Slow Food Uganda was among the eight organizations that were supported by Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Uganda to participate in the 6th Harvest Money Expo 2022. This was aimed at promoting agroecological entrepreneurship for safe food, healthy ecosystems and improved income. PELUM Uganda is a network that combines over 60 organizations in Uganda working in the area of participatory ecological land use management.

The Harvest Money Expo is an annual agricultural show organized by Vision Group, a media company in Uganda. The expo brings together different actors in the agricultural sector to exhibit agricultural products, technologies and share knowledge with the people. This year’s edition of the Expo took place for 3 days from 18th to 20th March 2022 at Kololo Independence grounds in Kampala.

As many companies and organizations were exhibiting highly aiming at maximizing sales, Slow Food Uganda participated for the first time in the Expo purposely to convey to the wider community how agroecology is more profitable than other conventional agricultural practices.

The array of ecological packaged and non-packaged food products were exhibited and sold including honey, Luwero Kisansa Coffee from Luwero Kisansa Presidium, Mt. Elgon Nyasaland Coffee from Mt. Elgon Nyasaland presidium, Nganda Coffee and banana from Ntazi Coffee, Banana and Local Vegetable Producers Food Community. Similarly, seedlings for bananas and coffee were also exhibited and sold. Exhibitors passed on knowledge to the visitors on agroecological farming practices that foster social, environmental and economic goals.

“We are not here only to maximize sales but also to educate and transmit knowledge and show evidence on how agroecology is more profitable and sustainable and this is our main aim,” said Mr. Wali Christopher, an exhibitor and a member of Ntazi Coffee, Banana and Local Vegetable Producers Food Community.

The Harvest Money Expo was significant to Slow Food Uganda and the like-minded organizations in the PELUM Uganda network to transmit information on agroecology and healthy ecosystems. The exhibited value-added products were evident to the outside community that local products are more profitable and can generate income for the farmers once the value is added to them. The products that were exhibited were from the Slow Food Uganda Communities and the presidia which are community-based initiatives that sustain quality production at risk of extinction, protect unique regions and ecosystems, recover traditional processing methods, and safeguard native breeds and local plant varieties.