In its first growing season, some 140 demonstration plots have been established in 7 districts. Michael Foster was pleased with the results given by those plots. Yields doubled in most cases and tripled in a few. Extension agent training and farmers’ field days were organized to raise the public awareness on the objectives and results of the demonstration plots. Training on the proper use of animal traction equipments also stimulated considerably interest among farmers.

Uganda’s farmers did not custumarly use fertilizer on food crops. To introduce farmers to improved technology, SG 2000 reduced the size of demonstration plots and thus the cost of the recommended package. The plots were 1,000 square meters—still large enough to allow farmers to measure the yield difference in bags rather than handfuls.
Farmers participating in the demonstration programme could buy seed and fertilizer prepackaged in the amounts needed for one plot from local stockists (small retailers). The cost is under $10 a plot.

The first animal traction training units were established. These units introduced farmers to the use of improved ploughs, harrows, and weeders and to better methods for controlling draft animals.
Post harvest activities focused on drying methods, which are epecially important in a country with no pronounced dry season. To ease the drudgery of preparing cassava, SG 2000 helped two local manufacturers to get experience in making simple village-level cassava processing machinery.

In 1997, about 1,000 demomnstration plots were planted in maize and various multiple cropping patterns involvinng maize, groundnuts and soybeans. Training on oxen and demonstration of improved implements were increased. A village stockist development programme, involving farmers’ associations and private entrepreneurs to provide inputs expanded. A post harvest programme was established to improve the household post harvest grain storage structures.

SG 2000 operated in 24 districts in 2001. Over 300 extension staff had been mobilized to work with farmers in 272 sub-countries to put into practice the techniques learned at demonstration and training events.

Nearly 5,000 farmers participated annually in the MTPs. The demonstration plots were smaller (1,200 m2) than those in SG 2000 projects in other countries. In the MTPs, farmers learned improved crop production methods with the hand-hoe and were introduced to the proper use of animal-drawn equipment as well. The farmer-demonstrators purchased all the required inputs for the production package on a cash basis from rural stockists (small retailers).

In 1998, 1,149 demonstration plots were planted, maize accounted for 95 per cent. The initial establishment of local agricultural input stockist—fertiliser and seed, supplied by two major distributors, Sukura and Balton—was a main achievement.
« With this growing network of input dealers, several thousand farmers now have access to agricultural inputs within walking distance of their homesteads » says Foster. In 1998 this stockist network sold 12,806 demonstration kits to 9,000 farmers. Awareness of the technology was promoted at well-attended field days, on national radio and in the newspapers.

Effforts increased to build savings and loan associations. Some 95 groups—mainly women—mobilised savings of US$10,900. 15 groups used part of the savings to pay initial deposits for animal traction kits.

SG 2000 actively supported the government’s national Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA) which offered new opportunities for SG 2000 to collaborate with the World Bank and other donors, in the support of local government agricultural development. SG 2000 is also participated in the creation of a new National Agricultural Advisory Delivery Service (NAADS), which aimed at putting considerable resources into the hands of local government, and would allow districts to use high-impact technology transfer approaches.

Over 14,000 small-scale farmers continued to participate in the programme. Productivity levels for maize, sorghum, groundnuts, beans and pigeon pea demonstration plots were far higher than those who still followed traditional methods.

« We hope, » says Michael Foster, « that the one-stop centres will help to spawn strong farmers’ associations, and have the capacity to sustain the programme activities previously supported exclusively by SG 2000. They will provide crucial access to inputs, equiment and farmers’ knowledge and skills base. » 20 One-stop centres were planned for over a five year period.

Dealership training was provided to hundreds of rural stockists, who were now servicing over 1 million farm families.  These stockists sold nearly 15,000 tons of fertilizers to farmers during 2000.
The efficiency of supplying fertilizer to Uganda’s farmers improved recently when national distributors established a direct link to an international supplier. Prices for fertilizer (primarily urea) have fallen by an average of US$170 a ton, and sales of fertilizer and seed have increased sharply.

To overcome the scarcity of improved legume seed, crops such as pigeon pea, groundnuts, common beans, and mucuna were being multiplied in farmer-to-farmer distribution schemes. Over the last 3 years, 557 tons of legume seed has been multiplied on farmers’ fields.
Nalongo, the local name given for Ghana’s quality protein maize variety Obatanpa, was released officially. Nalongo seed was planted on 200 hectares through collaboration with seed growers’ associations and private seed companies. The target was to produce 1,000 tons of clean Nalongo seed in 2002.

It was decided in 2005 to keep Uganda as a focus country project and to accomplish SG 2000 programme, activities and goals completely.