TENDO MATTHEW NDAWULA, Grade 12
UWCEA Moshi Campus
In Uganda, agriculture remains one of the major sectors and source of livelihood. With 65% of the working population engaged in agriculture, forestry and fishing (citation) and 34.41% of its land being arable (citation) one might assume that both its population and the nation itself would be flourishing economically. However, this is not the case and can be attributed to a number of factors, namely, a lack of funds in the research sector, climate change as well as education and modernisation. This article shall address these issues in a more in-depth manner and provide a possible solution regarding the maximisation of Uganda’s full agricultural potential.
Money is everything and even in the agricultural sector the absence of funds can lead to a stunt in growth. National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) is the organisation responsible for catering for growth within the agricultural sector of the country and according to a paper written Budget Monitoring and Accountability Unit(BMAU) during the dry seasons of 2015 and 2016 Famers did not plant the resilient four pasture legume species for obtaining preliminary data on biomass and growth rates due to non-release of funds (citation). Consequently, research on what type of species can survive under harsh conditions was not undertaken. This research is important for farmers to understand what kind of crops to buy and plant during dry seasons and without it their yields may not be maximised.
Similarly, climate change has continued to impede the growth of the sector. Long dry weather and poor soil quality are reducing rice production and the annual loss as estimated by the daily monitor is 6.2 million dollars (citation) . Additionally, due to droughts Ugandan farmers continue to come up short during yielding seasons and for some who grow maize instead of yielding 9 tonnes, they yield 2.7 tonnes(citation). This is an issue because farmers are then forced to increase food prices and due to 34.6% of the population living below the poverty line and with hundreds struggling to keep out of poverty the farmers will not be able to benefit and in turn create losses in the agricultural sector. Furthermore, due to a lack of mechanised equipment and the illiteracy of most farmers the government finds it hard to implement modern farming methods that could help mitigate some of the issues that they face as a result of Climate change and the harsh conditions that come with it.
Nevertheless, the agricultural sector continues to be the backbone of the nation, with its ampe fertile land, contributing to 23% of the economy. Not to mention the fact that it is also the leading producer of coffee in the African region (citation). All this is considered however, the main point is that there is arable land worth more than 34% that hasn’t been touched and due to setbacks in the agricultural sector Uganda has failed to reach its full potential
On the bright side, there is a way of mitigating this issue and according to Tushemeirwe (a member of NARO), biotechnology is the way to go. Through methods of developing biofuels, genetically modified crops and rDNA technology to improve plant growth. Uganda will finally maximise on its full agricultural potential
References:
Uganda - Arable land (% of land area) (indexmundi.com)
BMAU Briefing Paper 3-16 - Key constraints to agriculture research in Uganda The case of NARO institutions.pdf (finance.go.ug)
Uganda - Agricultural Sector (trade.gov)
Agricultural Sector Potential - Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries
10 Major Challenges Of Agribusiness In Uganda And Possible Solutions | FORTMI
Money is everything and even in the agricultural sector the absence of funds can lead to a stunt in growth. National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) is the organisation responsible for catering for growth within the agricultural sector of the country and according to a paper written Budget Monitoring and Accountability Unit(BMAU) during the dry seasons of 2015 and 2016 Famers did not plant the resilient four pasture legume species for obtaining preliminary data on biomass and growth rates due to non-release of funds (citation). Consequently, research on what type of species can survive under harsh conditions was not undertaken. This research is important for farmers to understand what kind of crops to buy and plant during dry seasons and without it their yields may not be maximised.
Similarly, climate change has continued to impede the growth of the sector. Long dry weather and poor soil quality are reducing rice production and the annual loss as estimated by the daily monitor is 6.2 million dollars (citation) . Additionally, due to droughts Ugandan farmers continue to come up short during yielding seasons and for some who grow maize instead of yielding 9 tonnes, they yield 2.7 tonnes(citation). This is an issue because farmers are then forced to increase food prices and due to 34.6% of the population living below the poverty line and with hundreds struggling to keep out of poverty the farmers will not be able to benefit and in turn create losses in the agricultural sector. Furthermore, due to a lack of mechanised equipment and the illiteracy of most farmers the government finds it hard to implement modern farming methods that could help mitigate some of the issues that they face as a result of Climate change and the harsh conditions that come with it.
Nevertheless, the agricultural sector continues to be the backbone of the nation, with its ampe fertile land, contributing to 23% of the economy. Not to mention the fact that it is also the leading producer of coffee in the African region (citation). All this is considered however, the main point is that there is arable land worth more than 34% that hasn’t been touched and due to setbacks in the agricultural sector Uganda has failed to reach its full potential
On the bright side, there is a way of mitigating this issue and according to Tushemeirwe (a member of NARO), biotechnology is the way to go. Through methods of developing biofuels, genetically modified crops and rDNA technology to improve plant growth. Uganda will finally maximise on its full agricultural potential
References:
Uganda - Arable land (% of land area) (indexmundi.com)
BMAU Briefing Paper 3-16 - Key constraints to agriculture research in Uganda The case of NARO institutions.pdf (finance.go.ug)
Uganda - Agricultural Sector (trade.gov)
Agricultural Sector Potential - Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries
10 Major Challenges Of Agribusiness In Uganda And Possible Solutions | FORTMI
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