As high stagflation and limited growth opportunities crept into his city life, Nyabonogo, 53, had no choice than to call it a day. He moved into his family farmhouse in 2017 where he was beset with a different set of challenges like power failures, gas shortage, inaccessibility to food markets etc. With a growing family, Nyabongo had no end in sight to his economic dilemmas.

It was one day when Nyabongo was introduced to the multidimensional Local Economic Growth Support (LEGS) Project, funded by the Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF) and co-financed by the Government of Uganda. Since 2019, the LLF LEGS Project has been training small and medium scale farmers to increase their livestock production, diversify farm produce and develop sustainable sources of clean and renewable energy for domestic and commercial use.

Describing his experience of engaging with the LEGS project, Nyabongo said, “Truly speaking, the LLF project was like the light at the end of the tunnel. Not just my business or I, but the environment on my farm has also been on an upward trajectory.”

During the design phase of the project, collaboration with technical experts to understand core issues sitting at the heart of Uganda’s climate crises, informed LLF and stakeholders to devise climate mitigation strategies to help Uganda achieve affordable and clean energy for all.

“LEG’s single most important contribution to my farm life is training me on establishing a micro biogas plant, where we recycle biodegradable waste in a bioslurry to be taken back to pastures as manure. This has increased my capacity to grow food at commercial scale,” told Nyabongo. “The biogas plant is attached to the kitchen for a regular supply of gas, which is actually a dream come true for my wife, to provide our family of ten with several warm meals every day,” he added.

With its environment-friendly properties, biogas is writing into the DNA of future agricultural technology for rural agriculture and pastoral development in Uganda that is being supported by LLF through the LEGS Project.

The “ruthless deforestation” is endemic to the Rwenzori region that has led to drastic increase in mercury levels. However, the efforts put in by the LEGS Project to promote tree plantation for every tree cut and the use of promising biogas technology at the farm and household levels is now paying dividends.

“Our community has planted 1,000 trees after engaging with LEGS Project. Besides improving the air quality and oxygen levels, these trees have also decreased water evaporation, thus preserving our water reservoirs. My family income has increased by 20% in two years,” tells Nyabongo

The Lives and Livelihoods Fund is doubling down its support for climate-smart agriculture across the agricultural value chains through responsive financing and integrated development programs to enhance productivity, improve resilience, and reduce GHG emissions.