Creating awarenessand increasing the useof food standards in Uganda

The Commonwealth Standards
Network (CSN) is a collaborative
network launched by BSI in 2018. The
network supports trade, economic
growth and prosperity throughout theCommonwealth by promoting increased
awareness, development and use ofinternational standards and enabling
standards experts to collaborate andshare best practice. BSI is proud to holdthe CSN Secretariat and to deliver its
ambitious network development andtechnical assistance programmes.

Standards play an important role in promoting
productivity and efficiency, reducing costs, removing
barriers to trade, and driving economic growth. The CSN
is therefore highly relevant to national standards bodies
from Commonwealth members that want to boost theirinternational trade capabilities.
Through its delivery of the CSN, BSI is helping
developing countries throughout the Commonwealthwork towards reaching the UN Sustainable
Development Goals (UN SDGs).

In Uganda, under the CSN programme, BSI has
successfully led several CSN initiatives to increase useof standards in the agriculture and horticulture value
chains. Smallholder farmers in Uganda have welcomed
training and implemented best practice techniques, witha positive impact on the quality of their produce.

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“Our approach focused on demystifying standards
and bringing it closer to those who need it themost – namely the farmers. Quality starts at theinception of the product, so having access to theknowledge encapsulated in a standard is invaluable.
This approach has proven to be successful andwe have replicated it in Rwanda. There isalmost unlimited scope for expansion inother developing economies.”

The CSN’s challenge: smallholder farmers

Solution

One CSN challenge was to help Uganda’s smallholder
farmers access formal markets by improving the qualityof their products through the use of standards.

The CSN Programme, funded by the UK government andimplemented by BSI, worked with the Uganda National
Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and the Uganda National
Farmers’ Federation (UNFFE) to create awareness of foodstandards. Focusing on five key cash crops – avocados,
pineapples, rice, soybeans and shea nuts – grown in various
regions throughout the country, the three organizations
drew farmers and food scientists together to identify themost important good and bad practices for each crop fromrelevant standards. These ‘do’s and don’ts’ were drawn intobrochures with clear illustrations and simplified text andtranslated into 13 languages. The CSN also trained local
individuals on how to deliver food standards training within
their communities.

About 70% of Uganda’s population of 42 million aresmallholder farmers, and most have never received
any formal training, meaning that farming techniques
remain largely unchanged for generations. With little
understanding of quality, food safety and marketrequirements, the produce will not reach the supermarket
or export markets, and therefore attracts poor prices.
Standards for food products are largely unpublicizedamongst this population, meaning that they go unused
and their potential to be enablers of business expansion
is unrealized. A key barrier to use of the standards is thatthey are written in technical English so needed to besimplified and translated to make them more accessible.

Through applying the techniques detailed in the brochures
and training, smallholder farmers gained the potential toattract better prices and, by complying with international
standards, to export their produce. This enabled them toaccess wider markets and improve their profit margins.
The CSN produced over 100,000 brochures, trained 32
trainers, and trained over 1,800 farmers. The success of
this project enabled the CSN to replicate the approach inRwanda, working with the Rwanda Standards Board andFarmers’ Association, IMBARAGA.

Why BSI?
BSI shares knowledge, fosters innovation and instils bestpractice globally as the UK’s national standards body.
BSI works to inspire trust for a more resilient world.

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Cindy Parokkil
Project Manager (Africa),
Commonwealth Standards
Network