With the above goals we are implementing the Coffee Agronomy Trainings as part of Noah's Ark Farmers Association Program. In this program, our farmers are successively trained through an intensive training program. The program is designed so that they can implement the learned practices directly on their farms. Divided into groups, the farmers are taught agricultural know-how through exchange, observation, practical exercises and experiments. We work at the village level with coaches who train and coach selected farmers as multipliers, so-called contact farmers. Individual farm visits complement the training sessions to motivate the adaptation of practices and to take observed problems in the training program
The recommended farming practices are first applied by the farmers themselves on demonstration plots to compare benefits and production costs. To do this, they learn, for example, measures for soil improvement, pest control and effective pruning techniques. The goal is to increase yields by at least 50 percent. In addition, the farmers receive business training in order to better manage their small agricultural businesses. An equally large group of farmers will be trained in a parallel project by TechnoServe.
Uganda plays an important role worldwide, especially in Robusta production. However, many of the approximately 1.7 million smallholder farmers in the country still live in poverty. The results of this program of NAFAU will be evaluated with the aim of learning how the situation of smallholders can be most effectively improved. Other focal points of work are climate change, the promotion of young people and a gender approach aimed at strengthening families.