“When Govt communication officers visited Kalangala Palm Oil Project”

 In 2015, a UK newspaper The Guardian had the screaming headline: ‘Ugandan farmers take on palm oil giants over land grab claims.’…At the onset, the palm oil project on Bugala Island, Kalangala district was met with a lot of resistance from the islanders - not only over eviction fears, but also because the palm was a new crop, which takes 3-5 years to mature and many were deeply committed to fishing…

Fourteen years after the introduction of palm growing on Kalangala Island, 30 government communication officers…set out on a study tour to assess the progress and impact of the crop on the locals’ lives…The community is benefitting from newly constructed access roads, schools, health care facilities and piped water. Farmers are gaining knowledge through regular trainings and have formed savings and credit organisations and are gradually expanding their agriculture…As a benefit to the youth, the project has created direct employment to 1,400 Ugandans, with both sexes well represented…

Willy Lugoloobi, the LCV chairman says he is happy with the discipline the project has brought to the islanders. He said the reckless social behaviour that led to high levels of HIV/AIDS prevalence on the island, have changed since the project engages many women farmers and given them a sense of ownership and responsibility and lifted them from a life of abject poverty. [refers to Bidco]