enterprise focuses on four key elements:
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Improving agricultural practices and economic opportunities for smallholder farmers in eastern Uganda, with a focus on women.
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Partnering with researchers to bolster crop varieties and increase sustainable productivity for the region in the face of climate change.
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Improving child and family nutrition at the household level.
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Promoting agricultural innovation through strategic partnership and training.
Showcase Venue.
Demo Farm plots showcase best practices in the production of crops indigenous to the Eastern Region, including
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Maize, rice sweet potatoes, cassava, g-nuts
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Open field horticulture: carrots, spinach, kale, tomatoes, eggplant
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Open field fruits: mangoes, soursop, tangerines, lemon
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Greenhouse horticulture: sweet peppers, tomatoes
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High-yield, climate-resilient, disease-resistant crop and seed varieties
Research Collective.
Through a partnership with National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), COFIA is bringing g-nut (peanut or ebbo) farming technologies to the 60-woman Farming Collective and to farmers in Tororo. COFIA is also partnering with NARO and Makerere University on agricultural research and effective farming practices, using the Demo Farm as a hub and test field.
Innovative Seed
Production & Access.
In association with NARO and its National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI)—as well as other crop scientists and agri-business organizations—COFIA is working to develop and sell innovative seeds and organic fertilizer/pesticides at the Demo Farm. In nearby Magola Village, COFIA is developing a production farm to bring in sustained revenue. The land has not been farmed for decades and the soil is perfect for growing maize, rice, g-nuts (ebbo or peanuts) and cassava—all staples of the region.