The US Agency for International Development has contributed $7.9m (over Shs 2b) to the World Food Programme's Agriculture and Market Access programme.

The support, delivered through USAID's Feed the Future initiative, is expected to increase the incomes of 154,000 people, who sell grain to WFP, over the next two years. The initiative coordinates the resources of partners including the international community, private sector, civil society, and multilateral institutions such as WFP to address immediate and longer-term impacts of hunger.

"By supporting WFP's agriculture and market access programmes in Uganda, it will be possible for farmers to realize increased incomes, create jobs by assisting farmers to access markets in a timely manner, and enhance their capacity to negotiate and receive fair prices for their farm products," US Ambassador Scott DeLisi said.

WFP Country Director Sory Ouane said this contribution would enable WFP to support agriculture in Uganda through building and upgrading warehouses, repairing feeder roads, training smallholder farmer groups in stores management, and providing market information.

The WFP's programme is run in collaboration with commercial banks, the private sector, UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Uganda Commodity Exchange, among others.