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In consultation with Uganda’s Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and representatives from both the refugee and host communities, FAO launched a new project “Greening the humanitarian response in Uganda: Sustainable and affordable energy solutions for refugee and host communities”.

The project aims to increase safe access to clean energy and improve agricultural yields for 7 500 crisis-affected refugee and host community farmers in Northern and Western Uganda.

With ongoing instability in the neighbouring countries, the refugee population in Uganda has continued to grow with over 1 442 000 individuals registered as refugees and asylum-seekers as of 30 November 2020. Most of these refugees come from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan and more than 60% are children.

The project, funded by Innovation Norway in partnership with a local private company, Mandulis, and the Norwegian expertise provider NORCAP, aims to improve living conditions, increase agricultural production and build resilience in the Ugandan refugee settlements of Kiryandongo and Lamwo.

Refugees have limited access to arable land and have struggled to adopt good agricultural practices, and a lack of market-relevant skills is putting youth at a disadvantage. The communities depend heavily on firewood collection that exposes them to health and security risks. In addition, the high demand for firewood is depleting the natural forests in the area around the settlements.

Providing access to renewable energy through a circular economy model

FAO will work in partnership with the company Mandulis who are replicating their business model to provide refugee and host community farmers with access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy to improve living conditions and farming activities.

The project presents a zero waste, low carbon, circular economy model by creating a closed loop in which agricultural residues produced by refugee and host community farmers are converted to produce clean energy: electricity, using biomass gasification technology; and briquettes, as a cleaner alternative cooking fuel to firewood. Finally, biochar produced through gasification and by households can be applied to the fields as soil amendment for a new cycle of agricultural production.

Multi-purpose collection hubs

Central to Mandulis’ business model are multi-purpose collection hubs. These hubs are powered by solar energy and a battery bank and will be a collection point for agricultural residues as well as a provider of multiple services for the communities:

• Crop processing (solar drying, milling and water for irrigation)
• Cold storage
• Energy for charging batteries, electric vehicles, lighting
• Market point for clean cook stoves, clean cooking fuels 

The added value of renewable energy is that it can also reduce food loss. It gives communities the possibility to refrigerate foods that may otherwise perish or process food into a form that can be stored e.g. passion fruit juice and flour.

Building the capacities of crisis-affected farmers

The project also aims to encourage early recovery, working with farmers to establish farmer groups, diversify crops, improve agricultural practices and increase yields:

“A minimum of 40% of project support will go to women and youth each through various benefits including improved access to employment opportunities and a reduction in time spent collecting firewood.” explained Kathryn Clark, the Food Security and Livelihoods Coordinator who leads FAO Uganda’s Emergency Programme.