Press Release
May 1, 2025 • 4 min read
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) is funding the five-year INSPIRE Project.
GOAL Uganda launched the INSPIRE (Integrated and Sustainable Production for Inclusive and Resilient Economies) Project in November 2024. This initiative which spans over five years (2024–2029) is designed to empower rural communities and households to develop more sustainable and productive land use systems by improving their access to inputs, knowledge & skills, finance, and markets.
INSPIRE is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) and implemented by a Consortium led by GOAL, in partnership with the Dutch Wageningen Environmental Research (WENR), and supported by international technical partners, Resilience BV, and Agriterra. Key local implementing partners include Volunteer Efforts for Development Concerns (VEDCO), Africa 2000 Network (A2N), and Facilitation for Innovations and Sustainable Productivity (FINASP).
The INSPIRE project is leveraging existing EKN-funded initiatives and aligning with active programming in 54 sub-counties, in the nine districts in the Lango and Busoga sub-regions. The districts include Amolatar, Alebtong, Lira, Dokolo( Lango Region), Jinja, Kamuli, Buyende, Kaliro, and Luuka (Busoga Region).
The project addresses the urgent challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, and agricultural constraints that undermine economic growth and poverty reduction. Focus is on sustainable agriculture for Smallholder Farmers (SHFs) across both subsistence and commercial farmers, to foster a balanced approach to economic growth, food security, and climate adaptation. SHFs face numerous challenges, including outdated practices, reliance on rainfed agriculture, and limited access to inputs, finance, and markets.
Through a locally grounded, consortium-led approach, INSPIRE aims to deliver these outcomes through four integrated pathways:
- Community Resilience and Agency: Strengthening local leadership and inclusive participation in community development.
- Sustainable Farming Systems: Supporting nutrient-smart agricultural practices and technology adoption.
- Inclusive Market Development: Enhancing access to inclusive value chains and improving market linkages.
- Institutional Strengthening: Building capacity of farmer groups, including Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), cooperatives, and Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations (SACCOs), and local institutions for sustainability.
Since its inception in Nov 2024, INSPIRE has made remarkable progress, focusing on training project staff and partners on the Participatory Integrated Planning (PIP) approach, seeking motivated project staff and institutional stakeholders who feel a sense of ownership of the PIP approach, as it serves as the entry point into the communities. GOAL has also made strides to align with its partners in terms of capacity building by ensuring that the project operates at the highest standards. This has been achieved through orientation and training on safeguarding, communications, and general project implementation to set up the consortium of partners for success.
INSPIRE has so far reached 108 communities across regions, focusing on fostering community resilience and agency, encouraging local leadership, and inclusive participation in development initiatives. The first step is to support communities to develop plans for resilient livelihoods at the community, household, and plot level via the Participatory Integrated Planning (PIP) method. This has led to collaborative actions on tree planning (e.g., around institutions), road maintenance, and joint learning on sustainable crop production (via Farmers Learning Groups). This approach has promoted cohesion among community members, empowering them to collaboratively seek solutions to shared challenges.
INSPIRE is facilitating the learning for farmers and linking them to markets, enabling them to acquire knowledge and skills, and gain access to information and agro-business networks, which will help them become better farmers and make well-informed production decisions.
INSPIRE will work with agribusinesses and cooperatives to increase their capacity to supply inputs and to purchase outputs. To ensure smallholders have access to independent input loans, INSPIRE will support them to create digitalized dedicated VSLAs for this.
Speaking about the progress of the INSPIRE programme in Uganda, Dawit Beyene, GOAL Uganda’s Country Director, said,
“INSPIRE aims to engage up to 200,000 Smallholder Farmers through a community-led approach that promotes resilient and inclusive economic growth. By tackling root challenges—such as climate change, poor natural resource management, inefficient production methods, limited market access, and weak institutions—the project aims to increase incomes, strengthen resilience to climate shocks, and drive systemic, sustainable change from the ground up.”
“At its core, INSPIRE is about building locally owned, future-proof solutions. By strengthening local capacity, unlocking access to inputs, finance, and markets, and supporting inclusive, informed decision-making, GOAL and our INSPIRE partners are helping lay the foundation for a more resilient, self-reliant Uganda—one community at a time. This project reflects our deep commitment to working with local actors to deliver meaningful, lasting impact where it matters most,” continued Dawit Beyene
By building on proven approaches and integrating cross-programme learning, INSPIRE represents a powerful opportunity to scale impact and deepen resilience across Uganda’s agricultural landscape.
The INSPIRE project is a natural extension of GOAL’s wider portfolio in Uganda where GOAL has been working since 1979. In Uganda, GOAL champions resilience, systems-strengthening, and locally led development. By amplifying the voice and agency of communities, INSPIRE also supports GOAL’s localisation agenda, building sustainable solutions that outlast project cycles and empower communities to lead their own development journeys.
