Evaluation of competence and capacities of farmer groups in

Uganda to engage in dynamic markets

Service provider questionnaire

A. General information
1. Target organisation…………Uganda Cooperative Alliance (U.C.A)………….
2. Name of service provider respondent…………Muhereza Innocent………………..……....
3. Date of interview……………………………………………………………………….…….…
4. Position of respondent in the service provider organization...........Manager............
5. Email address of service provider……………Muhereza@africamail.com………………..
6. Telephone contact of service provider……………0772350142....……………..….…..
7. Total field staff in your organization……..…………60…………….………..….…….
8. Total field staff in your area or operation……..……60………………………….……....…….
9. Area of operation…………...No districts………over 40....……No sub-counties……….…..

B. Training capacity
10. What is the training capacity of your organisation? What do you do well?

Issues Tick Poor Medium Good

Social empowerment (e.g. groups etc)

Production
√
Marketing
√
Credit / internal savings / micro finance
√
Natural Resource Management
√
Innovations and Research
√
Other 1(mention) Insurance
√
Other 2 (mention)

11. Do you evaluate skills of new groups before you begin skills training?
Yes NO
√

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(i) If yes, how do you evaluate initial skills base? …………………………………………….
Training needs assessment

12. If you provide more than one area of training, what is the normal order of trainings?
Not clear
(1)…………………….……Enterprise selection
(2)…………….…….….…....Input procurement
(3)……..…..………………………………………………………………………………………...
(4)………………….………………………………………………………………………………..
(5)…………….…….….…................................................................................................................
(6)……..…..………………………………………………………………………………………...
13. Do all groups receive training in all areas?

Yes NO
√

14. If no explain the process of selecting which training to provide? ……….…………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………
15. Does the order of training ever change?

Yes NO
√
16. If yes, what do you change? ………Method depending on the training
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……Scale of skills training offered to farmers

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Issues for number of Initial No Final No No groups Duration of Cost to train each
groups trained groups groups trained training per group group
YEAR……………….. per year
Social empowerment Each group is trained x
times …
(group formation etc)

Production 9000

Marketing 86 Area
Cooperative
Enterprises
(ACE)
Credit / internal 500
savings / micro finance SACCOS

Natural Resource
Management

Innovations and
Research

Other 1(mention)

Other 2 (mention)

17. Who does the training of trainers (International, National or local staff)?....................................
……………………National and local staff……………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
18. Who does the training of farmer groups (International, National or local staff)?.........................
…………………National and local staff…………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
19. Do you have specific training materials for each area of skills training?..................................
Quality of training materials Do not have Poor Medium Good

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Social empowerment (e.g. groups etc)
√
Production
√
Marketing
√
Credit / internal savings / micro finance
Natural Resource Management
√
Innovations and Research
√
Other 1(mention)
Other 2 (mention)

20. Do you have a trained set of staff training farmers on how to link to markets?
Yes NO
√
(i) Do you have a list of these staff?
Yes NO
√
(ii) How is their performance monitored?..............................................................................
-Number of trainings conducted using evaluation forms and reports submitted
-Volumes marketed

(iii) What are their targets?.......................................................................................................

- That all produce is sold through Area Cooperative Enterprises (A.C.Es)
- Not quantified

20. Do you have training material for your staff to use in training farmers linkage to markets?

Yes NO
√
(i) What training material do you use in this regard?......................................................................
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………….……………………………………
………

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21. What incentives do you have for staff to encourage them to increase the number of farmer
groups?.................................(1) salary (2) Transport facilitation....................................
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………….
C. Selection of farmers and social groups
22. How do you choose the farmer groups you are dealing with?.....................................................
Voluntary farmer groups agree to form cooperatives after mobilisation and sensitisation…
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………..………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………
23. How many members do you have on average in your groups?....min 150 per organization....
24. What incentives do you provide groups to work with you?(free lunch, start up fee, free inputs?)
- Starting kit for SACCOS and rural producer organisations but these must meet
minimum requirements of a cooperative
- Safes
- Filling cabinets
- Stationery

25. Do you have any requirements of farmers to receive your training or inputs?
Yes NO
√
26. If yes, describe? …………..……………………………………………………………………
Must be members of a cooperative society/Area Cooperative Enterprise
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……
27. What happens if groups do not comply with your needs?...........................................................
- Terminate the Memorandum of Understanding signed

