Why Agriculture Production In Uganda Is Still Subsistence

80% of Uganda's population reside in rural areas and depend on agriculture for income. Because individual production is little, those involved in the activity are often referred to as peasant farmers which is derogatory for an important occupation that employs the majority of the population, contributes 28% of national GDP and feed the nation.

Hence the perception of many Ugandans is that agriculture is a punishment and meant for academic failures and women.May be that is why government neglects the sector, does not have supportive policies, allocates a mere 4%  of the national budget and fails to  adequately plan for the training and deployment extension staff to assist farmers improve production.

You may not believe it that the hand hoe is still the dominant system  of land preparation. How much land can one prepare with such obsolete implement which is back breaking? Even if ox ploughs or tractors were available, many farmers have small plots of cultivatable land which are scattered. Many farmers need government support  buying enough land to set up farmer group farms that can enable critical mass production, tractors, ox ploughs, harvesting and handling machinery and storage facilities. The farmers could then set up cooperative societies all through the value and supply chains. Technology infusion in agriculture production has a major role to play in triggering regional development.

Physical infrastructure deficiencies especially the poor road networks to link  farmers to markets and lack of electricity in the rural areas that can enable investment in processing and distribution that create employment and stimulate regional development.

Lack of adequate health care whereby the hospitals are in shambles, drugs are stolen or are nonexistent and medical facilities lacking core medical personnel. Farmers usually die of preventable diseases because of poverty, poor nutrition and lack of medical care. Imagine the doctor/patient ratio of 1:18000 when Uganda trains medical personnel who run away to other countries because of poor salaries and lack equipment and  drugs in hospitals.

A poor education system that churns out white collar job seekers competing for the few jobs whereas emphasis should be on science and technology which enable innovation necessary for private sector development and the emergence of a knowledge based economy. This would eliminate exploitation of the farmer who are offeered ridiculously low farm gate prices that cannot cover the cost of production and yet the cost of processed food that the farmer buys is very high.

Uganda's agriculture sector is rain dependent and seasonal. The rains have become increasingly unpredictable and with many incidences of droughts, floods causing famines requiring food aid from World Food Program.Uganda receives annual rain ranging from 800 mm to 1500mm, has lakes, permanent rivers, swamps and underground water sources. There is lack of awareness  and knowledge about water harvesting and use of irrigation technologies which would be of immense benefit to farmers. The government needs to popularize and sensitize farmers to adopt as a way to boost agriculture production.

Land fragmentation is a major problem in especially the densely populated districts resulting in many farmers lacking cultivatable land to feed families while at the same time other areas have land which is idle. The government could revisit land ownership policies and land tenure systems for streamlining. To promote land use, land owners with idle land should be taxed to force them to rent out land to the landless.

Many farmers experience post harvest losses of especially perishable crops that dictate production of manageable volumes that the market can absorb because of lack of storage facilities. As a result, you find stockouts of some commodities at some point in time especially fruits and horticulture crops. Construction by government of cold room facilities by government would help farmers overcome this constraint. For instance, livestock is moved to the point of slaughter by lorries because there are no abattoirs with facilities in the districts so that marketing would only be for meat. This would create skills and employment regionally.

Agriculture commodity prices are determined by market forces and are usually manipulated to cheat farmers. Government offers no protection no subsidies or intervention to fix minimum prices buyers should offer farmers. This function used to be undertaken by farmer owned cooperatives in the past which cooperatives need to be revived. The cooperative infrastructure of cotton ginneries, coffee processing, tractor hire services, and storage facilities are still there but the Uganda Cooperative Alliance needs to pressure  government to recognize the role cooperatives used to play and lobby for their revival. The cooperatives used to have an integrated agriculture production, processing and marketing system which can be revived and energized through the creation of  Agricultural and Industrial Banks to provide crop buying finance, machinery and technology acquisition loans to farmers and cooperatives.

Effects of subsistence farming on the population

The negative impacts have caused unsustainable migrations from rural to urban which have placed pressure on the already inadequate urban infrastructure, created high levels of urban unemployment and social disparities fueling crime. The youth today do not want to participate in agriculture and are instead opting for menial jobs, street vending, boda boda (motor cycle taxi) security guarding, food stalls, cleaners and such kind of jobs that do not require high skills. In the circumstances, rural areas are stagnating.This skewed development means urban centers enjoy better public services from resources they have not contributed to create. Uganda's population at 31.5 million requires requires increased agriculture production, increased budget allocation and strategic planning and modernization through mechanization as a priority.


