Jackie is a grain aggregator in her mid-30s, an entrepreneur originally from Hoima, the capital of Hoima District, located approximately 200 kilometers northwest of Kampala, Uganda. Driven by the need to support her aging parents, she migrated to Kampala in search of better opportunities. Her journey reflects the challenges faced by many women and youth in her community. With a secondary education, she has leveraged her resourcefulness to build a thriving rice retail business. For years, she operated on the margins, buying small quantities of rice from rural women farmers and selling it in local markets, barely earning enough to cover her family’s basic needs. She is married and has one child.
“Before working with Forna Healthy Food, the producers of Auntie Porridge, my business was barely surviving,” Jackie recalls. “I could only manage about 500 kilograms of rice per month, selling it in small batches. I made about 100,000 Ugandan Shillings (US$26) per month, just enough to scrape by. I couldn’t afford quality education for my child, and taking care of my elderly parents was a constant struggle.
Her turning point came when she became a supplier to Forna Healthy Food, a company that sources maize, sorghum, and rice from local aggregators like herself. With the increased demand from the formal market, her business grew exponentially. Instead of trading in small, sporadic transactions, she now moves one to two tons per sale. This shift has dramatically increased her income, earning her six times what she once made and providing financial security she never thought was possible.
Jackie’s success is rooted in her newfound market connection. She purchases rice from women farmers in Jinja, a town in the Eastern Region of Uganda situated on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, near the source of the Nile, and approximately 85 kilometers east of Kampala, as well as from other, more distant villages (typically located between 100 and 200 kilometers away). She buys the rice at an average price of around UGX 3,000 (US$ 0.8) per kilogram and, depending on market conditions, sells it at an average price of about UGX 5,000 (US$ 1.4) per kilogram (with occasional sales at UGX 4,000 or even UGX 6,000 per kilogram). Where she used to make only a few sales here and there, Jackie now moves more than double, sometimes triple the volume she handled before. This improved pricing, driven by a reliable and consistent buyer in Auntie Porridge, has boosted her income by about 600%, transforming her financial landscape.
Despite her growth, Jackie still faces significant challenges. The rice is sourced from remote communities, often far from Kampala, which creates logistical hurdles. “The rice comes from very far, and transportation is very expensive and sometimes not available when needed,” she explains. Additionally, local collectors sometimes bring in rice that doesn’t meet quality standards, forcing her to double-check each consignment. Limited funds also mean she can’t invest in critical resources; as she notes, “If I had enough money, I’d invest in a small vehicle to ease transportation from the village to town.” Despite these hurdles, she remains committed to ensuring that smallholder farmers, especially women, gain fair market access.
The financial gains have had a profound impact on her family. With increased earnings, Jackie can now send her child to a good school, support her siblings, and regularly assist her parents back in the village. Beyond her personal success, her improved business practices and market access are inspiring other women in her community to pursue similar opportunities, even amid challenges like trust issues within local cooperatives.
Jackie’s journey is a powerful example of how impact investing can create meaningful change. By linking small-scale producers to formal market channels, strategic investments not only elevate individual livelihoods but also foster broader community resilience. Her story highlights the importance of addressing operational challenges, such as transportation and quality control, to unlock the full potential of market opportunities for entrepreneurs across Uganda.
