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【Staff Spotlight】A Legacy of Innovation and Service: Celebrating the Career of Oumer Taha Abdulwehab
After nearly four decades of pioneering service to Ethiopia’s agricultural sector, Mr. Oumer Taha Abdulwehab retired on March 24, 2026, leaving an indelible mark on the industry. During his 16-year tenure with the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), Oumer became a cornerstone of postharvest innovation, successfully scaling technologies that slashed crop losses from 15% to nearly zero. A dedicated mentor and advocate for "farmer-centered" solutions, his legacy resides in the enhanced liv...
【Farmers' story】From flooded fields to climate solutions: How one Beninese farmer turned rice farming into a pathway for prosperity and decarbonization
At dawn in Koussin Lélé, a low-lying rice-growing community in Benin’s Zou region, the paddies shimmer under a thin veil of water. For decades, scenes like this have symbolized both sustenance and struggle for smallholder farmers, fields that feed families, yet quietly release methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. For farmers like Ahitchékpon Nestor, 50, rice was once a matter of survival alone. Today, it has become a story of climate action, innovation, and dignity rest...
【Farmers' story】From struggling to confidence： How Climate-Smart Rice Farming Transformed Patrice Hongbete’s Future in Benin
Mr. Patrice Hongbete in Tchi Ahomandégbé community now uses less seed and farms less land, but farms it better using SAA climate smart technologies.
【Farmers' story】Regenerative Agriculture in Nigeria: How Climate-Smart Farming Doubled Yusuf’s Rice Yield
A Struggle with Traditional Methods
Mr. Yusuf Ijeh Ekom, a 43-year-old rice farmer, from Alagye community in Doma Local Government Area of NNasarawa State, Nigeria,is inspiring change across his community. Through training, determination, and timely support, he has transformed not only his farm but also his livelihood.
【Farmers' story】From Four Days of Backbreaking Labor to One Hour: A Locally Fabricated Soybean Thresher is transforming postharvest work in Jimma
For years, Mr. Sheh Gali and his neighbors spent four days manually threshing just a quarter hectare of soybeans. That changed in late December 2025 with the launch of Ethiopia’s first locally fabricated soybean thresher. Developed by SAA and The Nippon Foundation with Aybar Engineering PLC, this innovation reduces days of work to just one hour. For Mr. Sheh Gali, the result is clear: "The quality speaks for itself."
【Farmers' story】Women Leading Agricultural Innovation in Ethiopia: Meryema Aba Sura’s Soybean Success Story
Ms. Meryema Aba Sura is a 45-year-old widow and mother of four living in Decha Nedhi Kebele, Nedhi Gibe District, Jimma Zone, Oromia Region.
【Farmers' story】Solar-Powered Success: How a Ugandan Farmer Turned a Small Loan into a Climate-Resilient Legacy
For years, Mulwani Moses farmed not to grow, but simply to survive. A 35-year-old father of three from Kibuku District, Moses depended entirely on rain-fed farming on five acres inherited from his late father. Each season brought the same uncertainty late rains, dry spells, declining soil fertility, and unstable yields. Despite his hard work, income remained unpredictable, and every shock pushed his family closer to vulnerability.
【Farmers’ story】Boosting Rice Incomes in Uganda: How a Japan-Funded One-Stop Centre is Transforming the Value Chain in Otuke
In northern Uganda’s Otuke District, rice and cereal farming underpin rural livelihoods. Yet for years, farmers faced a fundamental constraint: the absence of local processing and organized market infrastructure. For a farmer-owned cooperative, the Otuke Town Council Farmers’ Savings and Credit Cooperative Society Ltd, the main bottleneck was not production. With 1,000 members, including 490 women, the organization found that its growth was constrained by what happened after the harvest.
【Farmers' story】Regenerative Agriculture in Uganda: How Soil Restoration Increased Income and Climate Resilience for a Smallholder Farmer
For years, 43-year-old Lutankome Ronald farmed the way his parents and grandparents had taught him. On 2 ha (5 acres) of inherited land in Lusana Village, Kiboga District, he grew bananas and coffee using traditional practices passed down through generations.
【Activity】Solar Irrigation and Water Access in Karamoja, Uganda: SAA’s Integrated Finance Model Strengthens Climate Resilience
In Uganda’s Karamoja region, climate change is not an abstract risk it directly shapes daily survival. Prolonged dry spells, erratic rainfall, and rising temperatures continue to strain water availability for household use, livestock, and crop production, undermining food security and livelihoods. While irrigation is widely recognized as part of the solution to climate variability, experience in Karamoja shows that adoption is constrained less by farmer interest or technology availability, and m...
SAA Publications
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SAA history book
"Walking with the Farmer: The journey of the Sasakawa Africa Assoication since 1986"
This book chronicles the history of SAA from its inception to the present.
Annual Report
Annual Report FY2023
Annual Report FY2023 is available here.
