REDS under contract with Conservation Farming Unit (CFU) Zambia with funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development (NORAD) is implementing the RCSA program in Mityana, Kassanda and Kyankwanzi districts in the Central region and Alebtong, Dokolo, and Lira in the Northern region of Uganda. The program’s main objective is to reduce vulnerability to climate change and improve the livelihoods of rural communities by promoting Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Conservation Farming (CF) minimum tillage (MT) practices and civil society strengthening. 

The program that was started in 2017, works with Farmer-owned Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to strengthen their governance for stronger voice and force to collectively lobby for services; have better-negotiating platforms for the sale of produce and purchase of agri-inputs; access to credit finance and other opportunities for their benefit. The CSOs are used to serve as conduits for the promotion of CSA technologies that improve farmers’ productivity, food security, and economic resilience. The CSA CF MT technologies promoted include hoe basins and Animal Drawn Power (ADP) ripping.

Under this program, REDS has worked with 43,229 farmers of which 22,228 are women and 40% of the farmers total have adopted the CSA CF MT practices.  Farmers have experienced an increase in yield and reported improved household food stocks, especially grains. Yields from these practices double what is harvested from conventional farming with maize yield averaging at 4 tons per hectare and beans 2 tons per hectare.

REDS has created jobs for 234 youths by equipping them with CSA CF Min-till and spray skills. These youths actively provide services to farmers. REDS has also enabled 54 CSOs to undertake bulk input purchase and marketing activities enabling farmers to reduce purchase and marketing costs.