MASINDI, Uganda — Walking slowly through his one-and-a-half-acre sugarcane field, Tefuro Ezua counted the months until harvest: 21 in total. It was a long wait for the roughly 2.4 million Ugandan shillings (US$700) he expected to earn from the sale.
Reliance on sugarcane hadn’t been his plan. In September 2023, the 56-year-old farmer decided to take a chance on moringa — a hardy, nutrient-rich tree he hoped would bring more stability to his existing plot of maize, beans, bananas, and sugarcane. Backed by a U.S. Agency for International Development-supported program, he received a 200,000 Ugandan shilling grant each month, scheduled to continue for two years. For a while, the steady payments bought Ezua more financial freedom and less worry. He could pay school fees for his three children and cover farm costs without debt.
The relief didn’t last. The money came unevenly, sometimes months late. In the end, he received only nine months of payments before they stopped entirely. Ezua hoped the delays would be temporary. Later, he learned that the program’s funding had been caught up in broader U.S. foreign aid cuts. By March 2025, with no sign of support returning, Ezua uprooted the moringa and replaced it with sugarcane, a less profitable crop with a more reliable market.