Uganda: World Bank to Help Uganda Make Bee, Soldier Fly and Maggot Farming Popular

21 November 2024
The Independent (Kampala)
By Louis Jadwong

Munyonyo, Uganda — The World Bank has put $350million (sh1.2 trillion) into a six year Ugandan agriculture project that will make maggot farming, bee keeping, solider fly raring plus commercial pasture production not only popular in 69 districts, but key to anchoring a bustling poultry, dairy and fishing sector. The Uganda-World Bank venture has been dubbed the Uganda Climate Smart Agricultural Transformation (UCSAT) project.

"Agriculture production in Uganda has increased since 1962, but productivity has not improved," remarked Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) official James Kakungulu at a workshop for media in Namanve on Monday.

Kakungulu said the smart agriculture project UCSATP intends to reverse this by supporting farmers pick low lying fruits, and improve market access -- in many ways support world climate change efforts, and make disease control easier. In the dairy sector for example, cows will no longer have to be driven all the way from Soroti and Mbarara to Kampala for slaughtering.

The media brief Monday was followed by an ongoing 3-day Stakeholder Engagement Workshop for hundreds of political and agriculture leaders, LC5 Chairpersons, Resident District Commissioners and Chief Administration Officers at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala. Uganda's Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze will close the workshop at 1pm today.

With two of the six years of the project already spent planning, an anxious Permanent Secretary in the agriculture ministry Maj. Gen. (Rtd) David Kasura-Kyomukama on Tuesday told workshop delegates that his officials should bring an end to meetings, and instead, get their hands dirty on farms across the country.

The UCSAT project will aim to provide implements plus technical and cash support toto farmer groups in agro-ecological zones in Uganda that have increasing and high levels of poverty, high levels of land and natural resource degradation as well as low value production. These include North-Eastern dry lands (Karamoja); North-Eastern savannah grasslands (East Acholi and Northern Lango); Kyoga plains (SE Lango, Teso, Bukedi and northern Busoga); Western highlands, southern Highlands, Southern drylands, lake Albert crescent; and Eastern (Elgon) Highlands (Bugisu and Sebei).

According to officials, these sub-regions and agro-ecological zones are targeted because of increasing and high levels of poverty, and land and natural resource degradation; as well as low value production, which are anchored in low productivity from engaging in low value economic activities making communities more vulnerable to climate change shocks.

The UCSAT workshop, ongoing at the Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort Centre, has highlighted the targeted value chains (Crop, Livestock, Beneficial Insects, Fisheries & Aquaculture) and shared an overview on the available matching grants.

"There is an urgent need to shift the way land, water, soil, animal, fish and plant resources are managed to build resilience to climatic shocks and sustainably increase productivity and incomes in the most efficient, effective, and equitable manner," an official said in Munyonyo.

He said, the proposed Uganda Climate Smart Agricultural Transformation Project interventions will target addressing the primary drivers of poverty. It will promote farmers working in groups - a kind of new Cooperatives movement - and support women play a significant role in farming.

The UCSAT theme is "To increase productivity, market access and resilience of select value chains in the project area and to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency."

"The project will also support investments in technology and market-driven productivity increases in climate smart value chains. These investments will contribute to reversing the effects of climate change thereby sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and household incomes while enhancing resilience to climatic shocks."

According to the new strategy, climate change mitigation and environment management are critical elements to achieving increased household incomes and improved quality of life for the population. "The NDP III champions interventions aimed at stopping and reversing the degradation of Water Resources, mobilization for mind-set change to address development impacts of shocks like climate change, COVID 19, and locust invasion among others."

Officials say that the proposed interventions will enhance incentives that facilitate investments into technologies and improved management practices such as the use of the Payment for Ecosystem Services and the Labor-Intensive Public Works programs. They say these are consistent with the Uganda Strategic Investment Framework for Sustainable Land Management 2010 - 2020 as well as the National Environment Act (2019).

The project will be implemented in 69 districts and will directly benefit about 2,850,000 individuals. Given that project intervention areas will also cover refugee hosting districts, about 50,000 refugees are expected to directly benefit from project activities bringing the total number of direct beneficiaries to about 2.9 million.

The direct beneficiaries of the project are the users of land and its resources including farmers, fish farmers, pastoralists, forest users, refugees and their host communities defined by their agro-ecologies, farming systems, socio- economic factors, geopolitics, and land tenure.

These sub-regions and agro-ecological zones are targeted because of increasing and high levels of poverty, and land and natural resource degradation; vulnerability to vagaries of climate change as well as low value production. The project will target individuals (smallholder and largescale farmers), farmer groups, cooperatives, and self-help groups. The project will also target the poor and vulnerable.

Project Value Chains: 13 value chains have been selected and up to 4 value chains will be supported in each subregion.

SUB-REGION DISTRICT VALUE CHAINS SUPPORTED PER SUB-REGION

BUSOGA IgangaMayuge

Buyende

Kamuli

Kaliro

DairyCoffee

Aquaculture/Fisheries

Cocoa

Poultry

BUKEDI BudakaButaleja

Kibuku

Pallisa

Tororo

MangoesCitrus

Aquaculture &Fisheries

Dairy

Poultry

ELGON BulambuliBududa

Mbale

Sironko

Kween

DairyCoffee

Bananas

Vegetables

TESO BukedeaKaberamaido

Katakwi

Kumi

Ngora

Serere

Kalaki

Aquaculture & FisheriesBeef

Citrus

Mangoes

Dairy

Poultry

KARAMOJA AbimKaabong

Kotido

Nakapiripirit

Napak

Moroto

BeefSorghum

Cassava

Soybean

Aquaculture/Fisheries

LANGO ApacDokolo

Amolatar

Oyam

Alebtong

Otuke

SoybeanAquaculture & Fisheries, Mango

Citrus

Beef

Poultry

ACHOLI AgagoKitgum

Pader

Nwoya

Omoro

Lamwo

SoybeanBeef

Maize

Aquaculture/Fisheries

WESTNILE Adjumani*Zombo

Yumbe

Nebbi

BeefSoybean

Mangoes

Aquaculture/Fisheries

ANKOLE Isingiro*Kazo

Kiruhura

Sheema

Mitooma

DairyBeef

Banana

Coffee

Aquaculture/Fisheries

KIGEZI KabaleRukungiri

Rubanda

Kisoro

DairyAquaculture/Fisheries

Bananas

Coffee

RWENZORI BundibugyoKamwenge*

Ntooroko

Kabarole

Kyegegwa*

DairyCoffee

Beef

Maize

Cocoa

Aquaculture/Fisheries

BUNYORO KibaaleKiryandongo*

Kakumiro

Kikuube*

DairyBeef

Maize

Coffee

Aquaculture & Fisheries

BUGANDA

NakasongolaButambala

Kyankwanzi

Nakaseke

Gomba

Ssembabule

Mubende

DairyBeef

Banana

Coffee

Aquaculture/Fisheries

Read the original article on Independent (Kampala).

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