Partners:

Transport Forum Group, Uganda;
TRL Ltd, UK;
Silsoe Research Institute, UK;

Problem:

The project aimed to address on the key constraint to market access, i.e. transport of crops from the field to the homestead and from there to the market, aiming particularly to alleviate problems that women encounter in transporting produce i.e. backloading and headloading. 

Achievements:

The project produced the following outputs:

• Capacity for Uganda Transport Forum Group offices to manage and backstop rural transport development research projects at national and regional level;
  
  
• Knowledge and information on agricultural production, post-harvest and marketing, and economics and technical aspects of Intermediate Means of Transport and their use by poor farmers, and impact on poor farmers’ livelihoods in three districts;

• Best practices on promotion of validated means of transportation.

The project was able to demonstrate the usefulness and also economic viability of the Intermediate Means of Transport, i.e. oxen and ox-carts, donkeys as pack animals, and donkey carts.

 

Ploughs have been distributed to farmers taking into account the multi-purpose function of most Intermediate Means of Transport and the potential to increase agricultural production.  All Intermediate Means of Transport were used for transporting crops as well as for domestic purposes such as carrying water and firewood, thereby relieving women from transport chores requiring headloading.

 

Testing and validation of Intermediate Means of Transport was undertaken by farmer groups as part of Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation exercises.