It is the rainy
season in many parts of Uganda. What is
sad is that shortly when the rains cease, out ill advised peasants will cry as
if there was no rain at all. The problem
is that the extension service is long dead.
Some of us saw active extension services in Uganda; unfortunately, it is
not the case now.
The appeal to the
Government of Uganda is to see emphasis on peasants’ ability to harvest water
so that they can be able to manage agriculture when rains are no longer.
Extension and Advisory Services in Uganda
A Brief History of
Public Extension Policies, Resources and Advisory Activities in Uganda
Public sector extension, in both developed and developing countries, is undergoing major reforms. In Uganda, these reforms include privatization of funding, delivery of extension, and decentralization of authority to lower levels of government, including delegation to NGOs, farmer organizations, and other grassroots control (Bashaasha et al., 2011). The decentralization in Uganda has been characterized by a transfer of powers, functions, and responsibilities for planning and implementation of agricultural extension services from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF) to district local governments. MAAIF was left with the role of planning and policy formulation, regulatory functions, technical backstopping and training, setting standards for and monitoring performance of the agricultural sector, and managing funds of selected projects. Extension workers at the district level were put under the direction of the local district governments (Friis-Hansen and Kisauzi 2004). Following the agricultural policy reforms, the government has been implementing the Plan for the Modernization of Agriculture. One component of the plan is the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) program which goal is to increase market-oriented production through empowering farmers to demand and control extension services. NAADS is an innovative public-private extension approach, and the main components of this approach include decentralization, outsourcing, farmer empowerment, market orientation, and cost-recovery (Anderson, 2007). Under the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) Act , the public extension system was gradually phased out and replaced by a contract privatized system implemented by NAADS, a new statutory semiautonomous body under the MAAIF and implemented within a broader policy framework of a multi-sectorial Plan for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA), decentralization, liberalization, and privatization (Mangheni 2007) Regarding agricultural extension and advisory services, decentralization coincided with other reforms namely, civil service reform, privatization, and liberalization of service delivery, which attracted a number of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to offer services. NGOs supplemented the efforts of local governments and largely improved service delivery in the targeted areas. However, except for areas serviced by NGOs, the majority of the country does not readily access extension services, because districts are unable to cover the operational expenses. One particular aspect of agricultural extension in Uganda is the implementation of a private extension model found mostly in industrialized countries. Under the private model, the farmer is expected to pay some of the cost of extension with the hope that public outlays on extension will be reduced (Anderson and Crowder, 2000). While there is little evidence to date that small scale farmers can pay for extension services and improve their livelihoods, the financial sustainability of the system remains questionable. Any government’s commitment to developing a viable and efficient agricultural extension system starts with the development of human capital to deliver extension advices and services to farmers. In Uganda, MAAIF had relied on a staff of 4,300 extension officers comprised of subject matter specialists, county extension coordinators, field extension workers and extension staff at the district institutes to implement its agricultural extension program. After the decentralization, this number was reduced to 2,000 (Nygaard et al. 1997:22) raising concerns about the government’s ability to extend services to a larger number of farmers. The current landscape of Uganda agricultural extension and advisory services is the result of many recovery policies implemented by the government over time to rehabilitate the country’s dwindling economy. These policies include but are not limited to: decentralization, privatization, liberalization, civil service reform program, unification of extension service, a modified Training and Visit system of extension, and modernization of agriculture (Mwanje & Duvel, 1998). Major Institutions Providing Extension/advisory Services in the Country Public Sector The public sector is represented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) and its five major departments including the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), Makerere University, other Education and Research Institutions around the country. These institutions provide extension services through various departments and institutes some of which are listed below:
The liberalization of service delivery to farmers led to a proliferation of private companies operating at the grassroots level, and the provision of channels for information and service delivery to farmers. These private firms hired full-time staff to provide the package of services required for the production and marketing of their commodity of interest. In many instances the government contracts private firms to offer services to the people. Whereas the emergence of numerous private extension organizations is not a problem, what appear to be problematic is the lack of effective coordination and monitoring and evaluation of their efforts. Clear guidelines need to be developed as new partnerships between the government and the private sector are created. Non-Governmental Organizations and other Donors In Uganda, the growth of the NGO sector goes back to the 1970s and 1980s, when many NGOs came in to fill the gap left by the collapse of the government. Some of these NGOs are identified with a particular church or religion and others are associated with a particular commodity. Most NGOs in Uganda are funded by international non-governmental organizations and bilateral donors, and recently the government of Uganda started partnering with NGOs in providing funding for development projects. Prior to decentralization of agricultural extension system, many NGO were already active in the field delivering extension services to farmers. The liberalization of the public sector that open the way to private firms’ involvement in agricultural extension also invited NGOs to increase their role as partners in bringing information and new technologies to farmers. NGOs are assisting the Government of Uganda in its efforts to increase food production and productivity and reduce rural poverty.
