Uganda: Mess in Agriculture; It's State House Versus Washington

There is renewed interest in agriculture as an important tool for engendering development. The 2008 World Development Report focuses on agriculture as "a vital development tool for achieving Millennium Development Goals" noting that cross-country estimates show that agriculture-originating GDP growth is at least twice as effective in reducing poverty as GDP growth originating outside agriculture.

Because Uganda is still rural based, with eight of every 10 people living in rural areas and depending directly or indirectly on agriculture, agriculture for development is serious business. Even industrialisation, if it is to be sustainable, it must have forward and backward linkages with agriculture. For all it is worth, the report provides guidance to governments on how to design and implement agriculture-for-development agendas.

However, this requires a revolution in smallholder farming productivity. And it is here that problems, hot debates and fierce disagreements begin with some praising programmes such as Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA) and National Agricultural Advisory Services (Naads) and others rubbishing them as having nothing to show for the billions of shillings sunk into them.

According to Denis Mutabazi in his article "Govt messing up agriculture" Daily Monitor ,Tuesday, February 21, "the expert government panel which facilitated Naads design identified lack of farmer access to information, knowledge and technology as the biggest impediment to agricultural growth.

It envisaged an agricultural transformation process maturing over at least 25 years... By blasting Naads as 'having nothing to show' other than spending a lot on farmers' education, government is behaving like an impatient idealist..."