Kampala – The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Uganda has officially launched its flagship project, “Vegetables for All,” aimed at improving dietary diversity among low-income earners in Uganda. The project was unveiled at an event held in Kampala on Wednesday attended by government officials, development partners, private sector actors, civil society, and media.
Uganda has made significant progress in combating hunger and malnutrition, but chronic food insecurity and poor nutrition persist. The country faces a triple burden of malnutrition, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity. According to the World Health Organization, the average Ugandan consumes only 45 grams of vegetables daily, far below the recommended 200 grams.
The “Vegetables for All” project seeks to bridge this nutritional gap by promoting increased consumption of vegetables among low-income families. The project will use a market-based approach, strengthening supply chains and ensuring consistent produce flow to vegetable vendors through an innovative market facilitator model. It will also promote the Fitfood brand, a nutritious diets brand that motivates consumers to consume healthier foods.
A multi-channel communications campaign called “Beera Maama Owakabi” has also been launched to inspire mothers to increase vegetable consumption for their families. The project is being executed in eight districts in Central and Eastern Uganda, including Kampala, Wakiso, Mpigi, Mukono, Mityana, Kayunga, Jinja, and Mbale.
GAIN Uganda aims to reach an audience of 3,154,190 people, including 1,576,772 women, with a focus on low-income earners. To date, their media channels and promotional activities have directly impacted 130,527 income earners.
“Our approach is holistic – first ensuring that nutritious vegetables are accessible and then working to make them desirable. Through the Maama Owakabi campaign, we are driving demand and equipping parents and caregivers with the knowledge and motivation to include more vegetables in family meals,” said Enock Musinguzi, Country Director-GAIN Uganda.
GAIN’s work in Uganda also includes empowering micro, small, and medium enterprises to produce healthier foods, promoting behavior change to increase demand for nutritious foods, improving food safety practices, and integrating policy advocacy, food systems transformation, gender inclusion, and environmental sustainability across its programming, all part of its broader goals to improve nutrition and support food system transformation.
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002. GAIN works to make healthier diets more accessible, affordable, and desirable, especially for vulnerable populations. By 2027, GAIN aims to improve access to nutritionally enhanced staple foods for 1.5 billion people, increase healthier diets for 25 million people, and support food system transformation in 12 countries in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. GAIN has been operational in Uganda since 2007, supporting food fortification programs, nutrition advocacy, and community-driven dietary improvements.