Thirty Parish Development Model beneficiaries in Nebbi Municipality are being trained to grow faster-maturing vegetables after discovering they lack farmland for cassava, as low loan recovery raises concerns about the programme.
Thirty beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model (PDM) from five enterprise groups in Nebbi Hill Ward, Nebbi Municipality, have been trained to prepare nursery beds for cabbage and onions after it emerged that most members who selected cassava growing have no farmland.
The training, conducted by PDM community-based facilitators on Thursday, October 15, was aimed at equipping urban farmers with skills to grow faster-maturing vegetables and diversify their income.
The beneficiaries, who had initially ventured into cassava growing and poultry keeping, have struggled with limited land and prolonged dry spells linked to changing weather patterns in West Nile.
The shift highlights challenges facing PDM implementation in urban areas, where beneficiaries who select traditional farming enterprises such as cassava may lack gardens. Unpredictable rainfall has also increased the appeal of crops that mature faster and require less time before generating income.
Andrew Yangchon, the Nebbi Municipality production officer and PDM focal person, said the move was intended to supplement the groups' original enterprises with short-term crops to help beneficiaries earn money sooner.
“We noticed that most of these beneficiaries whose groups selected cassava growing as their enterprise have no farmlands, since it's an urban setting,” Yangchon said.
He said the initiative was intended to help beneficiaries begin earning within a shorter period.
“We want the beneficiaries to start earning within a short time. Crops like cabbage and onions take just three months to harvest compared to cassava growing that takes almost the whole year,” he added.
Winnie Ogentho Fuacan, a member of the Jalar Cassava Enterprise Group in Nduru Cell, Nebbi Hill Ward, welcomed the addition of alternative enterprises.
“I am happy that additional enterprises have been incorporated besides cassava that our group had selected,” Ogentho said.
She said the shorter growing period for vegetables could enable farmers to generate income faster than they would from cassava.
“Cassava takes about 7 months to mature compared to cabbages and onions. Cabbages and onions take very short time to harvest. We can make more money within the shortest time,” she added.
Yofesto Okecha, chairperson of Nebbi Hill PDM SACCO, said the challenges stemmed partly from the choices available when the groups were formed.
“When the beneficiaries were forming groups, the available enterprises to be selected were either poultry or cassava growing,” Okecha said.
He said subsequent monitoring revealed that many beneficiaries lacked the land needed to undertake their selected enterprises.
“Most of the farmers had no gardens. We moved to each farmer and they didn't have much to show,” he said.
PDM loan recovery remains low
The report says 50 beneficiaries currently undergoing training will be in Lot 7 of those set to receive PDM funds. This figure differs from the 30 beneficiaries identified at the start of the report and requires clarification.
In Nebbi Hill Ward alone, Shs369 million has been disbursed to 369 beneficiaries across six cells: Alengo, Nduru, Ajoganyaubodho, Arum-Okeng, Aluka and Yao-Okecha.
However, recovery remains a major challenge. Of the Shs369 million disbursed in the ward, only Shs1.2 million has been recovered.
About Shs5 million is reportedly stuck in the accounts of five beneficiaries who have lost their Wendi account passwords and are awaiting resets.
The challenge extends across the district. Nebbi District officials reported that only Shs2.7 million had been recovered out of Shs6.6 billion disbursed to 6,600 beneficiaries under PDM, following the expiry of the two-year grace period for the initial cohort in February 2026.
Officials attributed the low recovery to irregularities in the initial selection of beneficiaries in 2023, missing database records for actual recipients and diversion of funds to non-production activities.