Program Description
Enabling Rural Innovation – East Africa is a 3-year program, is a product of Horizont3000 working in partnership with Austrian Development Association. The program is purposed to support farmer groups transit from subsistence farming to agri-business through training. The approach therefore helps small-holder farmers to become empowered and self-reliant entrepreneurs, who work to attain a state of food security / food sovereignty and a sustainable household income.

Background
It aims to address environmental issues in Budaka District, particularly the unsustainable use of natural resources especially trees and water, which directly or indirectly impact on the climatic conditions of the area. The project began in April 2014 as the initial phase with purpose to train trainers in environmental control measures including tree planting and construction and use of fuel saving stoves in all 13 sub-counties of Budaka District. This will be followed by a four-year phase, which is anticipated to scale up the intervention at grass-root level as well as diversify services to include installation of domestic water points in three primary schools in within the district as well as garbage management and treatment in Budaka Town Council.
Overall objectives
To develop the capacity of local community members and local partners for mitigating environmental challenges that characterise the rural areas in Uganda in general and Budaka District in particular.

Background
Safe Neighbourhood Foundation (SNF) has been implementing the VSLA scheme since April 2014, It is a goup-based program which started with 12 groups, being beneficiaries of other SNF projects from 3 sub-counties.
Objectives
The purpose of VSLA is to promote the saving culture as well as create a credit and loan fund which group members would access at favourable terms. VSLA also encourages group members to initiate small scale / medium scale enterprises so as to enhance household incomes.

Objectives are to provide an income generating opportunity to farmer groups and individual farmers through poultry rearing. The intended result is enhancement of household incomes, leading to improved living conditions.
The program began in March 2014, with the donation of a solar powered incubator intended to hatch poultry eggs from community members who had interest in poultry business at an affordable fee. Funding was as well donated to install the solar power system and the brooder rooms to set the ball rolling. It was also deemed necessary to ensure project sustainability to establish a commercial section for broiler rearing and sale, which started well but needed more room for expansion.