Agriculture remains the key sector of the Uganda’s economy, it contributes up to 23% of the GDP and it employees up to 70% of the National Labour force, most of whom are women located in rural areas. The agricultural sector is envisaged to play a role in achieving Ugandans vision 2040 of transforming from peasant to middle income economy. Under the agro-industrialization agenda of the National development plan 111, Quality products and services are expected to contribute to commercialization of agriculture and ensuring food security. The pursuit of these three strategic goals, requires an effective, efficient and an inclusive agricultural extension and advisory system. In its National Agricultural extension policy of 2016, Government of Uganda adopted a pluralistic agricultural extension approach. This approach recognizes the complementary role and relationships between state and non-state actors in the provision and delivery of AEAS to all players and processes in the agri-food system.
Agricultural extension services have been traditionally focused on increasing production and productivity. The needs of the macro- economic transformation agenda have expanded the role of agricultural extension beyond primary production to include; market participation, commercialized farming, agro-industrialization, food security, food safety and nutrition.
Furthermore, the sector continues to experience a number of structural challenges and shocks (Climate change, Trade, economic, health, political) that calls for innovations in design and delivery of AEAS to build resilience and the competitiveness of the agri-food system.
Since 2013, the Uganda Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (UFAAS), in partnership with the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS); the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF); and other partners, have been organizing annual National Agricultural Extension events. The purpose of these events has always been to stimulate visibility, innovation, and learning in agricultural extension and advisory services provision. This has been achieved through creating a platform for knowledge sharing, exchange and networking among AEAS and agricultural value chain actors.
It is against that background, that a National Agricultural Extension Week in Uganda (UG-NAEW 2023) has been organized under the theme: “Unveiling innovative pluralistic AEAS approaches: Actors’ resilience and competitiveness for food security and commercialized agriculture”. The UG-NAEW 2023 will take place from 22th -26th May 2023, at Kabira Country Club Hotel, Bukoto, Kampala. This will be preceded by regional level workshops.
The purpose of the UGNAEW2023 is to equip Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (AEAS) actors with knowledge on how to build resilience and competitiveness for food security and commercialized agriculture.
The National Agricultural Extension Policy (NAEP 2016) recognizes a pluralistic AEAS system where innovative approaches and support mechanisms by different actors are promoted to address resilience and competitiveness of AEAS actors for food security and commercialized agriculture. Multiple innovative AEAS models including digital extension, village agent models, market-oriented agriculture, the Farmer Field School among others, that innovatively enable agri-food systems to function well, and meet the income, food, nutrition and climate smart farming objectives while building social and natural resilience of systems are being promoted in this pluralistic space.
This sub-theme will focus on pluralistic innovative AEAS models that are enabling farmers achieve their livelihood goals (income, food, nutrition) inclusively (gender-responsive) while fostering resilience to climate change, emerging crises and shocks.
Africa, with the youngest population globally and 50% of the agricultural labour force provided by women, continues to grapple with unemployment and/or underemployment. It also grapples with the issue of gender responsiveness as well as youth inclusion and benefit in development programs. Efforts by governments and other actors to viable employment opportunities for the youth and women through “agripreneurship”, are hampered by inadequate extension services and low capacity on how to work with these key stakeholder groups. Nevertheless, there is a growing body of experience among government, civil society and private sector actors on how to conduct effective, efficient and innovative gender-responsive, women-focused, special needs sensitive and youth-inclusive agricultural advisory and extension services provision.
This theme therefore will focus on: AEAS approaches that integrate that have successfully reached the women, been gender responsive, youth inclusive, special needs responsive building resilience to all sorts of shocks faced in the agricultural space. Additionally, models that have contributed to making the women, men, youth, special needs clients operate profitable and resilient and accessible will be shared. Success and failure factors will also be identified for learning and utilization.
Guided by the third National Development Plan, the Government of Uganda has invested heavily in the agricultural sector, including through its publicly funded decentralization local government-based agricultural service system that reaches farmers across all 138 districts. In this sub-theme the UGNAEW2023 will focus on getting to know the key models being used by government programs and projects anchored in the Ministries of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries, Water and Environment, and Local Government through which extension services are provided. Programs like the Cotton Development Organization, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, the National Agricultural Advisory Services and Operation Wealth Creation, The National Agricultural Research Organization, the Dairy Development Authority to mention a few. The government also has key projects that are also reinforcing its effort to reach its farmers, for example the Agricultural Cluster Development Project, the National Oil Palm Project, the Irrigation for climate resilience project, the Village Agent Model, the Regional Pastoral Livelihoods Resilience Project and the Promotion of Rice Development Project Phase II among others. Of recent is a government effort towards Agro-industrialization, and to reach those in the subsistence economy through the Parish Development Project. All of these government agricultural programs services have creative agricultural extension and advisory service models. The programs and projects have addressed issues of market-oriented and commercialization farming, resilience to climate change, health epidemics, and financial shocks. These programs have engendered great achievements that are in line with the theme and subthemes. They also have aspects that in the public eye need clarification.
This sub-theme focuses on all these government programs and projects to showcase to the AEAS models they have used, and how they meet the main theme as well as some of the sub themes. It also focuses on identifying ways of how other AEAS and value chain actors can leverage on them, and areas where they need be strengthened.
Farming in Uganda is increasingly becoming a business-focused endeavor and actor capacity in this area is very critical. Business development services are needed by members of the agricultural value chain, and this entails professional advisory services. Several public but mainly private organizations are presently engaged in providing these agribusiness development services supported with extension and advisory systems. These BDS services are being delivered in the midst of shocks such as climate change, COVID-19, price increases and pest attacks. Innovative BDS services are being offered that AEAS actors need to know, learn from, and deploy in their areas of operation. This UGNAEW of 2023 recognizes the importance of BDS as a key area of extension and advisory services provision and is inviting BDS service providers that have succeeded in supporting individual farmers, farmer’s organizations and value chain actors to share their experiences. Key aspects of business development focus on access to financial services, business planning, agricultural insurance, market participation, government regulatory and business compliance systems, human resource development, governance and management systems, and management and information systems. Innovations and successful models in agri-BDS that have made a difference among value chain actors need to be made visible, and marketed through sharing them in an event like the UGNAEW2023. This sub-theme focuses on the above issues and invites AEAS presentations and exhibitions in these areas. What models, and strategies have been used, what success stories exist, what has been learned of what works and does not work, and how have these BDS AEAS services helped contribute to climate-smart, economic and other forms of resilience among agricultural value chain actors?
E-extension, or digital extension, refers to the use of digital technologies, such as mobile phones, computers, and the internet, to provide agricultural extension services to farmers. In Africa and Uganda e-extension is becoming increasingly important as a means of improving agricultural productivity, enhancing food security and reducing poverty. This is critical given the high extension-to-farmer ratio (1:1800) which is making extension provision for all a challenge. Digitalized agricultural extension is important for overcoming
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limited physical access to the many smallholder farmers who live in remote areas and have limited access to extension services. E-extension can overcome this barrier as agricultural information and services can be accessed by farmers wherever they are in real time when that information needs to be used.
The sub-theme is calling upon AEAS actors especially those that are using digital and electronic means to reach farmers to share: