When we first partnered with Equipping Farmers International (EFI) to bring conservation agriculture to Seed Effect members, we knew we were “planting” something that would take time to fully take root. Two years ago, we piloted the training at two branches, followed by a full rollout across all eight Seed Effect Uganda field offices in 2025. Through our learning, we’ve sharpened our approach for 2026.
Put simply: we’re going deeper, not wider.
Why we’re narrowing our focus
In 2025, we trained more than 6,400 members in conservation agriculture and established hundreds of demonstration gardens across West Nile and Northern Uganda. The reach was meaningful, and we gained valuable insight. For example:
- Training didn’t always align with rainfall seasons or local planting schedules.
- Some demo sites were too far apart for our program staff to support effectively.
- Sometimes materials arrived late.
- Many members who fully adopted conservation agriculture practices often reported better yields and lower input costs.
- Other members struggled to translate classroom learning into home gardens.
These insights reshaped this year’s curriculum.
Under a refreshed project name, SEED CARE (Sustainable, Efficient, and Empowered Development through Conservation Agriculture and Resource Education), we’re prioritizing quality over quantity. Between January and June 2026, our goal is to train 2,000 farmers and establish 80 high-quality demonstration plots across eight districts: Adjumani, Moyo, Yumbe, Arua, Rhino Camp, Lamwo, Omoro, and Kiryandongo. Our aim is complete adoption by fewer members rather than symbolic adoption by many.
A more hands-on curriculum
Working with EFI, we’ve moved to a newly developed three-day curriculum, shortened from the original five-day curriculum, that emphasizes hands-on learning from the start. Rather than front-loading theory, each phase of the season is now tied to a specific step in the growing calendar, including:
- Developing a structured farming calendar by field office to guide planning and implementation
- Finalizing sites and selecting lead farmers in January and February
- Establishing demonstration plots and planting as the rains arrive in March and April
- Hosting field days and peer-exchange visits by May and June.
When farmers learn a practice, they apply it the same day in the soil, on a real plot.
Targeting groups, not individuals
One of the biggest changes our team has adopted is how to select participants. In past seasons, trainees were individual members of Seed Effect savings & loan groups. This year, we’re targeting high-performing savings groups in their second savings cycles, as a whole. These are groups with strong leadership, consistent meetings, low member dropout rates, and a willingness to advocate for the adoption of conservation agriculture. Demo plots will cluster within a five-kilometer (three-mile) radius so that field visits are feasible and peer learning occurs naturally among neighbors.
We’re also being intentional about who participates. 70% of participants will be women, with a focus on ages 18 to 45, the stage of life when conservation agriculture practices are most likely to be adopted, sustained, and passed on. Participation will be split evenly between refugee and host community members, reflecting the communities we serve.
Lead farmers become champions
Every demonstration site will have one or two Conservation Agriculture Champions. These are lead farmers who receive extra coaching and simple, visual aids for each step of the season. Champions are our answer to a challenge we heard clearly last year: a field officer can only visit a demo plot so often. A trained neighbor, on the other hand, is always close by.
Tying it all together
We have found that conservation agriculture works better when fully integrated with our other trainings. This year, we’re intentionally linking the agriculture curriculum to our Plan for a Better Business (PBB) training, also offered to second-cycle savings & loan groups. Groups will be encouraged to save funds specifically for conservation agriculture inputs, and households will be encouraged to integrate their conservation agriculture plots as their family’s primary means of crop production. Behavior change and financial readiness go hand in hand.
Listening more carefully
We’ve also tightened how we measure what’s working, and how we collect feedback from our training participants. Our MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning) team will track five indicators at each demo site:
- Plot size
- Practices adopted (mulch, spacing, rotation)
- Labor days compared to conventional farming methods
- Early crop yields
- Each farmer’s willingness to continue
Understanding this data allows us to adjust mid-season, in May, rather than waiting until after harvest to learn what could have been better.
Additionally, Seed Effect Uganda management will be adding a toll-free phone number for trainees to have a direct line of communication to our Head Office. This will ensure accountability and promote consistent input from trainees.
“As we’ve learned over time, and from both our earlier implementation experience and my own perspective as a farmer, adoption is not simply about exposure but about consistent practice, understanding, and ownership. In 2026, we have therefore refined our conservation agriculture approach—shifting from broad outreach to deeper, practical adoption through strengthened farmer-led learning and engagement in demonstration gardens across our field operations. This ensures that farmers not only apply these practices but are able to adapt them to their own realities, ultimately building resilience, improving productivity, and sustaining the benefits of conservation agriculture well beyond the project cycle.”
– Walter Mwaka, Head of Programs
The longer horizon
The prophet Haggai wrote, “You have planted much, but harvested little.” (Haggai 1:6) That line has been on our hearts as we’ve refined this program. Our members work hard, and they deserve a harvest that matches their work.
Conservation agriculture isn’t the whole answer, but it’s a meaningful step toward restoring our members’ relationship with the land they steward, one of the four key relationships at the center of everything we do. We’re excited for what this season will teach us, and for the farmers whose harvests will carry the story forward.
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