69% of the Ugandan population’s livelihoods depend on agriculture. These are predominantly smallholder farmers. The agriculture sector contributes to 23% of the Ugandan GDP, its percentage decreasing over time. The slow growth of the agricultural sector leads to poverty and problems in supplying the rural population with sufficient food. The challenges in the rural areas include insufficient productivity and insufficient market intelligence for the agricultural production, a lack of a sustainable management of the natural resources, networking and weak organisation building between the farmers.

Secondly, due to increasing unemployment and underemployment among the youth, Technical-vocational skills are essential for individuals, enterprises and the economy. Skills enable individuals to increase productivity and raise incomes. A skilled workforce enables increased enterprise productivity and profitability. Skills enable the economy to expand and grow. Employers in Uganda often complain about skills shortages that constrain production and expansion. Large segments of the population, including those working in the informal sector, lack the skills they need to raise themselves out of poverty. The economy faces critical skills gaps that threaten to limit the growth of key sectors, including agriculture and energy.

Youth Association for Rural Development (YARD) was founded in 1995 as an indigenous, charitable organization and was registered with the National NGO Board in 1996, Reg. INDR 17332616NB. YARD is non-political, non-profit making, non-ethnic and interdenominational.

The Association was an initiative of 10 founder members from Ngogwe Sub-County, who were concerned about the worsening situation of poverty and ignorance, especially among young people. They saw the need for improved education and health services, especially to disadvantaged groups, while safeguarding the natural resource base. They joined forces to be able to more effectively spearhead development in the area and improve the standard of living particularly of children, youth and women.

YARD’s main area of intervention has been Buikwe, Mukono,Kayunga Districts and Busoga Region. The organisation runs its programmes from the offices in Ngogwe Trading Centre. YARD is dedicated to working with women, Children and Youth in order to find creative and sustainable solutions to poverty. With strict focus on support to agriculture, Youth Skills development and enterprise development, YARD gives otherwise vulnerable women and young people the means to a life they deserve. It also supports women, Youth and Children to have the opportunity to maximize their potential and to influence decisions that affect their lives, including a commitment to their active participation at all stages of YARD projects.

This has been achieved through various programmes, including: Improved Energy savings, education and skills development; environmental protection and conservation; vocational training of youth; micro-enterprise initiatives; asset building & rural farmers’ capacity building; agricultural skills