About Us

The Rice Value & Commodity Chain Butaleja Uganda

About Us

Our Social Enteprise

Agribusiness Enteprise Uganda is a just a branch of Rockford Harris Group, a business development consulting consortium of social enteprenuership in Uganda. Mr.Shaka Robert,34 is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive of Rockford Harris Group based in Uganda and engaged in evidence-based community building interventions in Butaleja Model District.

His passion for social enterpriship is rooted in his childhood where he found himself involved in military combat due to civil conflict that trapped him and his family in his home area in Luwero taking the life of his family members. He is a social analyst whose interest in community building is shaped by his elaborate and dramatic childhood. He is a graduate of Biochemistry & Information & Communications Technology. He is an Internet Policy and Engineering Specialist with 8 years of experience in linking technology, policy with the development process. Based on his technical and background experience he initiated the formation of Rockford Harris Group with peers in Uganda and friends around the world.

Agribusiness Enteprise Uganda, is currently conducting smallholder farmer organization formation in Butaleja District as a pilot program through its core community of experts. This project is headed by Mr.Paul Nyende, a Program Specialist with the UN Food & Agricultural Organization,FAO in Kampala and he also doubles as Chief Executive of AgriNet Ltd. He joined the Rockford Harris Group "BrainStore" through an online platform initiatiated by Mr.Shaka Robert. The use of appropriate technology in mobilizing expert human resources for community building is an effective, quick & low-cost vehicle of skills mobilization for community building. Mr.Shaka Robert believes the use of the internet to mobilize resources for community building in rural Africa is a vital tool to enhance development.

Mr.Paul Nyende is an agricultural economist with vast experience in rural development spanning 10 years. Agribusiness Enteprise Uganda is a project of expert resource pooling for community building. Paul, the task manager of the project in Butaleja highlights project cycle processes on this site. He alaborately explains protocol highlights, implementation processes, base-line reports as well as progressive highlights. It is very exchiting in Butaleja District.

We encourage community participation for skills percolation & long term retention and expansion. Our partnership with private sector actors,the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), Political leadership, District Production Officer (DPO) & Opinion leaders has been a vital infrastructure for synergistic development of the model.

Our partners like to know about Agribusiness enteprise development in Uganda.

Our Philosophy

Our Ideals as a social enteprise are built in the foundation of humanity. Community Building is a civil duty and a responsibility for the emerging leaders of the 21st century. We believe in building on what our fore-fathers started in a humble, unique and innovative way. Young professionals have learned over the years, they aspire to develop so that they can lead their communities through constructive engagement. They are Inspired. Slowly getting Involved & Engaged. Our social enterprise is built on the principle that it is our cardinal duty to work to build a more equitable and peaceful world through community empowerment replicating learned susccessful models.

Why Agribusiness?

Uganda is a developing country whose economy is agro-based. 85% of the population is rural based engaged in subsistence farming. The collapse of the cooperative movement with the adoptions of market-based economies exposed farmers to global competition with no cushions. The result has seen population growths of 3.5% faced with food insecurity, land conflicts and mass poverty. There is no welfare state.A growing population of unskilled youths migrating to urban centers for a better life is causing slum growth, crime and urban poverty. The strategy is to help the rural poor access market information and commercialize their agricultural activities.

To meet the UN MDGs all efforts must have a holistic understanding of the development needs of the poor. Rockford Harris Group through the adopted village concept started Agribusiness Enterprise Development in Butaleja as a model. Research has been conducted, findings have been shared both with the rural community, government and the political leadership. This approach is one of inclusion in fostering ownership of community development processes.

Rockford Harris Group is built on a skills bank concept. Experts are mobilized using virtual communities on the internet. Through information sharing and mentorship, local expertize is mobilized to volunteer time for community building. Out there are human resources that can be tapped for rural development in Africa. Our experience is that we can use the internet to learn practical experiences in Malaysia that are relevant to Uganda. Malaysians can learn from Ugandans thus the ability to use the internet, community radio,SMS applications for agribusiness development is visibly possible as it is happening in Butaleja District.