Sasakawa boosts agricultural extension services in Uganda

20,000 farmers in Karamoja have been beneficiaries

Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | Sasakawa Africa Association Uganda, a not-for-profit organisation that works with smallholder farmers in Africa to develop resilient and sustainable food systems, is changing the lives of farmers in Uganda at a time of increased food scarcity.

Sasakawa Africa Association is doing this by using e-extension to enhance farmer access to extension and advisory services. Extension agents are equipped with knowledge and skills to use the e-Extension platforms to register farmers, conduct farm planning, keep records, analyze income, and access services (such as soil testing, Input purchase, market information, and weather information)

“We have been contributing to the extension program for the last 26 years. This is important to the end user who is the farmer,” David Wozemba County Director, Sasakawa Africa Association Uganda said at the press conference at Fairway Hotel on May 22.

Wozemba said Sasakawa has contributed to the growth of the agricultural sector and expanded knowledge of the different value chains. He also noted that segments of the population like women, youth, the disabled, need extra support when it comes to agricultural extension services.

Wozemba highlighted the role of partners like Japan, World Food Programme through Agricultural Market Support Facility with whom the organisation has been able to develop structures to deliver extension support.

Sasakawa has boosted extension services through various ways such as academic innovations at universities like Makerere and by setting up structures at sub-county levels across the country.

“To date over 605 students with 40% female have qualified with degrees in either agricultural extension education or agriculture and rural innovation from Makerere University as a result of the initiative in Uganda, the press statement indicated.

A learning platform for student interns has been made available by SAA in addition to supporting degree programs. SAA has also made contributions to the creation of the Makerere University innovations center Kabanyoro, the development of strategies and curriculum, and the digitization of training materials.

Joseph Bemba, the Deputy Country Director says Sasakawa works through three programmatic areas: is Regenerative Agriculture, Nutrition-sensitive Agriculture, and Market-oriented Agriculture. Bemba said since 2020, 2000 farmers in the five districts of Karamoja sub region have been beneficiaries of the agricultural extension support.

The organisation recommended that the Government, together with development partners to make the Maputo declaration of a 10% minimum annual budget allocation to agriculture a reality. It also advocated for affirmative action in the agriculture sector due to the bottlenecks women and youth face.

It also strongly urged for the integration of technology in Uganda’s agriculture sector given emerging trends of climate change, weather vagaries, resistant pests and diseases, demographic trends, post-harvest losses, and many other challenges.

SAA also works closely with national agricultural extension services in Ethiopia, Mali, and Nigeria, to support smallholder farmers throughout the agricultural value chain.