Harnessing the Power of Africa's Sun to Produce Healthy Products for International Markets: The Case of Fruits of the Nile (FON), Uganda

Abstract

FON is a Ugandan company which trains farmers to cultivate Fair trade and grow organic fresh fruits. They developed a simple low-tech solar drying technology and sell dried fruits internationally, and in doing so have improved skills and incomes along the supply chain. Annual exports amount to 100 tones bought from 120 primary producer groups, grown by about 700 farmers. Producer groups are given hygiene, drying and business training, and farmers are given cultivation training. The company’s current challenge is to improve production quality in the context of ever rising competition and requirements from European buyers.