When victims of conflict from Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan arrive at the Bweyale Refugee Settlement in Kiryandongo District, they are ushered into new beginnings that often start with little more than a piece of land and hope.
Each family is allocated a plot of about 20 to 30 square metres, barely enough for a modest home and a small garden. The government, through the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), together with humanitarian organisations, provides basic materials such as tarpaulin sheets, timber, and cooking utensils to help them settle.
The remaining space is what many now call ‘the land of possibility.’ From these tiny plots, refugee families are not only growing food but also rebuilding dignity. What was once bare, dry soil now brims with green, neat rows of cabbage, onions, sukuma wiki, eggplants, tomatoes, and beans. A model for self-reliance
Until recently, most of the new arrivals in Bweyale depended entirely on food rations. For many who had left behind formal jobs and city lives, adjusting to agriculture was not only difficult but emotionally disorienting. However, with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and development partners, a new initiative has changed that narrative.
The Optimised Land Use Model (OLUM), piloted in Kiryandongo, trains refugees to grow more from less, teaching them how to maximise small garden spaces through improved soil management, crop rotation, composting, and intercropping.
‘What started as a small food security project has evolved into a life-changing initiative. We realised that refugees wanted to work the land. They needed skills, not just food aid, so we decided to invest in knowledge,’ explains Anne Nyambane, FAO’s Refugee Response and Sustainable Energy Specialist.
The FAO and OPM collaboration ensures that the response to refugee needs goes beyond short-term relief to focus on sustainability and resilience. Through internal FAO funding, refugees are introduced to hands-on training in crop production, poultry management, and agro-processing, skills that can travel with them, wherever they go.
Among the first to join the initiative was Zahara Mohammed, a refugee from Sudan. She recalls the early days when food was scarce and hope scarcer.
‘When we first came from Sudan, we depended on food from the reception centre. Later, FAO gave us seeds and training. We planted, harvested, and sold. Now we have vegetables and chicken, and we earn enough to support our families,’ she says.
In her small garden, Zahara and her neighbour grow onions, sukuma wiki, and cabbage. They also keep kuroiler chickens, which they sell live to traders in nearby markets. Her backyard is a patchwork of green and brown, irrigated with water from recycled jerrycans. ‘We used to eat whatever was given,’ she says, ‘but now we eat what we grow.’
Such transformation stories are common across Bweyale. The settlement, once dependent on relief aid, is slowly turning into a landscape of small, productive farms. For many, agriculture has become not just a means of survival but a bridge to self-sufficiency.
Learning by doing
The project’s success lies in its three-month training courses, offered in partnership with vocational institutes within the settlement.
Refugees can choose from four main courses: crop production, poultry management, agro-processing, and agricultural mechanisation. Each class combines classroom theory with field practice, taught in English and Arabic to accommodate all learners. Trainers emphasise business thinking as much as agricultural technique.
‘Skilling is not just about planting,’ Nyambane explains. ‘We teach agripreneurship, how to save, market, and plan. It’s about turning farming into a business.’
In crop production, participants learn how to prepare nurseries, manage seedlings, and use drip irrigation to conserve water. The poultry management group studies housing, feeding, vaccination, and record keeping. For agro-processing, trainees experiment with honey refining, baking, and food packaging, all aimed at helping them move beyond raw production into value addition.
Upon completion, participants receive starter kits such as seed packs, watering cans, and poultry feed to help them apply what they have learned immediately.
For young refugees like 17-year-old Afag Ali, the experience has opened new doors. ‘Before, I didn’t know anything about planting,’ she says. ‘Now I can choose seeds, prepare the soil, and plant properly. When I harvest, I sell and help my family. This garden pays for our soap and school books.’
Afag’s garden, behind their small house, produces tomatoes, carrots and green peppers. She dreams of expanding her plot and teaching other young people to farm.
‘Farming gives us something to do. It gives us hope,’ she says quietly. Her story reflects a wider shift. More youth are embracing agriculture as a sustainable livelihood instead of waiting for aid.
The sense of purpose that comes from working the land is changing how refugee families see themselves, from dependents to contributors.
Beyond Food
The skilling programme is designed to help refugees think beyond consumption. Graduates are forming cooperatives and savings groups to pool resources and access bigger markets. FAO provides technical support, linking them to local government agricultural officers and potential buyers. Some are already planning to expand into processing.
‘We want to start slaughtering and packaging broilers for restaurants,’ says Zahara. ‘People buy them alive now, but processed chicken will bring better income.’
Others are exploring beekeeping, mushroom growing, and baking as secondary businesses. The growing diversity of activities is helping reduce dependency on aid and strengthening relations with host communities.
Model worth replicating
Uganda’s open-door refugee policy, allowing freedom of movement, access to land, and the right to work has made models like OLUM possible. The Bweyale pilot shows that when refugees are equipped with knowledge and land, even small spaces can become productive and profitable. ‘The Optimised Land Use Model is proof that small is powerful,’ Nyambane says. ‘When refugees are empowered to use land efficiently, they move from survival to self-reliance.’
The initiative also complements government and UN efforts to integrate climate-smart agriculture into refugee response. Practices such as composting, mulching, and solar-powered irrigation help protect the environment while improving productivity.