Gulu Agricultural Development Company

GADC is eager and willing to engage in public-private partnerships to improve the communities and markets we work with through sustainable and impactful concepts.

25+

Years Of Experience

Who We ARe

GADC was established in northern Uganda in the aftermath of the LRA-instigated war which devastated the region for nearly 20 years. Under the direction of owner Bruce Robertson, the company revived and took control of the COO-ROM ginnery in Gulu 2009.

GADC is currently active in the cotton, cotton cake and oil milling as well as sesame and maize business. Additionally, we run the Gulu Timber Company.

Our certifications from bodies such as the Control Union and ECOCERT (Fair For Life) are a testament to our commitment to exceptional quality and sustainability, making our products highly competitive in both the national and international markets.

Northern Uganda is recovering from nearly 20 years of armed conflicts that left it the poorest region in the country. The UN's world food program estimated that nearly 1.4 million people took shelter in internally displaced (IDP's) camps with over 60% of the population living in severe poverty. In 2008, farmers began returning to their homes for the first time in decades.

These challenges are exacerbated by Northern Uganda's notorious lack of infrastructure, limited road access and temperamental cell phone network which hinder growth opportunities.

GADC helps rebuild subsistence farmers livelihoods by tackling the above challenges as well as seeking to improve literacy rates, agronomic knowledge, resources and skills.

Increasing the production and productivity of cash crops helps farmers meet their basic needs. GADC has established an extensive network of field officers and lead farmers that conduct village-based farmer training in agronomic practices and financial literacy.

Farmers obtain market access through our specially selected buying agents whom we pre-finance to buy commodities from our trained farmers. Additionally, financial training is provided through the Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA’s) which links farmers to financial institutions.

GADC uses innovative market research to encourage our farmers to plant and harvest produce that is increasing in global demand. This helps ensure versatility, adaptability and a longer-term sustainable income.

GADC sources agricultural goods from over 120,000 smallholder farmers annually allowing them to transcend subsistence farming and reach income-generating markets. Our training creates opportunities for certain farmers to obtain organic certification. This allows them to receive a price premium increasing their income by over 35%. We also offer full support and training to our conventional growers.

GADC serves as a catalyst for the economic recovery of northern Uganda. We have played an instrumental role in helping rebuild the cotton ecosystem which both the country and millions of smallholder farmers depend on.

We have completed 12 large-scale development projects in partnership with some of the worlds leading NGO's, governments, and grants schemes. This includes TRAIL- a 60,000 farmer training project in the West-Nile in collaboration with Mercy Corps and the Swedish Int. Development Cooperation Agency.

Our Story

GADC was established in northern Uganda in the aftermath of the LRA-instigated war which devastated the region for nearly 20 years. Under the direction of owner Bruce Robertson, the company revived and took control of the COO-ROM ginnery in Gulu 2009. Through sound management and local knowledge, we established agricultural buying and value addition operations and successfully expanded to two further ginneries in Kitgum and Rhino Camp.

GADC is currently active in the cotton, cotton cake and oil milling as well as sesame and maize business. Additionally, we run the Gulu Timber Company. This helps us promote a zero-waste value chain. We use state of the art processing technology to ensure that our conventional and organic products are of the highest quality. Our certifications from bodies such as the Control Union and ECOCERT (Fair For Life) are a testament to our commitment to exceptional quality and sustainability, making our products highly competitive in both the national and international markets.

Our Intervention Strategies

CASH CROP BUSINESS

Provide inputs to farmers to help boost yields. Buy cotton and sesame for cash. Clean, process, package and export to our exclusive national and international buyers in the far East and Europe.

SUSTAINABILITY BEYOND ORGANIC

Practice environmental sustainability throughout our agricultural value chains that goes beyond organic requirements.

Household Income Development

Improving household incomes and socio-economic opportunities for the farmers of northern Uganda through partnership programmes with the Ugandan government, donors and other businesses.

MARKET GROWTH & INCLUSION

Create and provide market entry, financial loans in the form of pre-financing, premium prices for organic produce, and overall support to smallholder farmers, encouraging entrepreneurial growth.

INTEGRITY, QUALITY AND FOOD SAFETY

Ensure the highest quality products, strict certifications and state of the art innovative cleaning and processing facilities.

The GADC Statistics

2
Years of Experience across Uganda
0
Years of successfully Implemented Agri-Development projects
0
Smallholder Farming Households Supported Annually

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Farmer & Beneficiary Testimonials

What does the Famers have to say?

Since Gulu Agricultural Development Company (GADC) offered me a good business opportunity I decided to work with them. “They trained me on organic farming principles” and latter offered me to work with them as a lead farmer! In 2015 I have been working with Gulu Agricultural Development Company with support from Mercy corps under the program Transforming Agriculture for Improved Livelihood (TRAIL) since 2015, I do not operate on a very large scale, but I am one of their most regular suppliers. I supply 10 to 20 kgs of chili per harvest, prices fluctuate from Sh 12,000 to Sh9, 000 per kilogramme. On a monthly basis, I make about 240,000sh-400,000sh

Jennifer Beneficiary TRAIL Project

Geofrey joined GADC in partnership with Mercy Corps in June 2015. He received several trainings in production techniques, business skills and marketing. He introduced other income-generating crops like sesame (simsim), chili, soybean and sunflower under the Transforming Agriculture for Improved Livelihood (TRAIL) project. Geofrey never looked back. He impressed the company by working hard and eventually he was entrusted to become a buying agent. Within the same year, he was pre-financed with 4.7 million UGX, approximately 1342 USD, earning a commission of 1,610,000 UGX, about 460 USD, and was able to buy 1.630 tons of sesame for the company for a period of 4 months.

Mawimbi Farmer

My life as an AC has been an eye opener for me and enabled me to do more than I thought I could at this age. I get a monthly salary, airtime of 10,000 per month and I reached a point where I can satisfactorily provide for my daughter, and other four dependents without any external support. This wasn’t the case before, even better, I constructed an iron sheet roofed house for my mother in Kitgum town’, she said. In 2015, Josephine started farming on 3.25 acres of land. She planted sesame and chili and applied the knowledge and skills of agronomic practice that she passes on to other farmers for both value chains. She harvested about 200 kgs of sesame, sold each kg at 2,000 UGX and earned about 400,000 UGX (119 USD). From another a quarter acre of chili, she earned 263,000 UGX (78 USD).

Jennifer Farmer | AC
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Improving of Livelihood as a buying agent

After the long buying season that GADC has had in the 2017/18 season has come to an end, many community members have been excited after receiving an income. The many trucks that were hired by the company for over six months have now left with smiles on their faces. The

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Testimonials

Turning Fortunes for Ojara Robinson

Turning Fortunes for Ojara Robinson When you reach Ojara Robinson’s homestead, you find a practical farmer in everything. He grows many different types of crops within his homestead, mainly fruits for his own consumption and the surplus is sold out in the market. “Growing fruits crops is more important and

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