Farmer Based Organizations and
Cooperatives
A great diversity of civil society organizations
including cooperatives, producers organizations and farmers associations mostly
related to agriculture and rural activities exist in Uganda. For example
cooperative movement has played a substantial role in the way farmer
organizations have evolved in Uganda. Because of its wide-spread network,
cooperative have become one of the major participants in input and product
markets in rural areas reaching most of the villages (Diaz, 2005). Overtime
these cooperatives evolved into a more powerful organization known as the
Uganda Cooperative Alliance (UCA) that stood as a serious government partner in
rural development. With regard to producer organizations, the government with
the support of the
Donor community, promoted the constitution of an
association to bring together farmers and the existing organizations. The Uganda National Farmers Association UNFA
was constituted in 1992 and an institutional platform for dialogue with the
government was created (Diaz, 2005). With decentralization and the need to open
to more organizations nationwide UNFA adopted a federative scheme and became
the Uganda National Farmers’ Federation, UNFFE.
Enabling Environment
Uganda has gone through several policy
reforms in the struggle to curb poverty and empower its people. The implication
of some of these reforms like the liberalization and decentralization of the
agricultural extension system is that in Uganda, too many organizations
including public sector institutions, farmers’ associations, private companies,
non-governmental organizations, and community-based organizations are involved
in the delivery of agricultural extension services. While private sector and
NGOs’ involvement in the pluralistic agricultural extension system alongside
the public sector could be beneficial to the people of Uganda, the management
of the complex partnership created raises a lot of concerns. One problem
created by the decentralization is the managerial confusion and inefficiencies
that result from extension staff having two masters in the field, the NGO and
the local government; this confusion could cause a conflict of interest. The
misappropriation of funds by local authorities and reduced staff satisfaction,
stemming from lack of job promotions, resentment from being supervised by local
councils that are not technical in the field, perceived unrealistic
expectations from political supervisors, and isolation from headquarters are
many other issues that complicate the decentralization agenda in the field
(Bashaasha et al. 2011).
Despite the above pitfalls, extension
programs are leading or adapting to decentralization reforms in Uganda like in
many other countries around the world. Local and regional governments are
playing an increasing role relative to national governments in performing the
public functions for a pluralistic system. The number of farmers receiving
extension services as a result of the reforms has increased with many service
providers and more available resources. The deployment of human, capital and
financial resources by the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of
Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries underscores its commitment to the
successful implementation of the pluralistic agricultural extension system that
is viewed as the catalyst for increase agricultural production and productivity
and the determination to reduce food shortages and ensure food self-sufficiency
for its population.
Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) for Agriculture and Extension
A
well-developed ICT infrastructure could lead to a
more rapid rollout of ICTs and ensure higher growth of the sector. In
Uganda,
while the growth in service provision and the ICT sector has been
striking in
recent years, there is still some way to go. Certain levels of basic
infrastructure are generally required for the direct benefits of the
information society to be realized (UNCST, 2002). The development of
networks
and use of low-cost ICTs enhance timely access to accurate and reliable
information. Many agricultural extension practitioners recognize that an
information technology revolution is unfolding, with tremendous and
largely
unrealized potential for rural development, even for poorer farmers.
Information and communication technologies (e-mail, internet, phone,
radio, TV,
blogs, print) are tools that are underutilized in extension strategies.
Nodumo Dhlamini (2010) reported that short message systems
(SMS), interactive voice response, radio programs, closed user groups
and blogs
for sharing content were ICT tools applied and tested with farmers in
the South
Western Uganda to improve communication with rural farming communities.