In order to create agricultural based employment, sustainable wealth and ecological sustainability, the following actions are necessary:
1. Government should develop, adopt  and support a science and technology policy that links farmers to research institutions and technology suppliers and provide affordable finance to farmers
2. Farmers should be encouraged to invest in high value crops and sensitize farmers on soil fertility conservation and sustainable land use practices

Transformation of Uganda is only possible if politicians develop morals, ethics and nationalism.

THEY SHOULD STOP STEALING TAXPAYER MONEY AND CORRUPTION

Agriculture Commodity Prices and the Impact on Farmer Productivity

Prices of produce, food and cash crops alike are ruled by market forces because of over liberalization of the economy which makes them unstable and fluctuating and attracts speculators to exploit the farmers. The result is condemnation of agriculture production to subsistence.
Whereas Uganda is capable of producing enough food for the entire regional market needs, conducive government policies to promote increased agriculture production alongside an integrated marketing system that includes value addition support are necessary so that there are value chains that guarantee farmers with stable prices and boost production.
Additionally, provision of market information can substantially contribute to increased agriculture production through enabling planning and assessment of the market environment. Information gaps between farmers, buyers and processors is one of the major constraints hindering agriculture development in Uganda.
These services mentioned are supposed to be a public good that should be delivered free of charge by government.
Discussions held with selected bring out the following views:

Farmers Aspirations and Expectations in Countering Climate Change

·         Devising strategies that will enable implementation of irrigation at farmer level

·         Obtaining information and knowledge of low cost irrigation technologies for sensitizing farmers and service providers

·         Developing farmer capacity to cost effective use of water sources that can enable adoption of growing high value crops, increase of agriculture production and improving household incomes

·         To develop networks and share knowledge and experiences among districts

·         To incorporate irrigation plans in district budgets for financial support from central government

·         Develop and change farmer attitudes from reliance on rain fed agriculture production

·         Develop district linkages with researchers, technology manufacturers and institutions of higher education for information dissemination to farmers

·         Identification of potential sites for piloting small scale irrigation for practical demonstration to farmers to enable wider adoption

·         Identify sources of appropriate low cost irrigation equipments and experts to provide technical support to farmers

Challenges Faced in Agriculture Production

The challenges identified are listed below:

·         Unsustainable and poor agricultural practices resulting in soil infertility, land slides, soil erosion, land fragmentation and climate change

·         Crop diseases and pests affecting agriculture production

·         High costs of inputs and low capital levels resulting low value crop choices by farmers

·         Droughts and unreliable weather patterns

·         Subsistence production using poor and rudimentary farming technologies

·         Low prices of agriculture produce

·         Lack of storage facilities for post harvest handling

Suggested Solutions to Challenges to Agriculture Production

·         Sensitisation, training and practical demonstrations to farmers on soil and water conservation best practices

·         Developing farmer linkages and networks with national crop, pest and diseases research institutions such as NARO and its affiliated institutes

·         Deliberate government policy to support irrigation application, irrigation technologies publicity and accessibility through consolidating land by purchase and local exchange for many farmers to benefit from intensive agriculture farming practices through group farms

·         Promote integrated pest and disease management systems

·         Improving road infrastructure and market value chains development

·         Training and increasing the number of agriculture extension staff and agricultural engineers

·         Promotion of use of organic soil fertility conservation techniques

·         Financing farmers to acquire irrigation systems at affordable terms

·         Mechanisation of farm operations and cultivation of high value crops

·         Value addition initiatives supported by government policy to stimulate increased agriculture production

·         Incorporation of irrigation technologies acquisition for farmers in NAADS activities

·         Subsidies and zero rated taxation on farm inputs

·         Government support towards development and marketing of low cost irrigation technologies

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Africa at last her the opportunity to host the world cup in South Africa. R. Kellys song is inspirational for the whole of Africa that we can grow from the third world

