Ep. 55: EcoAgric Uganda - Mushroom Farming, Empowering Women, Protecting the Vulnerable (feat. Josephine Nakakande)

Today on Mushroom Hour we are excited to travel to Uganda to speak with Josephine Nakakande. Josephine was a founding member of The Environmental Conservation & Agricultural Enhancement Uganda or “Eco-Agric Uganda” and has been the Executive Director of the organization since 2018. Eco-Agric Uganda is a Ugandan Community-based NGO. major focus was improving food security, nutrition, and income among critically vulnerable women through sustainable farming practices. However, over time, they have included interventions like HIV prevention and control, sanitation and environmental strategies that affect agriculture. They have explored a unique, holistic approach to supporting households with interventions like; training adolescent girls with vocational skills so they can support their children. The organization now has over 65,000 beneficiaries with well-established offices in Hoima Kibaale and Wakiso districts. It also started an international volunteers program and since 2017, Eco-Agric Uganda has hosted over 162 volunteers from all over the world. One of Eco-Agric’s biggest projects is their mushroom farming project in partnership with the Marr-Munning Trust. Farmers are trained on how to grow and manage mushrooms in their gardens and the materials needed in mushroom production.

Please help empower women and protect the critically vulnerable in Uganda! You can help by donating your time, your mushroom knowledge, your expertise and/or money to EcoAgric Uganda. 
https://www.givingway.com/organization/ecoagric-uganda

Topics Covered:

• The Story of Josephine
• Women and Agriculture in Uganda
• Challenges Women Face in Uganda
• Founding EcoAgric Uganda
• Agricultural Programs in Wakiso and Hoima Districts
• Grassroots Community Organizations
• Impact of UC Davis Trellis Fund
• Developing Systems to Help Critically Vulnerable Populations
• Economic Development & Vocational Training
• Mushroom Cultivation in Uganda
• Importance of Mushrooms as a Source of Food & Income
• Plans to Scale Mushroom Farming Program
• Importance of Volunteer Organizations
• EcoAgric Future Plans - A Call to Action!

Episode Resources:

• EcoAgric Uganda Website: https://ecoagricuganda.org/
• EcoAgric Uganda IG: https://www.instagram.com/josephine.ecoagric/
• EcoAgric Uganda FB: https://www.facebook.com/ecoagricuganda.org
• Givingway Donation Page: https://www.givingway.com/organization/ecoagric-uganda
• Angels for Angels Website: https://www.angelsforangels.net/projects/
• UC Davis Trellis Fund: https://horticulture.ucdavis.edu/trellis
• Marr-Munning Trust: http://www.marrmunningtrust.org.uk/
• Vibrant Village: https://www.vibrantvillage.org/
• Obutiko obubaala (Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termitomyces_microcarpus