AGRICULTURE FOR FOOD AND INCOME SECURITY-BULIISA.

Veterinary Services Section.

Major constraints:

Production constraints suc as endemic disease,poor quality breeds and inadequate feed and water.

Marketing constraints arising from poor infrastructure and lack of information on opportunities for value addition

Instititional constraints manifested in weak policies ,laws ,regulation and standard leading to the spread of spread of disease ,substandard inputs and products in the market

Insufficient research into livestock problems and opportunities;

Inadequate advisory and veterinary services;

Lack of investment in productivity enhancing and a value addition activities man of which are beyond the capacity of ordinary farmers.

Content outline:

Introduction Situation Analysis Strategy and Investment Programmes Costs and Financing Implementation Framework Monitoring and Evaluation Follow actions. Bibliography

Introduction:

Agriculture is arguably the most important sector of Uganda economy contributing up to nearly 20% of GDP.

Accounts for 48% of export (UBOS ,2008) and provides a large proportion of the raw materials for industry.

Food processing alone accounts for 40% of total manufacturing .

The sector employs 73% of the population aged 10 years and older(UBOS ,2005).

Agriculture will be the key determinant in the country’s efforts to reduce poverty in the immediate years ahead.

Situation Analysis.

Contribution to the National Economy: The rate of the sector growth should be above population growth of 3.2% to make the per capita agricultural GDP improve.

Poverty reduction.Research by IFPRI

(Benin ,2007) demonstrated that if agriculture in Uganda grew at 6% per annum the national poverty headcount level would fall from 31.1% in 2005 to 17.9% in 2015.

Food and Nutrition Security:In aggregate ,Uganda is food

secure. The country’s average caloric intake per person per day from 1,494 to 2,193 thougth less than the recommended daily calorie intake of 2,300.

1 out of 3 children in Uganda is stunted(UBOS and Micro International Inc,2007)

High fertility rate due to total birth per womanof 2.2

House-holds facing additional stresses due to food price increase.by cuts in purhasing power

Situation Analysis.

Malnourishment the lack of access is a great problem than food availability.

“Starvation is a matter of some people not having enough food to eat and not matter of there being not enough food to eat”(Sen,1981)

Exports: Increase of 16% on average between 2003-2008(Ubos,2009)

Employment: Largest employer in Uganda.

Performance: LivestockPoverty trends using the UNHS time

series data (UBOS ,2007) it is apparent that households that include livestock in their enterprise mix tend to be generally less poor.The Livestock Census (UBOS ,2009) estimates the national herd at 11.4million cattle,12.5 million goats,3.4 million sheeps.3.2 million pigs and 37.5 million chickens.

Potential for export is high and opportunities exists for the expansion od dairy and meat; hides and leather ;apiculture and sericulture.