With regarding to computer use and
access to internet services, a 2009 World Bank Statistics
report indicated that almost one out of ten people (9.8%) in Uganda had access
to a computer and has used internet services. This is significant especially
when compare to countries like Ghana (5.4%) and Rwanda (4.5%). The same World
Bank report indicated that 28.7 percent of the population of Uganda own and
operate a mobile phone compare to 63.4 percent in Ghana. With mobile phones presently used for other
services such as banking (paying bills, sending money, paying school fees), the
technology could play a key role in extension services and information
delivery. The use of computers and access to internet services is increasing
and agricultural extension system is using these technologies to reach farmers.
ICTs can complement other extension and knowledge services, but there is a critical
need to know how farmers currently access information. The government of Uganda
needs to design and support policy environments and programs that use the right
mix of media available for agricultural extension service delivery.
Training for Extension Professionals
Shortages of qualified and experienced staff to deliver
agricultural extension services and a lack of training opportunities to develop
professional and technical expertise in many Sub-Saharan African countries
including Uganda have been highlighted (De Muro et al. 1998). These problems in
the contest of Uganda are justified by the low pay and salary payment delays
that constrain staff recruitment and retention in the Local Governments. Formal
training for agricultural extension professionals is usually provided by
universities and colleges. In Uganda, Makerere University, one of the oldest
and prestigious Universities in Africa provides degree training in agricultural
sciences. The school of Agricultural Sciences within the College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences comprises three departments including
the Department of Extension and Innovations. This department delivers bachelor
degrees in agricultural extension and its strategic focus is to advance
agricultural development through training, research and service delivery. The
capacity of Makerere University to train enough extension professionals is
limited and the insufficient capacity of training institutions to train
qualified staff in Uganda, despite the recent growth in private universities,
is a real problem for the central government.
With regard to in-service training, the training
departments of the Ministries of Agriculture and non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) generally organize in-service training programs for extension staff.
However, these trainings do not adequately prepare extension staff to deal with
complex agricultural problems. Also the Sasakawa Africa Fund for Extension
education (SAFE) partners with MAAIF and Makerere University to provide
mid-career training to extension staff who currently works with MAAIF and NGOs
engaged in agricultural and rural development. Statistical Indicators
Source: The World Bank, http://data.worldbank.org, *Food and Agriculture Organization, http://faostat.fao.org,
Anderson, J., and
Crowder, L.V. 2000. The Present and Future of Public Sector Extension in Africa:
Contracting-out or Contracting-in? Public Administration and Development
Bashasha, B, Mangheni, M. N. and Nkonya, E. 2011. Decentralization and
rural Service Delivery in Uganda. International Food Policy Research Institute
(IFPRI) DiscussionPaper 01063. February 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2011. http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/ifpridp01063.pdf
De Muno, P., Salvatici, L., and Conforti, P.
1998. An Overview of Decentralization in Sub-Saharan Africa. Access December 4, 2011 http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/ifpridp01063.pdf
Duaz, J.M. 200. Empowering Rural Producer Organizations within the World Bank
Initiatives:A Capitalization
Study. Uganda Country Case Study.
Friis-Hansen, E. and
Kisauzi, D. 2004. Uganda: Evolution of
the extension-farmer relationship.In Extension reform for rural Development, Vol
2, eds. W.M. Rivera and g. Alex.
Privatization of
Extension Systems: case studies of international initiatives. Agricultural and Rural
Development Discussion Paper 9.
Mwanje, E.E., and
Duvel G.H. 1998. Coping with Changes in Agricultural Extension in Uganda and Implications for
Program Evaluation: A review of recent Experiences. South African Journal of Agricultural Extension/South
Africa Tydskr Landbouwoorl, Vol. 27, 1998.
Nygaard,
D., Paarlberg, R. Sanyu-Mpagi, J. Matovu, R. & Babu, S. 1997. The
Modernization of Agriculture
in Uganda: The Political Challenge of Moving from Adjustment to Investment.
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
UNCST. Uganda
National Council for Science and Technology. 2002. Status of ICT in
Uganda:Scan-ICT Preliminary Baseline Study. Uganda
Country Report Uganda National Council for
Science and Technology (UNCST). http://www.Uneca.Org/Aisi/Scanghana/Documents/3.%20scan%20ict%20ug
Persons responsible for this summary: Andre Mbassa Nnoung, Andrea B. Bohn and Burton Swanson
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