The Katuulo Project

The Katuulo Community

The Katuulo Organic Pineapple Cooperative is located in the Kyazanga Sub County, about 300 kilometres south west of Uganda's capital, Kampala. There are around twenty-five families who are members of the cooperative and at least 1500 households in the Katuulo parish - including nearly 2000 children under five years of age - who will benefit from the arrival of the health care centre.

Katuulo is a rural community and most people work as farmers. Farm families grow pineapples and bananas to sell on both the local and international markets, as well as producing many different fruit and vegetable crops to feed themselves. The Katuulo Community rely on subsistence production to ensure they have enough to feed their families each day. The small income they earn is used to buy additional food, including salt, rice and cooking oil.

Access to water is limited in Katuulo. People walk long distances to collect water from small dams. There are very limited transport options, and most people walk or ride a bicycle to the trading centre. There is currently no health care service within the local region.

Families who are members of the Katuulo Organic Pineapple Cooperative receive financial benefits from the sale of their organic pineapples. With the communal savings from their organic project, the cooperative aim to initiate a number of projects that will benefit the local community.

History of the Project

We first visited the Katuulo Organic Pineapple Cooperative in 2005 to learn about the social and economic impacts of organic agriculture for Ugandan farm families. Since then, we have built out friendship with the community over a number of subsequent visits. In July 2006, six Australian delegates visited Katuulo as part of the Organic Uganda Tour. During this visit, we were inspired by the way farm families were working together to benefit the entire community. Farmers were donating a portion of their income from the sale of organic produce to a communal savings account. Farmers are able to access these communal savings for small loans, however the farmers goal is to save this money to finance a number of community projects, including a health care centre and a school. We are supporting Katuulo to realise their dream of a local health care centre.

Progress to date

Construction of the Katuulo Health Care Centre is almost complete.

Two health professionals have recently visited the community over and evaluated community health needs. They have provided recommendations regarding appropriate medical and health services that should be made available at the Katuulo Health Care Centre.

During our visit in January 2007, we met with the export company Amfri Farms, who purchase pineapples from Katuulo farmers. They have agreed to donate solar powered lighting to the health care centre when construction of the building is complete.