Uganda - Fruits of the Nile

Fruits of the Nile (FON) was set up in the early 1990s by Adam Brett and Angello Ndyaguma. They wanted to find a way for Ugandan farmers to process and market their fresh fruits and vegetables. As a land locked country with poor transport infrastructure, no glass manufacture or canning facilities, Ugandan farmers were frequently left with fresh agricultural produce going to waste for lack of markets.

Adam and Angello designed affordable, easy-to-construct solar driers made from frames, locally available mosquito meshing and long lasting plastic (the only imported material). Working with local development agencies, they trialed the technology with innovative farmers. The first sun dried fruits and vegetables were test marketed by Adam, and his partner Kate Sebag in the UK at street markets under the fledgling brand "Tropical Wholefoods".

As the UK market expanded, FON were able to train more farmers in solar drying holding a series of workshops sponsored by the UK Natural Resources Institute, and later by the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Materials for driers were made available by FON either at cost or on a loan basis. Today, farmers solar dry bananas (two types Ndizi and Bogoya) pineapples, papaya and chillies in over 60 villages in Uganda mainly in South, South West and Central regions, with more than 700 farmers supplying fresh fruit to solar dryer operators. FON support these farmers by offering training in areas such as food safety, hygiene and quality, business development and GAP (Good Agricultural Practice).

Fruits of the Nile buy all the sun dried products at a fair trade prices as well as organising training and maintenance services to operators of solar driers, and where possible, helping people to get access to sources of soft finance and loans. Funders have included: European Development Fund Micro Project Scheme (EDF) Agency for Co-Operation and Research in Development (ACORD), the Gatsby Trust and the Shell Foundation. Current exports to Tropical Wholefoods by FON amount to 100 tonnes a year, most of this being pineapple and banana.

In 2005 and 6, sponsorship from the Shell Foundation's Ugandan Energy Fund enabled Organic and HACCP training of producers and FON to get underway. In 2006, Fruits of the Nile's packaging factory moved to a brand new warehouse in Njeru, Jinja just near the source of the River Nile. FM staff, Richard Friend, Adam Brett and Karen Hetherington are working with FON on implementing full HACCP systems in FON's factory.

In 2008, FON won an Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy identifying them as one of the pioneering renewable energy projects from Africa, Asia and Latin America. This award is a testament to their dedication in 'bringing real social and economic benefits to their local communities.' The Ashden Award is the world's leading green energy prize.