Ensuring Food Security Amidst COVID-19
>550 Rural Households Have Received Seeds as a part of our Emergency Response Efforts
This rapidly developed loan ensures food security for rural families in northern Uganda through COVID-19.
Rural families in Uganda are struggling to put food on the table due to public health measures put in place to fight COVID-19.
How Public Health Measures Impact Smallholders and Food Security:
Market and Seller Restrictions
Restrictions have led to markets closing down and farmers are finding it challenging to purchase food and seeds at this time--farmers who need to plant soon are stuck.
Transport Restrictions
Transport restrictions are so severe that those few farmers who can purchase inputs for their farm are struggling to get there--farmers are further isolated and in need.
Inability to Till and Prepare Land
As a result of restrictions as well as equipment available, farmers aren’t able to sufficiently tool and prepare their land. Planting needs to start urgently soon.
Misinformation and Confusion
Misinformation is spreading faster than the virus itself; there is confusion among farmers on what is illegal and legal, including going to the farm itself.
Our team surveyed 1,500 smallholder farmers and heard that many are already eating their seeds due to the current lack of transport and market closures. 50% of clients surveyed (>700 farmers) are requesting a financing and distribution solution to help them gain access to seeds and tilling services.
These are special times and we know it requires more than business as usual to ensure food security during a global pandemic.
This is why we rapidly developed a whole new loan that is designed to meet the demand we are hearing at this time: seeds offered on financing and delivery with a coupled tilling service to help farmers plant as fast and as efficiently as possible.
This new loan includes:
Flexible Financing
Farmers can access immediate inputs without having to make any immediate payments due to the current stall on income. Our repayment schedule is designed around harvest periods, meaning that farmers receiving this loan won’t have to pay until it is time to harvest their crops.
Last Mile Delivery
This product will be delivered so that distance does not become a barrier during the severe public transport ban in Uganda. Our team partnered with the government and now Cycle Connect is an essential service during this time--enabling our team to deliver this needed service.
Tilling Services
Farmers will have the choice to couple the input loan with a tilling service-- financed in--which provides further assistance to farmers needing to open up their land fast.
Empowering Farmers like Acio Harriet
Despite shutdowns, Harriet knows that food must still be on the table for her family: Her family began eating their stocked seeds, previously saved for the planting season starting urgently soon (the end of April). With their seed stock now depleted, Harriet is in need of new seeds in order to keep her family food secure through the continued lockdown and beyond.
Read Harriet's Full Story on Our Blog →
Cycle Connect is Fundraising $50,000 to Support our COVID-19 Response Efforts
This will enable our team to purchase seeds, pay for tilling and delivery, and enable our team to implement this along with needed remote training (via phone on a regular basis) to our clients. 400 families will gain immediate access to seeds and tilling services--on a financing plan-- it will then translate to food security for 2,000 rural Ugandans amidst COVID-19.