Mbale, Uganda

City overview

Mbale is Uganda’s fourth largest city and one of its fastest growing secondary cities with a population of approximately 364,100, of which 50% are youth. This population number also contributes to a density of 534 persons/sq km, putting significant pressure on the city.

Located at the foot of Wanale Ridge near Mount Elgon, which rises 8,000 feet above sea level, the city spans 2,435 hectares. It was formed by annexing seven sub-counties and two town councils, with the majority of its land still rural—only 4% is currently designated as urban. As such, agriculture sustains 81% of the city’s population, benefiting from a warm, humid climate, fertile soils, bimodal rainfall, and rich ecological diversity. Yet, Mbale’s central location in Eastern Uganda with direct access to neighboring districts as well as Kenya has also positioned the city as an attractive destination for trade, investment, and economic growth in the region.

Mbale's food systems challenges

Mbale faces several significant challenges with respect to its food system, including food and nutrition insecurity stemming from an increase in rural-to-urban migration and limited knowledge about urban farming systems. Many residents, particularly those with limited access to land and income, struggle to afford nutritious food. The city’s rapid urbanization has led to land fragmentation, rendering it difficult to implement sustainable farming practices. This has created a need for diverse production systems such as urban farming, backyard cultivation, commercial poultry and livestock farming, and crop cultivation, including rice, coffee, and maize. The city relies heavily on traditional marketplaces for food sourcing. Rural smallholders and backyard peri-urban farmers produce the majority of food consumed in the city.

In line with this, Mbale’s food entrepreneurial ecosystem benefits from fertile soils and a strategic location, making it a competitive hub for agricultural products. However, entrepreneurs face significant challenges, including limited access to capital, lack of scalable business models, inadequate infrastructure, and technological barriers. Regulatory procedures and high operating costs further complicate business operations. Women and youth encounter additional obstacles such as financial constraints and societal resistance, highlighting the need for targeted support and training. Despite these barriers, there is strong motivation among entrepreneurs to engage in value addition and attend training programs, indicating potential for growth and innovation in Mbale’s food sector.

In addition, market management remains a challenge as there is no unified platform for food markets to collaborate and work toward common goals of creating safe, healthy, and nutritious markets. Similarly, food waste is a concern, as there are limited technologies or initiatives to process or add value to food waste, hindering its potential recovery. The city also faces gaps in school feeding programs, where there is a lack of local ordinances, policies, or frameworks to improve the nutrition and health of school-going children. Food safety is another critical issue, with limited knowledge among consumers, vendors, traders, and food transporters about food safety regulations. Additionally, there are no localized standards for food handling, transportation, display, or storage, making enforcement difficult.

Finally, the supply chains in Mbale are predominantly informal. The city also suffers from poor infrastructure, particularly the lack of prioritized investment in essential systems such as surveillance and data collection for food safety.

Mbale’s food systems commitments and targets

Mbale is committed to enhancing its food system by developing key infrastructures for food safety, including surveillance, monitoring, and data collection. The city aims to establish more standard market stalls and vendor support systems to ensure better food safety and streamline food distribution. Mbale is collaborating with partners and key stakeholders to establish multi-stakeholder platforms aimed at integrating food systems with circular economy strategies. These efforts have led to the creation of platforms such as the “Mbale Good Food Council” and “Mbale Good Food Parliament,” which are designed to promote resource efficiency, improve food systems, and drive sustainability across the city’s food value chain. Additionally, Mbale is focused on supporting the establishment of food-related ordinances and policies that govern food handling, transportation, and storage. There is also an emphasis on sensitizing communities and promoting food recycling technologies. Mbale became a signatory to the Milan Urban Food Pact in 2023, further underlining its commitment to food system transformation.

City led/ supported projects/ initiatives

Rikolto’s Good Food for Cities Program

The Rikolto Good Food for Cities program in Mbale focuses on improving food safety within the urban food value chain by bringing together multiple stakeholders. This initiative involves policymakers, regulatory agencies, city authorities, the private sector, research institutions, and civil society organizations. One of the mechanisms created under the program is the Mbale Good Food Parliament, where 80% of the members are representatives from a wide range of different municipal departments. Furthermore, through this program, the construction of 88 model food stalls encouraged market vendors to upgrade their own stalls and prompted the local government to strengthen the enforcement of food safety practices in the markets.

**Discussion on the key project objectives and plans by schools and city officials for the implementation of the AfriFOODlinks project in schools (source: unknown).*

Agricultural extension services

While Mbale faces socio-economic challenges that often translate into inadequate service provision from limited finances of its city operations, it does offer an agricultural extension grants program, aiming to improve food production practices for smallholder farmers. Funded by the national government, municipal extension workers provide routine farm visits, training on food production practices, soil and water conservation, and advice on the formation of farmer groups and Savings and Credit Co-operative Society (SACCOs) for improved access to finance.

**Group discussions by schools and city officials on the key questions about the school feeding and nutrition program in Mbale City (source: unknown).*

Improving food safety and waste recovery at Mbale Central Market

The AfriFOODlinks project in Mbale aims to improve food safety and waste management within the city’s food environment. The initiative focuses on transforming Mbale Central Market (MCM) and the City Abattoir into centers for safe, sustainable food. Key activities include refurbishing 150 food stalls in MCM to meet food safety standards, reducing organic waste through recycling technologies such as Black Soldier Fly farming, and upgrading the City Abattoir to improve hygiene and slaughtering conditions. The project also includes training 250 vendors on food safety and raising community awareness on waste management and sustainable food practices. Furthermore, 10 schools in Mbale City (8 primary and 2 secondary) are part of the school feeding programme, which also serves as a pilot initiative using the school garden approach. This strategy aims to boost pupil enrollment in the parent-led school feeding programmes.

**Group photo of all the invited schools and Mbale city officials for the AfriFOODlinks feeding and nutrition reflection and planning meeting (source: unknown).*

Citations

Akoyi, T., K. & and Adokorach, R. (2024, May 31). State of City Food System Report: Mbale. AfriFOODlinks project, Cape Town, South Africa. https://afrifoodlinks.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/State-of-City-Food-Systems-Report_Mbale_.pdf

Kakaire, W. (2024, 11 October). Afrifoodlinks working on food safety and waste management in Mbale City. Rikolto. https://eastafrica.rikolto.org/projects/afrifoodlinks-working-on-food-safety-and-waste-management-in-mbale-city

Kirabo, A. et al (2024, January). Transforming Mbale City’s urban food system in the Good Food for Cities Programme. EQUINET. https://www.equinetafrica.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/UH%20FRA%20Uganda%20case%20study%20Jan2024.pdf

Rikolto (n.d.). Global Programmes: Good Food for Cities. https://eastafrica.rikolto.org/programmes/good-food-for-cities#:~:text=Since%20December%202022%2C%20Rikolto%20is,and%20the%20environment%2C%20while%20building

*Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union.