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When Willy Lukwiya was in class, he did not find it easy: “I tried to read from the textbook, but I felt like I did not learn in the classroom.” The old curriculum at Lukome Secondary School in Gulu City, where Willy is an agriculture student, was mostly instruction-led. The traditional teaching method ‘chalk-and-talk’, where teachers lecture and write on a board while learners listen passively, is common in secondary education but can leave learners feeling unmotivated and unable to build practical skills.
Lukome Secondary School participates in Green LEAP, a project launched in 2022 as part of VVOB’s Skilling for Sustainable Futures flagship. Working closely with the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), Green LEAP aims to improve agriculture and entrepreneurship education and has introduced new teaching approaches like career talks, project-based learning and work-based learning at schools like Lukome.
For learners like Willy, who find it difficult to learn from textbooks, project-based learning offers a more accessible alternative. By contextualising information, it encourages learners to engage with the lessons in a practical way. “After my teachers taught me practically in the field, I learnt a lot,” he says. “It has enabled me to do well in agricultural projects. My teacher taught me how to raise a nursery bed and how to raise the seeds until they are ready for the actual planting in the field. And she taught me how to raise tomato seedlings until they mature and are ready for sale.”
For young farmers, honing transferable skills such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving is particularly important. The Green LEAP project supports teachers to deliver agriculture and entrepreneurship education that is both gender-responsive and climate-smart, using practices that boost productivity, enhance climate resilience and cut emissions. Willy is also learning how to use pesticides and herbicides more responsibly: “I have learnt so much about conserving the environment. Some pesticides or herbicides can be harmful, so it’s important to know how to apply them to make sure that does not happen”, he says. “I also used to think that farming could only be done in rainy seasons, but now I can even farm during the dry season based on the skills I learnt.”
Learners from St. Edward's Secondary School in Bukumi, Uganda, proudly display a model house they built as part of an entrepreneurship project.
Agriculture Opens New Career Pathways for Youth
Data from the Uganda National Panel Survey shows that around 20 years ago, young Ugandans were pulling away from agriculture as a career path. The survey also found that young farmers were less likely to use high-quality seeds, fertiliser and pesticides, so their farms produced just enough to feed their families, with little left over to sell or reinvest.
Green LEAP is helping learners like Willy see agriculture not only as a means of feeding their families, but also as a potential source of income and opportunity. Income generated through the school project enabled him to buy seedlings and fertiliser and apply what he had learnt at home. “Taking the knowledge I got from my teacher, I now also have tomato and green pepper plants and started my own farm,” he says. “I’ve managed to grow my garden and just continue like that, but I have also learnt how to connect with buyers and other sellers of agricultural products. I know now what the market is. I learnt how to give feedback, and how to live in a society.”
An agriculture learner from YY Okot Memorial College in Labongo, Uganda, pauses for a photo while harvesting.
Agriculture employs an estimated 70 per cent of the Ugandan population, particularly in rural areas, making a steady influx of new farmers vital to the economy. To attract more young people to the sector, the government developed the National Strategy for Youth Employment in Agriculture (NSYEA) and made agriculture a compulsory subject in lower secondary education.
Preparing the Next Generation of Farmers
When Willy thinks of his career, agriculture is central to his future plans. “Farmers can always come and check what I’m doing, because they know me as someone they can count on to keep doing this job.” For him, learning more about farming is his passion. “I want to become an agricultural researcher and learn how to teach agriculture at university.”
Willy hopes that the attitude towards agriculture will change: “People should not look at agriculture as something ordinary, or as a thing for villagers. The agriculture sector has the possibility to offer financial stability and help you relate with people.”