Informal collaborative learning among pastoral and agro‑pastoral farmers in Uganda: Why everyday interactions matter for knowledge sharing and rural resilience

In many rural farming communities, learning does not begin in a classroom or end with a workshop. It unfolds in the fields, at trading centers, during household visits, and through countless small interactions that shape how farmers adapt, innovate, and respond to challenges. Every day idea exchanges are rooted in observation, conversation, and shared experience. These interactions are the foundation of informal collaborative learning, which is arguably the most widespread and trusted form of knowledge transfer among pastoral and agro‑pastoral farmers in many parts of the world.

Informal collaborative learning can be understood as a continuous, interactive process where individuals share insights, explore problems together, and co‑develop solutions that fit their local realities. It tends to be spontaneous, short, and deeply embedded in the community life of a farmer.

How collaborative learning goals emerge in informal settings

Unlike formal training programs with predetermined agendas, informal learning begins with personal needs and lived experiences. Farmers identify gaps by comparing their own outcomes with those of their peers. A farmer may notice:

• A neighbor’s cows produce more milk

• A friend’s crops survive drought better

• Another household is less vulnerable to climate shocks

• A disease outbreak threatens livestock across the community

These observations spark curiosity and motivate farmers to seek advice, ask questions, and experiment with new practices. Learning goals often arise from urgent needs such as improving yields, securing income, or protecting household assets. In many cases, farmers also initiate group discussions to reflect on climate impacts or emerging risks, reinforcing the collective responsibility that characterizes pastoral communities. This interdependence is especially visible in livestock management: when one farmer’s animals fall sick, others feel obliged to intervene to prevent community wide losses. Learning, therefore, is both personal and communal, with mutual benefits that extend beyond individual households.

Why Informal Collaborative Learning Matters for Policy makers

Informal collaborative learning emerges from farmers’ own needs, grounded in local realities and is not predicated external interventions, which makes it cost effective and adaptable. These characteristics mean it can endure even without external support.

Despite its flexibility and widespread use in farming practices, policymakers sometimes overlook the importance of informal learning because it is unstructured and difficult to account for. While it is not a substitute for formal farming extension services in rural contexts, it is a powerful complement. Recognizing, valuing, supporting, and integrating these everyday learning practices into agricultural and climate resilience policies can significantly enhance capacities for climate change adaptation. Research also shows that informal learning often produces unintended, but highly valuable, outcomes (Futemma et al., 2020, Azad et al., 2022). For example, it enables farmers to respond quickly to emerging challenges, spread innovations organically, and build strong social networks that support collective problem solving (Azad et al., 2022).

How the Colocal project is engaging with informal collaborative learning

PhD fellow Fatuma Mutesi is studying both formal and informal processes of collaborative learning among farming communities in the Cattle Corridor, Uganda. Through her research, Fatuma is examining the sites in which informal collaborative learning takes place, the issues it covers and the outcomes generated. Her research has identified a number of key arenas for informal learning in the communities studied, including:

• During farm visits and household tours

• Along roadsides and footpaths

• At trading centers and local markets

• During community meetings

• While providing casual labor

• Through spontaneous conversations

In the pictures, local model farmer Grace Atusimire demonstrated an intercropping technique learnt from casual laborers from Rwanda to COLOCAL researchers. It involves interplanting beans with bananas, and sowing the bean seeds by holding them in your mouth and spitting them into the ground as it is being tilled.

The opportunities for informal collaborative learning, however, are influenced by intersectional points of difference. Cultural gendered norms in the pastoral community, for example, mean that the free movement of women is typically greatly curtailed in comparison to men, which limits the opportunities women have to benefit from informal learning.

Fatuma Mutesi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education and Master’s degree in Geography from Makerere University, Uganda. She is currently a PhD student in the Department of Geography, Geo-informatics and climatic sciences, Makerere University. Her PhD research, which is funded by the COLOCAL project, focuses on collaborative learning as an approach for place-based adaptation in Uganda.