Agriculture Promises

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Stratify the Country into Economic Regions
Each of these economic regions will specialize in agricultural crops and businesses/economic activity where they have a comparative advantage. This is to ensure that we are able to optimize the resources in each region so that the residents of each region get maximum returns on their investments. For example, the South Western region is known for dairy farming. Therefore, instead of just growing anything in that region, focus will be placed on developing that region into a hub for the dairy industry. Support will be provided right from the dairy farmer to the producer of dairy-related products in what we call an ecosystem/value chain approach to economic development. Focus will be placed on addressing problems in the system to ensure that the system works for everyone at their specific level of development.

Re-prioritization of Land Use (Operation Mayumba Kumi)
According to the most recent agricultural census, the average size of landholding per household is between 2-4 acres. This varies from region to region, with larger parcels of land in rural areas than in urban areas. By Ugandan standards, this is quite a lot of land to just be used for subsistence activities. Each household will be encouraged and incentivized to set aside at least 1 to 2 acres for commercial purposes depending on their total landholding. The government will then support each of the farmers to transform those acres into viable commercial enterprises in line with the economic zoning strategy. This will be done at village level where each of the Local Council 1 Chairmen will be required to mobilize their members to participate in this programme. This is why this programme has been dubbed “operation mayumba kumi” which means “Ten Households”. Each LC1 will be given a target of mobilizing at least 10 households to participate in this program. This is to ensure that no Ugandan is left behind.

Revival of Co-operatives
For the areas with more complex land tenure systems, presenting difficulty in developing large commercial farms; my government will focus on reviving cooperatives. These will be able to mobilize the many small-holder farmers and small businesses into more integrated commercial enterprises. Co-operatives are able to empower their members to improve on both their productivity and earnings. They also have the capacity to scale and tap into the larger and lucrative markets in both the domestic and export markets. The re-establishment of co-operatives will also lead to the elimination of middlemen. Many farmers are forced to sell their produce to manipulative middlemen at very diminished prices because it is those middlemen who have licenses to purchase produce like sugarcane, milk, coffee and vanilla. This leaves farmers at the bottom of the food chain, earning little to nothing for their efforts. In neighbouring Kenya, co-operatives have to-date mobilized an estimated value of US$ 6 Billion in savings deposits and generated assets valued at around US$ 5 Billion. This accounts for about 50% of Kenya’s GDP. Furthermore 9 in 10 of housing units in Kenya are financed through co-operatives. The transformation of Uganda’s agriculture from predominantly subsistence to commercial will transform the fortunes of many Ugandans and ultimately expand the tax revenue base of the country.

Food Security And Feeding
The Nations Given the soil and climate that Uganda has, it is unbelievable that any region in the country should ever suffer hunger and starvation. But because food production is the preserve of smallholder farmers, price volatility, limited access to markets, lack of training in post-harvest handling and poverty, means that the farming communities are not able to maximize the potential of Uganda being the region’s food basket. My agenda is to invest in food drying and storage technologies and facilities which can extend the shelf life of agricultural commodities for even up to 20 years. In eliminating post-harvest losses, we will support smallholder farmers in providing food security to the nation and Africa as a whole. In turn, farmers will be able to scale their businesses to cater for the demand, improving their livelihoods.