INVESTMENT IN AQUACULTURE AS A WAY TO FIGHT RURAL POVERTY AND ENSURE FOOD SECURITY AND HEALTH

More than a fourth of animal protein consumed by man is aquatic in origin. In Uganda, the source of this nutrition is mainly from fresh water lakes and rivers. Lake Victoria shared by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda supplies the largest bulk of fish followed by Lakes Albert, Edward, George, Kyoga and Bunyonyi. The major fish species are Nile Perch, Tilapia and African Catfish.
Fisheries resources are being depleted from natural bodies through overfishing, use of inappropriate fishing gears and methods, lack of adequate regulatory policies and poor enforcement.
• High demand for fish on the regional and international market pushing up prices thereby making it unaffordable for the ordinary person.
• Population explosion of Uganda now at 30 million growing at 3.4% annually exerting pressure on natural fisheries resources requires focus to shift to pond fish farming.
• Failure at policy levels to adequately plan for sustainable future supplies through scientific and technological manipulation of components of nature to achieve greater control over production of aquatic organisms while at the same time taking into account environmental conservation and ecology.

Current Production

The increasing consumer population on the local, regional and international markets requires bigger fish production above the combined 450,000 metric tons production per annum being produced currently to match with the growing demand which has to be met from pond fish farming.
The Uganda fish industry with an annual production figure of 450,000 tons of fish per annum is not enough to sustain an export market of 60,000 tons on top of an internal and regional market forcing many fish processing factories to close down due to declining fish harvests.
The market size for fish is very wide to include the regional market needs whose total population is above 100 million people which demands production be stepped up to match demand and to cater for an annual population growth estimated at 3.4%. In the East African region, the challenge is producing enough food to feed the population which will involve large investment in agriculture and its diversification. Uganda has fast developing trade links that require sustainable production to be given strategic planning priority.

Prospects for Investment

Opportunities for investment with high profits exist in pond fish farming for local farmers who can either harvest rainwater or utilize wetlands.

Benefits of Aquaculture

• Productive use of wetlands and poor agricultural land
• Natural resource conservation of water and soil• High economic value of aquaculture products in a subsistence level economy. Approximately 8000kgs of fish can be produced from 1 hectare poly culture pond applying on farm food supplements and animal manure in one year
• High nutritional value of aquaculture products
• Integrated aquaculture is a sustainable form of agriculture that combine garden irrigation, livestock watering and other domestic uses
• Self sufficiency for subsistence farmers by making fresh fish available in rural areas

For those with higher investment capital outlays, opportunities exist in setting up hatcheries using simple appropriate technology. National Fisheries Resources Research Institute Nafirri at Kajansi has developed the hatchery technology in especially African Catfish and Nile Tilapia and disseminated the findings with a number of farmers setting up private hatcheries in the central region of Uganda. Nafirri will provide the necessary technical support to the business.
The processes that can employed are outlined below

Tilapia
Select seed brood fish from Nafirri at Kajansi
• Introduce into breeding tanks brood fish of 200g to 300g in the ratio of 3 to 1 female to male per m2 surface area
• Fertilize pond with animal manure and or chemical manure for phytoplankton to bloom water visibility to a depth of 30 cm
• Feed brood fish with 2% body weight palletized or ground feeds containing 30% crude protein
• Start collecting fry daily from 15 to 25 days after stocking and transfer to nursery tanks using 1.5 to 2 mm seine nets at stocking ratio of 750 fry per m2
• Harvest brood fish separated by sex for two weeks reconditioning in separate tanks before restocking in breeding tanks after draining
• Nurse fry for 6 to 7 weeks until fingerlings weigh 5 to10g
• Grade fingerlings and deliver to farmers


Catfish

The hatching technology to be employed for catfish will be the artificial method improvised and modified using locally available materials and expertise whereby the eggs are stripped and out of the females and the males sacrificed for collection of milt for fertilizing eggs then the mixture placed on 1mm mesh trays in the breeding tanks as observed at Sunfish Farm to avoid costs of buying expensive modern hormones.
Milt from one male will fertilize the eggs of 10 to 15 females if diluted with an equal volume of 9g salt solution to 1 liter of boiled water and the mixture added an equal volume of clean water. This appropriate intermediate technology works well although it is laborious and time consuming as the water temperature has to be under constant observation at 28o C to 30o C for 22 hours of incubation before hatching.

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