AGILE - Agriculture Growth & Livelihood Enhancement
Market-led vocational training, decent jobs, and export-ready horticulture for women, youth, and refugees in Kyegegwa and Kikuube, Uganda.
Target reach
3,060 trained
Employment
1,836 decent jobs
Region
South-West Uganda
The
Challenge
Skills, market access, and compliance gaps holding back Uganda’s coffee and horticulture value chains.
"Uganda’s agriculture employs most of the workforce, yet low productivity, weak TVET–market linkages, and export rejections keep vulnerable women, youth, and refugees from stable livelihoods."
Only about 7% of job seekers have skills employers need. TVET curricula are often misaligned with coffee and horticulture markets, while 80% of smallholders lack cooperatives to aggregate quality produce.
Up to 60% of horticultural exports to the EU are rejected for phytosanitary non-compliance. Refugee and host communities in Kyegegwa and Kikuube face additional barriers to land, finance, and decent work.
Low labour productivity
Agricultural labour productivity (~USD 945) remains far below national targets, limiting competitiveness.
Gender & youth exclusion
Women dominate farming but are underrepresented in cooperatives, extension, and leadership roles.
Our Approach
A public–private consortium model linking TVET, cooperatives, and agribusiness to create jobs that match market demand.
Skills & certification
Reverse-engineered TVET and on-farm training in coffee and horticulture—co-designed with employers, accredited via UVTAB, and delivered through centres including Thehasa VSDC and partner institutes.
Jobs & market linkages
Placement with lead firms, block farming, phytosanitary compliance, international certifications, and at least 17 supply partnerships—plus EU–Uganda business summit exposure for cooperatives and MSMEs.
Policy & digital systems
Advocacy for job-market-oriented TVET curricula, digital traceability (EUDR-ready), VSLA digitisation, and gamified learning—building on thinkIT’s export and agri-digital experience.
thinkIT's horticulture role
Lead partner for horticulture value-chain jobs (1,551 roles targeted), digital traceability, block farming, and links to the Crop Export Certification ecosystem for EU-ready fresh produce.
Program
Targets
Program targets and thinkIT horticulture outcomes—aligned with consortium goals for jobs, households, and export-ready production.
People trained
Women, youth, and refugees in TVET, farm, and cooperative roles across coffee and horticulture.
Decent jobs
60% of trainees targeted to transition into decent employment (931 horticulture, 905 coffee).
Households reached
Direct and indirect beneficiaries through jobs, training spillovers, and cooperative aggregation.
"AGILE connects skills to markets—so women, youth, and refugees in refugee-hosting districts can earn dignified livelihoods in coffee and horticulture, not depend on aid alone."
agricultureConsortium: PSFU, thinkIT, War Child Alliance, AWYAD & Planning for Tomorrow With MAAIF, TVET partners, and private-sector lead firms
Progress & focus areas
Implementation is underway in Kyegegwa and Kikuube, with capacity needs analyses, curriculum co-design with industry, cooperative strengthening, and digital traceability for high-value markets including EUDR compliance.
thinkIT is delivering horticulture training pathways (producers, packhouse roles, input services, logistics), block farming, phytosanitary training, and integration with the national fresh-produce export ecosystem—leveraging prior work on the Crop Export Certification platform.
Partner on agri-jobs & digital value chains?
Speak with thinkIT about vocational programs, traceability, and market systems in coffee and horticulture.
Contact our Impact Team arrow_forward