FIEFOC 2 is an acronym, which stands for Farm Income Enhancement and Forestry Conservation Programme – Project 2. It is a public sector investment that seeks to consolidate and expand notable achievements of FIEFOC 1 that ended in December 2012. It complements other existing agricultural production and natural resources management programmes. It was designed within the context of the Government of Uganda’s second National Development Plan (NDP II) and the long-term development strategy, the Vision 2040 both of which promote agricultural infrastructure and income enhancement.

The overall objective of FIEFOC 2 is to improve farm incomes, rural livelihoods, food security and climate resilience through sustainable natural resources management and agricultural enterprise development. The project also aims to create employment opportunities for the youth through commercialization of agriculture, including post-harvest handling and marketing.

The funders of FIEFOC 2 are the African Development Bank (AfDB), Nordic Development Bank (NDF) and the Government of Uganda (GoU) with a total project cost of USD 108.3 million.

The project was initially designed as a five–year project , starting from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2021 for the AfDB supported component (agricultural infrastructure development), and from 1 July 2016 to 31 December 2021 for the NDF supported components (agribusiness component and integrated natural resources management component). However, following the impact of Covid 19 pandemic and extensive flood in Kasese District, Oyam District and Butaleja District that affected Mubuku II irrigation scheme; Tochi irrigation scheme; and Doho II irrigation scheme; the Bank decided to grant FIEFOC 2 “No Cost Extension” from July 2021 to December 2022, and later to December 2024.

The project is implemented in five districts, where the irrigation schemes are located. These include Mubuku II irrigation scheme (480 hectares) in Kasese district, Doho II irrigation scheme (1226 hectares) in Butaleja district, Tochi irrigation scheme (500 hectares) in Oyam district, Ngenge irrigation scheme (880 hectares) in Kween district, and Wadelai irrigation scheme (1000 hectares) in Pakwach district. The project is also implemented in 40 districts, which form part of the irrigation scheme catchment areas.

Water is a critical element for irrigation. The water source for Mubuku II irrigation scheme (Kasese District) is River Nyamwamba and for Doho II irrigation scheme (Butaleja District) is River Manafwa. While Ngenge irrigation scheme (Kween District) are rivers: Kabajiria and Ngenge; for Wadelai irrigation scheme (Pakwach District) is River Ora, and Tochi irrigation scheme (Oyam District) is feed by River Tochi.

The project beneficiaries are farmers, including youth and women located within the five irrigation catchment. The overall target population is 8,554, 049 of which 51 per cent are women.

The project consists of four major components: Agriculture Infrastructure Development (AID), Agribusiness Development (ABD), Integrated Natural Resources Management (INRM), and National Project Coordination Unit (NPCU).

At the apex, FIEFOC 2 is managed through a multi-sectoral Project Steering Committee (PSC) that provides policy oversight, reviews and approves annual work plans and budgets, and ensures adherence to relevant strategies established by the Government of Uganda. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) chairs the National Project Steering Committee (NPSC) meeting, which draws its membership from the Permanent Secretaries or Representatives of MAAIF; Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD); Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED); Ministry of Trade and Cooperatives (MoTC); Ministry of Local governments (MoLG); National Environment Management Authority (NEMA); Uganda National Farmers’ Federation (UNFFE), and Chief Administrative Officers of the six districts of Oyam, Nebbi, Kween, Butaleja, Kasese and Pakwach. The Committee meets every quarter to review progress of the project implementation and perform other functions as deemed necessary by its mandate.

The day –to – day coordination and management of the project is undertaken through the National Project Coordination Unit (NPCU) with support from the project components and District Technical Support Teams (DTST). The DTST supports implementation and technical supervision of the Project, including sensitization of farmers, training and monitoring and evaluation in the respective Local Governments. Each District has designated a Project Support Officer (PSO) among its staff, who heads the DTST composed of the District Engineer, District Forestry Officer (DFO), District Water Officer (DWO), District Agricultural Officer (DAO), District Natural Resources Officer (DNRO), District Production Officer (DPO), District Commercial Officer (DCO), and Community Development Officer (CDO). FIEFOC 2 also receives technical support from the development partners – especially on matters of project implementation, procurement and financial management.

The project activities are in line with the Gender Policy Brief for Uganda’s Agricultural Sector 2012, the Uganda Forestry Policy, the Uganda Climate Change Policy and the Ministry of Gender’s revised Gender Policy 2007