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……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
………
D. Market Engagement
28. How do you prepare farmers to engage in markets? What specific training do you give?
- Form Area Cooperative Enterprises
Trainings are
- Provision of market information, price, place, when, quality and quantity attributes
and post harvest handling services.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………
29. Do you have some field staff with long standing market experience?
Yes NO
√
Level of market experience Number of staff
Very experienced Over 20
Average 40
Low experience
No experience

30. Have you invested in your training staff to be able to monitor markets?
Yes NO
√
(i) Have you trained your staff in the following issues in relation to monitoring markets?
Issues Yes No
Market records
√
Market dynamics
√
Market actors
√

6
Prices
√
Other 1 (specify) Packaging
√
31. Have you analysed markets?
Yes NO
√
32. What do you have to show for your market analysis?
Evidence Tick
Reports
√
Contacts
√
Market strategy
√
Other 1 (specify)……………Contracts
√
33. Do you assist farmers to select a product for marketing?
Yes NO

34. Does your organisation do market surveys before advising farmers what to produce for the

√
market? Yes……… ……..……No……………………Don’t know…………….…..…

35. If yes, who does this research?....................................................................................................

Field staff backed by head quarter staff (Head marketing)
………………………………………………………………………………
….......................................................................................................................................................
.....................................
36. How many products do your farmer groups work on?................................................................
Products Rank Products selected by Rank Reason target organisation selected this product
farmer groups target organisation
work on (Tick)
Banana wine Banana wine Have skills in its value addition

Pineapple juice Pineapple juice Have high production

Aloe vera Aloe vera Better prices

Honey Honey A high value enterprise

7
Beans Beans Commercial purposes

Diary Diary Income purposes

(i) Have you increased the number of products you target?

Yes NO
√
(ii) If yes, by how many?.............Over 10 in the cooperative movement
37. Have you focused on market diversification?
Yes NO
√
(i) If yes, how?…………………………………………………………………………….
- Diversifying the linkage
-Linking our farmers/coops to many players

38. If your organisation did not select a product for marketing, Do you provide farmers with
training so that they can do a market survey to select a product to sell at the market place?
Yes NO
√
(i) If yes, please elaborate………………………………………………………………………….
- Some organisations have been provided with internet and computers to search for
markets

(ii) Do you help farmers to organise a business plan? (Tick)

Yes………… …………….. √
No…………………………
Don’t know………………..
39. Where do your farmers sell the majority of their most important marketing products? Do you
have any particular target markets?............................................................................................
World Food Program
Schools
Government Agencies

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……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……
40. Are your farmer groups linked with other farmer groups to sell more produce into a market?

Yes………… ……. √
No…………………
Don’t know……..….
41. Do you have any linkages with private sector buyers?
Yes NO
√
(i) If yes, describe these linkages………………………………………………................
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(ii) Do you have regular meetings with these private sector buyers? It is farmers themselves
Yes NO
√
(iii) How would you categorise the strength of these linkages with the private sector buyers?

√
Weak……………….…Average…… …..……….Strong……...………….

42. Have you increased the number of commercial links for your groups?
Yes NO
√

√
43. Do you make contractual arrangements for sales? Yes… ……No………Don’t know……

44. Has the quantity of produce being sold by your farmer groups increased………… …….... √
decreased……………………………. or stayed about the same?..........................................
45. What has been your most effective contribution in linking farmers to markets?....……………
Provision of skills in market information and training or capacity building
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

9
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
………
46. Can you provide details of increases in income / profitability of your farmers?.....……………
- 86 ACES are marketing their produce and each has its own balance sheet
- Difficult as UCA to determine

47. Do you cater for input markets as well?

Yes NO
√
(i) What have you done in relationship to improving input markets?...............................
- Linking the farmer groups with input dealers and stockists

(ii) What has been achieved in terms of provision of inputs to more farmers?...................
- Increased production and productivity
- Increased food security and income

48. Do you have any linkages with private input sellers?

Yes NO
√
(i) If yes, describe these linkages………………………………………………......

