CABI News

A new programme, which aims to increase global investment in agribusinesses trading with smallholders, was launched in Kampala, Uganda today.

The Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness (CASA) programme will encourage global and local investors to invest in agribusinesses that source produce from smallholder farmers. The programme’s goal is to attract more investment into the Ugandan agricultural sector. A GBP 3 million funding package for Uganda will boost economic growth and raise demand for Ugandan produce.

The UK Government is providing GBP 30 million through UKAid to fund the initiative globally over five years. CASA ultimately aims to improve the livelihoods of over half a million smallholder farmers and their families in Uganda, Malawi and Nepal. CASA will bridge evidence gaps, showcase successful business models and help investors and policymakers have access to the right information and people to make inclusive agribusiness models succeed.

Producers, traders, processors and other agribusinesses provide income and jobs for smallholder farmers and farm labourers. By supporting these small- to mid-size enterprises and helping them become better functioning and more inclusive, farmers and farm labourers will benefit and get access to agricultural value chains.

Over the coming months and years, CASA will be focusing on agribusinesses in the beans and sesame value chains in Uganda. The programme aims to stimulate not just the specific agribusinesses CASA will partner with, but also attract investments in other agribusinesses and value chains by showcasing success stories.

Paul Kalu, CASA Team Leader said at the programme launch in Kampala today, “With agriculture serving as the backbone of most developing economies – employing the largest number of people and often generating the largest share of national income, it is a simple fact that support to the agricultural sector is one of the most effective ways of lifting people out of poverty in these countries.

“The CASA programme here in Uganda has identified and designed appropriate interventions with the potential of stimulating investment in emerging agri-markets that will lead to improved livelihoods and enhanced resilience of Ugandan smallholder farmers.”

CABI is part of a consortium of partners delivering the CASA programme, responsible for the Research and Learning component of the programme.

Additional information

Media interviews

For interviews with CASA spokespeople, please contact Marin Hirschfeld, Communications Manager; email: m.hirschfeld@cabi.org, tel: +44(0) 1491 829468

About CASA

CASA’s vision is increased global investment in agribusinesses which trade with smallholders in equitable commercial relationships, increasing smallholders’ incomes and climate resilience.

The CASA programme will make the commercial and development case for investing in agribusinesses that source produce from smallholders. It will do this by demonstrating how this can be done effectively, by bridging evidence gaps and by ensuring investors and policymakers have access to the right information and people to make inclusive agribusiness models succeed.

By showcasing successful models for businesses that source produce from smallholders and pulling together the evidence base supporting the commercial and development impact of their business models, CASA will attract more investment into the sector, boosting economic growth and raising demand for smallholder produce.
For more information, please visit casaprogramme.com

About UKAid

The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the UK’s efforts to reduce poverty and deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in line with the UK Aid Strategy, helping deliver Her Majesty’s Governments wider national security objectives.
We are investing in peace, the planet, prosperity, people and partnerships – all underpinned by a focus on quality and having the necessary staff and expertise on the ground.
For more information, please visit dfid.gov.uk