Stories
August 7, 2025 • 3 min read
In the Alebtong district of Uganda, the INSPIRE project, generously funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is breaking the chain by fostering self-reliance and utilising the Participatory Integrated Planning (PIP) approach to ignite change. GOAL, in collaboration with Wageningen University & Research, has been helping communities like Te-obwolo to form a collective vision and action plan. Applying PIP Innovators are facilitating peer-to-peer training, advancing ownership, and collective action. This grassroots model is strengthening farming systems, rejuvenating landscapes, and fostering farmer groups based on community support.
In many rural communities like Alebtong, households have long faced complex, interlinked challenges that hinder sustainable development. These include degraded natural resources, poor agricultural productivity, limited access to markets, weak infrastructure, and a lack of cohesive planning at both household and community levels. Traditionally, development efforts in such areas were often top-down, leaving communities as passive recipients of aid rather than active participants in shaping their future. This disconnection resulted in fragmented solutions that failed to address the underlying drivers of poverty and vulnerability.
To address these systemic challenges, the INSPIRE project, implemented by GOAL and its partners, introduces the PIP (Participatory Integrated Planning) methodology as a transformative approach. The project aims to shift communities from being passive recipients of emergency assistance to active agents of their own sustainable development. In Alebtong, where environmental degradation, poor infrastructure, and fractured planning have long persisted, the PIP model offers an inclusive, farmer-owned alternative. It promotes collective thinking and action at both the household and community levels, empowering families to identify their own vision of success and develop integrated, locally driven solutions for long-term resilience and impact.
A Community-led Vision for Change
The process started with the selection of the Te-obwolo-Otongojiri community in Abia subcounty as a focus area for the INSPIRE project. After an awareness-raising phase, local residents co-created a draft vision for their community, and 25 individuals were selected as “PIP Innovators” (PIs). These innovators participated in nine structured sessions to create detailed household and community plans. “As a community,” one member said, “we didn’t see the need to work together. Each of us was tending to our gardens, cutting down trees. We’ve lacked proper water sources for a long time, and our roads are barely functional.”
Peer Learning as a Path to Scale
The hands-on, interactive, and participatory process of “learning by doing” enabled participating households to envision what a “better farm and household” could look like. It also helped them create practical and integrated action plans that address key aspects of their lives, including agriculture, livestock, market access, household well-being, and natural resource management.
A key strength of the PIP approach lies in its ability to grow quickly through farmer-to-farmer (FtF) training. In Te-obwolo, 25 PIP Implementers (PIs) have now been fully trained and empowered to become trainers themselves. This ripple effect allows them to pass on their knowledge to others, reaching more and more farmers across the community. The goal is to engage up to 80% of households in developing their own PIPs, building a strong sense of ownership and shared purpose. Alongside this, the community works together to create a shared vision for the future and take collective action.
Embedding Ownership Across Systems
Community participants shared, “Since engaging with the PIP approach, we have learned to work together more effectively as a community. The INSPIRE project has emphasized the importance of taking ownership of local issues and leading our own development efforts. One key moment was a session we attended with our partners, where we realized how crucial it is to involve every member of the household in the action planning process. That understanding has helped us become more united and proactive in addressing challenges within our community.”
Empowered by the support and training received through the INSPIRE project, community members expressed a strong sense of motivation and ownership over their development. With the available resources and collective effort, they are now preparing to improve the road that connects their community to neighboring areas. Looking ahead, they also plan to construct a water dam and increase tree planting initiatives, steps they believe will contribute to building a stronger, more resilient community.
By focusing on genuine participation, fostering self-reliance, and enabling communities to define their futures, the PIP approach is profoundly impacting mindset change and driving sustainable development through collective and individual ownership in target areas like Alebtong District.