- Coordinates the organisations with input dealers or stockists e.g. FICA and garden
seed
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………
(ii) How would you categorise the strength of these linkages with the private sector input

sellers? Weak……………….…Average………..…Strong……... ......... √

49. Do you have any co-investments between your organisation and the privates sector?

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 Yes NO
√
(i) If yes, this is in relation to what (stores, seeds, advisory services, etc)…………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………

C. Financial

50. Do you provide financial training or services to assist linking farmer to markets? Yes … √
No...
(ii) If yes, describe
Savings internal loans Grants Credit Inputs on credit Other
- Governance
and
√ √ leadership
√ - Loaning
and
appraisal
- Record
keeping
- PMT

(ii) If yes, how do farmers’ savings or credit assist in selling more produce to markets?
At SACCO level but not at the apex credit finances agricultural production which in turn
increases production and productivity.
………………………………………………..……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……

51. If you provide credit what are the repayment conditions the farmers must meet?.....................
UCA does not provide credit it has affiliate members that do give credit
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

11
52. If no, do you assist them in accessing credit, through banks or local lenders? Yes…...No.

√..…
(i) If yes, how do you assist your farmer groups access credit?......................................................
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
(ii) If farmers make a profit, do you advice how they can use this profit to meet their needs?

√
Yes… …...No...… and (ii) and also to reinvest back into their business? Yes……...No...…

(iii) What do most farmers spend their profits on?......................................................................

Financing agricultural production and meeting basic needs
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
(iv) If yes, roughly what level (%) of re-investment do your farmers take back into their
businesses?.........................................................10%..............................
D. Natural Resource Management

53. Do you help farmers groups to manage or re-invest in their Natural Resources? Yes …. √
No….
(i) If yes, how? ……….…………………………………………………………………………….
Through tree planting
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
(ii) How much do you spend on this?...…………………………………..………………………...
5%
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
F. Innovation
54. Considering the increasing competitiveness and dynamism of markets, how is the
relationship, level and type of support you give to farmers influenced by these changes?...
- Liberalisation – there is free entry and exit in the market; these significantly influence the
market operations.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………..………………………

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……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………
55. If you do, how do you provide demonstrations to assist farmers to prepare for markets?.........
Provision of marketing kits
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
56. Do your farmers undertake their own experimentation to adapt to changes in the market?.....

Yes…………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
………
57. Have you incorporated ideas of value addition in your trainings to enable farmers to raise
incomes?
Yes NO
√
58. What areas of value addition have you incorporated into the marketing mix?
Area of value addition TICK
Processing
√
Quality
√
Bulking produce
√
Storage
√
Selling into new markets
√
Selling off season
√
Other 1(specify)………………………………………………………..
Other 2(specify)………………………………………………………..
Other 3(specify)………………………………………………………..

59. How are farmers taking advantage of this?

How farmers are taking advantage of this TICK
Bulked sales
√
Increased income
√
Growing new varieties
√

13
Selling into new markets
√
Selling off season
√
Other 1(specify)………………………………………………………..
Other 2(specify)………………………………………………………..
Other 3(specify)………………………………………………………..

60. Do you link your farmers to other specialized service providers?

Yes NO
√
(i) If yes, how do you do it?......................................................................................................
- Provision of market information\where necessary
-Direct linkage, Internet/foodnet
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
(ii) Which specialized SPs do you link your farmers to?.......................................................
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…61. How do you enable farmers understand the profitability of their products?................
Conducting gross margin analysis per enterprise
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……
(i) How do you enable farmers to study markets especially in relationship to market information
services?..........................................................................................................................................

Some organisations have access to internet

……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…62. How do you enable farmers to build trust with their business
partners?....................................
Training and sensitisation
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
F. Monitoring and Evaluation
63. What criteria do you use to measure your success in training farmer groups?
Criteria Poor Good
Group formation
√

14
Production
√
Marketing
√
Credit / Internal
Savings and loans
√
NRM
√
Innovations and
Research
√
Other 1
Other 2 - Increased membership
- Increased savings
- Increased share capital

64. Do you monitor the success rate of training in linking farmers to markets? Yes …..... √
No...…..
65. If yes, How do you measure your success in terms of market linkage?....................................
- Volumes marketed
- Better prices offered
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……
66. What is the level of your success and failure in linking farmer groups to markets?
Category 2006 2005 2004 2003
Total number of groups trained to sell into markets
56
ACES
No of groups that failed or did not sell into target market

No of groups that sold but did not reinvest in Business

No of groups that made sufficient profit to re-invest in the

business

67. Do you have any data to show the impact of your market interventions in the field?
Yes NO

15
(i) If yes, what data do you have?............................................................................................
Marketing data – volumes sold, prices offered in different seasons, different products
produced and sold
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
………
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……………

Thank you very much

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