Showcasing Agroecological Innovations for Pest Management at the Northern Uganda Agriculture & Trade Show

The third edition of the Northern Uganda Agriculture & Trade Show is currently ongoing at Gulu University, bringing together players in the agricultural sector to showcase innovations, promote sustainable farming practices, and facilitate knowledge exchange among farmers.

 For the promotion of agroecological innovations for pest management, the show has offered a platform to raise awareness about agroecological pest management practices and products available within the communities and among the private sectors.

The Agroecological Innovations for Smallholder Pest Management (EcoPM) project supported farmers and private sector players in integrated pest management (IPM) to participate in the show. At the show, the farmers are engaged in learning and knowledge exchange as the private sector players showcase their agroecological innovations, which include among many biopesticides, organic fertilizers and digital pest diagnostic apps.

Agness Owiny, a member of the Ipara Cooperative in Dokolo, shared her experience at the show noting that, she has learnt more about biopesticides that complement and enhance the effectiveness of Push-Pull technology—an agroecological pest management technique she employs in her garden. “I had no idea about biopesticides that can enhance the Push-Pull technology. As a take-home, I will start using these biopesticides,” she noted.

"Coffee is an emerging high-value crop in the region. As a farmer interested in its production, I have gained valuable knowledge on integrated pest management in coffee, using biopesticides and natural enemies to control coffee pests," stated Atenyi Grace, a farmer representative from Pukony Sub County, Oguru West Village in Gulu District.             

 Private sector players like Plant Village and Real IPM Uganda highlighted the show's positive impact on their market reach. Representatives from Plant Village and Real IPM Uganda noted, "There is a high demand for biopesticides, organic fertilizers, and digital pest diagnostic apps in Northern Uganda. The show has exposed us to the market."

 Real IPM shared their success in forming new partnerships. "Through the show, we met agro-input dealers in the region, and two of them have agreed to be suppliers of our biopesticides and organic fertilizers, recognizing that this is the right season." Similarly, Plant Village initiated partnerships with the Uganda Coffee Development Authority to supply natural enemies of the coffee twig borer, one of the most destructive coffee pests in Uganda, to coffee farmers.

 Through EcoPM’s initiatives, GIZ is enabling farmers in Uganda, Malawi, and Zambia to co-test and adopt Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technologies to enhance agricultural production among smallholder farmers.