Earth Markets
Earth Markets are Social-Economic meeting points where local producers offer healthy and quality food directly to consumers at fair prices and guarantee environmentally sustainable methods. In addition, they preserve the food culture of the local community and contribute to defending biodiversity. Slow Food Earth Markets in Uganda are part of the global Slow Food movement and aim to promote good, clean, and fair food. These markets provide a platform for small-scale food producers to directly connect with consumers, fostering a closer relationship between them. They create market opportunities for small-scale producers who are often excluded from conventional commercial channels. The Earth Markets also promote dialogue between producers and consumers as they serve as places for the exchange of knowledge, transmission of know-how, and education of taste and correct nutrition. Producers at Earth Markets are required to attend the market themselves and sell only products they have produced. They must be open and willing to talk about their products, their qualities, the work involved, and how the prices are justified. Producers must come from the local region specified for each Earth Market. Earth Markets in Uganda play a role in preserving traditional and local products. They contribute to defending biodiversity and preserving the food culture of local communities. Slow Food Uganda currently has several Earth Markets, including Mukono-Wakiso, Manafwa, Lira-Amach, Nkokonjeru, Rutooma and Ngogwe. These markets are held at specific locations, such as district headquarters or designated marketplaces.
This is Uganda’s first Earth Market, established in 2015. It is managed directly by the local producer communities through a Market Organizing Committee composed of their representatives. The market serves as an important outlet for direct sales for producers from Mukono and it also provides a meeting place for farmers and urban residents. The Mukono-Wakiso Earth Market is held in front of the Mukono district headquarters every Friday. It offers a wide range of fresh local and traditional agroecological food products straight from the producers themselves. The market aims to promote dialogue between producers and consumers, allowing consumers to learn about the products, their qualities, and the work involved in producing them. The focus is on small-scale farmers and artisan producers, providing them with an opportunity to sell their products without having to compete with large distribution chains.
This is the second Earth Market launched by Slow Food Uganda in 2017. It takes place at the Manafwa District Headquarters in Manafwa, Eastern Uganda, every two weeks on Wednesdays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. The market is run directly by local food-producing communities, particularly the Buwasiba and Bukusu Yetana Terra Madre food communities. The Manafwa Earth Market aims to preserve traditional and local products while bringing together small-scale food producers and consumers. It provides a platform for producers to directly sell their products to consumers, fostering a closer relationship and promoting dialogue between them. The market showcases a variety of fresh local and traditional food products, including crops like cabbages, onions, leafy vegetables, mountain banana varieties, coffee, and beans, which are typical to the region. The establishment of the Manafwa Earth Market was made possible through the collaboration of Slow Food Uganda, representatives of producers, and the support of local authorities. The market contributes to the objectives of Slow Food, which include promoting good, clean, and fair food, preserving food culture, defending biodiversity, and supporting environmentally sustainable methods.
This is an Earth Market located in the town council of Amach, which is part of the Lira district in Northern Uganda. It was established by the producers from the food communities and Slow Food gardens in the Lira district with the aim of raising the profile of local crops and preserving traditional knowledge surrounding them. The market provides an opportunity for small-scale producers to sell their products and ensures that ancient, traditional foods from the region are once again bought and consumed. The Lira-Amach Earth Market is the third Earth Market to be launched in Uganda, following the Mukono-Wakiso and Manafwa Earth Markets. It is held in the square outside the Lira sub-county headquarters, close to the Amach Municipal Council. The market offers a variety of fresh local and traditional food products that are gradually disappearing and at risk of extinction. The market is run by a committee composed of representatives from the local producer communities, and it operates as a meeting point for producers and consumers. It aims to promote dialogue, educate consumers about the products and their qualities, and support the preservation of local food culture and biodiversity.
This is an Earth Market located in Nkokonjeru, a trading center in Buikwe district. It is one of the Earth Markets established by Slow Food Uganda to promote good, clean, and fair food and support local producers. The Nkokonjeru Earth Market was launched in Uganda as the fourth Earth Market in the country in May 2023. It was established to increase access to diverse, good, clean, and fair products for consumers and to ensure the survival of traditional knowledge about indigenous food species that are gradually disappearing. The market offers a variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat, and other produce from local farmers. It showcases traditional and local food products, such as Mirandano passion fruit, Kisansa variety of coffee beans, and Nakitembe bananas, which are used in Uganda’s staple dish matooke and as ceremonial gifts during weddings. The Nkokonjeru Earth Market provides a platform for agroecological farmers to sell their products directly to consumers. It benefits both parties by ensuring fair prices for the farmers’ products and allowing consumers to access diverse and high-quality food. The market supports agroecological farming practices, which prioritize sustainable and environmentally friendly methods. It contributes to the preservation of traditional knowledge and the promotion of healthy and nutritious food options.
This is the fifth Earth Market established in Uganda. It was launched on December, 2023, in Ngogwe Sub County, Buikwe district. The market aims to bring together agroecological farmers and consumers, benefiting both parties by increasing access to fresh, seasonal, and locally sourced produce. It was established to address the need for diverse, good, clean, and fair products, especially for agroecological farmers who were left out of the established market. The Ngogwe Earth Market is located in Ngogwe Trading Center, along the Mukono-Nyenga Highway. The market provides a platform for small-scale farmers to connect directly with potential customers, promoting a closer relationship and dialogue between producers and consumers. It supports the preservation of traditional knowledge about indigenous food species that are gradually disappearing. The range of potential market customers around Ngogwe Trading Center includes local restaurants and individuals seeking high-quality, locally sourced products.
On 20 April 2024, Slow Food Uganda is launched the country’s sixth Earth Market in Rutooma. The site of the Market is a playground and was chosen for its strategic location, accessibility and popularity: an ideal location for a market that aims to become a focal point for the local community.
What makes this market unique is the interaction envisaged between the small agroecological farmers and the consumer community, made up of restaurateurs, citizens, school and hospital users.
The market, supported by Slow Food Uganda, was strongly endorsed by the municipal administration, which granted the use of the space. The start-up was made possible by the will of the more than 30 farmers who form the Bwizibwera Rutooma Earth Market community.
The Earth Market responds to the strong demand for good, clean and fair food in the city and the need to create a commercial opportunity for those who produce it: it is the only agro-ecological market in the entire western region of Uganda.
The leadership of Rutooma – Bwizibwera Earth Market works to create a culture of diligence, applying universal agroecological principles and educational strategies to encourage everyone to become ambassadors for positive change in agricultural systems. To this end, there is no shortage of interaction with the Slow Food network: the market collaborates with four Slow Food communities in the area: the Rwebisekye vegetable and banana producers, Rwampara vegetable producers, the Kisunju Bananas and vegetable producers and the Rutooma fresh food producers.
Community members can supply the market with their own produce and benefit from training on the promotion of agro-ecological practices, product certification and labelling.
Slow Food Uganda works to make the Producers’ Markets environmentally sustainable, socially equitable and economically viable, contributing to the overall wellbeing of communities and ecosystems.