Over 40,000 people in the Karamoja region are expected to benefit from a one-stop agricultural center that has been established in their region Sasakawa Africa Association.

At the center, residents will acquire knowledge and skills on value addition, and acquire affordable capital, among others. Karamoja is largely semi-arid but the weather in some parts like Namalu in Nakapiripirit District, can support crop cultivation.
Hundreds of residents gathered to witness the groundbreaking for the construction of a one-stop agricultural center, the first of its kind in the Karamoja sub-region.

The agricultural center is expected to benefit over 5,000 farmers directly while 3,500 will benefit indirectly. The center will host a training hall, an internet facility, computer laboratory among others. The facilities are meant to support farmers to bridge the value chain gap in the Karamoja region.

Karamoja region has been in the news for a while not just for cattle rustling but also for periodic outbreaks of famine, leading to deaths.

Now stakeholders in food security, including civil society organizations have moved to involve communities in the agricultural sector, with the aim of increasing food production both for consumption and sale.
Many locals have now been trained and skilled to improve food production. The one-stop agricultural center brings into the region a safe and clean storage facility that can accommodate about 600 metric tonnes of grain.  From here, farmers will be able to access a market that has already been organized by the lead organization, Sasakawa Africa Association.

The Deputy Country Director of Sasakawa Africa Association,  says these are working to change mindsets and have more Karimajong embrace food production, away from nomadic pastoralism
The project targets farmers in five districts Napak, Nakapiripirit, Karenga, Abim, and Napak. Sasakawa believes that bringing these farmers together will see increased food production.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has embarked on a new project, the Feed Karamoja Project where farmers are encouraged to produce and sell to the organization which eventually donates the same food to institutions like schools in the same region.