Photo of the Week: Rethinking Mangoes in Uganda

Sam Koole, chairman of the Kainja Mango Farmers Association, remembers a time only a few years ago when the fruit from the Sena, a variety of mango native to eastern Uganda, was left to rot on the ground. Since launching Project Nurture in 2010, local farmers are no longer taking the Sena for granted.

“We never knew the value of our mangoes,” he says. “There was never a market for them, so we would just let them fall down on their own.”

Since launching Project Nurture in 2010, TechnoServe has helped demonstrate to buyers that the fruit is valuable for its sweet juice and rich color, and local farmers are no longer taking the Sena for granted. “Now instead of felling the trees for firewood, [we] are planting new ones,” Sam reports.

Project Nurture, a partnership with The Coca-Cola Company and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to help 54,000 small-scale mango and passion fruit farmers in Kenya and Uganda double their income. In addition to identifying new market opportunities, TechnoServe advisors are working with farmers to improve productivity and develop strong farmer business groups, allowing farmers to market and sell their fruit collectively.

Read more about our work with Project Nurture.