Nearly three quarters of Ugandans earn a living from agriculture. The sector is dominated by small-scale farmers. It is responsible for 25% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Yet many small-scale farmers continue to live below the national poverty line.
Most small holder farmers are still struggling to meet their household’s food needs which prevents many from going on to participate in markets to earn an income, according to an EPRC study. Market participation improves household incomes, welfare, food security and nutritional status.
The challenges faced by small-holder farmers are symptomatic of the stagnation that the entire agricultural sector in the country has faced over the years, despite the many initiatives that government has come up with to boost production and consequently incomes. For instance, the sector operates at less than 40% of its attainable potential for key staple crops, studies have shown. With the impact of climate change impacts farmers, crop failure or loss is increasing.
There is evidence that modern agricultural inputs such as use of fertilizers, improved seeds, and irrigation can increase yields, but adoption rates are low. This malaise in the country’s agricultural sector has seen crop productivity remain low while storage is almost non-existent.
A 2017 EPRC paper soberly argued that Uganda’s agriculture was at crossroads with analysis showing that growth in the sector had stagnated for three decades to 2017. Also, the paper showed that during the period 2007/08-2016/17, annual growth in the sector averaged just 1.9 percent, a very low figure given how significant the sector is in the lives of Ugandans.
No where has this stagnation been pronounced like it is among small-holder farmers. This group faces enormous challenges including limited technology, poor seed varieties, lack of extension services, high input costs, counterfeit agro-inputs, and dependency on rain-fed agriculture.
On counterfeit agro-inputs, the EPRC notes that “the existence of unscrupulous agro-input dealers on the market especially for fertilizer and seed [is so rampant] and affects technology adoption.”
“The quality of seeds and other inputs delivered to farmers is low, characterized by high level of counterfeits. For example, hybrid maize seed on the Ugandan market contains less than 50 percent authentic seeds while 30 percent of nutrient is missing in fertilizer,” the paper says. On fertilizers, most fertilizers on the market had less than the acceptable moisture content – meaning their use hardly helped farmers. All these issues compound to make it difficult for small-holder farmers to improve their output.
A maize garden. Smallholder farmers low productivity means they can hardly meet their household food needs and are unable to participate in the market.
Changes in weather patterns have altered seasons, impacting crop production. Reliance on rain-fed agriculture has meant it has become more uncertain to predict when season starts or when it is safe for farmers to plant crops. Prolonged droughts and flash floods, which have become common, means crop failure is at its peak. Ugandan farmers are extremely vulnerable to weather shocks. Consequently, low crop output leads to reduced number of meals taken in a day, lowers household incomes because there is nothing left to sell to the market.
Some farmers have tried to adapt to weather variations to focus on crops resilient to shocks such as drought. Some farmers have reduced the size of plots for specific crops to minimize production risks – this, however, has an impact on the quantity of crop output. And yet, on average, small-scale households in Uganda cultivate 0.97 hectares of land.
The country must improve crop productivity for small scale farmers. This will lead to more market participation and ensure household food and nutrition security. To achieve the above, the government should aim at research and development efforts that prioritize enhancing crop varieties that grow faster and are resistant to weather shocks. This could ensure that farmers participate in farming all year without having to wait for rainy seasons.
Government extension programs could prioritize agroforestry practices to mitigate the impacts of climate change. This serves multiple purposes, including soil retention, offering biomass to enhance soil nutrient, thus restoring soil fertility, and ultimately improving agricultural productivity.
Investments in financial schemes will help farmers access credit to buy inputs thereby impacting cropping activities. Intentional regulation of the agro-input market is needed to shield farmers from fake fertilizers, seed, and acaricides. Also, increasing small-scale farmers’ productivity could be attained by investing and improving infrastructure like such as grading of feeder roads, assistance in building storage, processing facilities and markets, particularly for perishable crops like vegetables.
Enhancing agricultural productivity of small-scale farmers in Uganda is important to address not just food and nutritional needs of the households. It is a sure to ensure that farmers have enough food to take to the market and thus reduce poverty.