Ngogwe Earth Market, the fifth Earth Market in Uganda will be launched in Ngogwe Sub County-Buikwe district on Friday 26th May 23, 2023. This new Earth Market seeks to bring together Agroecological farmers and consumers in a way that benefits both parties. The market is established to help small-scale farmers increase their access to potential customers while also providing consumers with fresh, seasonal and locally sourced produce.
The Ngogwe Earth Market is to be established in Ngogwe Trading Center, along the Mukono-Nyenga Highway. The local producers from the Slow Food communities around this area have always yarned to have a common place where they can meet and sell their produces. This was after they had realized the need to increase access to diverse good, clean and fair products due to the failure of the established market that had left out the agroecological farmers, the distance from the nearby Nkokonjeru Earth Market and also ensure the survival of traditional knowledge about the indigenous food species that are gradually disappearing. The range of potential market customers around Ngogwe Trading Center includes local restaurants, travelers and local citizens. The market will be running on a weekly basis every Friday.
“We have been challenged with long distances to access the nearby Earth markets of Nkokonjeru and Mukono-Wakiso leaving us with no option but to be cheated by the available farmgate markets and dealers who buy off our products at lower prices regardless of the great effort put in to produce. However, with the establishment of this Earth Market, our challenges will greatly be solved” Said Mugalu Dauda a member of Ngogwe Earth Market.
The market will allow local food communities to sell their agroecological produce directly to consumers. The market will initially start with 30 producers who will be selling their locally produced, traditional products including fruits and vegetables, dairy products, eggs, chicken and other meat, animals and craft directly to consumers. Also, the Ark of Taste products including climbing yams, aerial yams, oyster nuts, mushrooms, mpafu, Mirandano passion fruit, Kisansa coffee and Kisubi, Ndizi and Nakitembe bananas are just some of the foods that will be found at the market while some, such as Bukunja climbing yams, Ndizi and Luwero Kisansa coffee, are also Slow Food Presidia.
The market is launched at a time when Slow Food is running a Campaign to revive the extinct indigenous foods called My Food My Identity an opportunity for producers to engage directly into the campaign.