NAADS earmarks sh3b for youth program in Buganda
Feb 10, 2012
ABOUT sh3bn has been earmarked to be spent on the implementation of a special youth programme in 24 districts of Buganda sub-region, a NAADS top official has said.
By Ronald Kalyango
ABOUT sh3bn has been earmarked to be spent on the implementation of a special youth programme in 24 districts of Buganda sub-region, a NAADS top official has said.
According to Dr. Aggrey Kyobuguzi, the agricultural advisory officer at the NAADS secretariat, the support to the youth was a Presidential directive to NAADS secretariat.
“President Museveni directed us to support all the youths with different agricultural technologies to enable them raise household incomes,” explained Kyobuguzi while meeting youth leaders drawn from all the districts in Buganda.
During a half day meeting at the NAADS secretariat offices at Legacy Towers, Kyobuguzi noted that the programme will be rolled out to cover the entire country.
“We piloted the support with youths from Teso and Busoga sub-regions, and we shall use the lessons from these sub-regions to help us cover other districts,” he explained.
The acting NAADS executive director, Dr. Francis Byekwaso said the mobilised youths will be able to produce in large quantities and this will help in group marketing.
However majority of the farmers were unhappy that NAADS, the agricultural advisory body spends funds mainly on training and advising farmers, leaving little for actual agricultural input.
During the meeting, youth representatives said that farmers expected more resources to be earmarked for actual agricultural inputs.
A youth leader from Mpigi district, Birabwa Nalwoga said that disillusioned farmers in her district were breaking away from the focus groups, and failing the programme.
“Farmer expectations are out of the programme mandate resulting into group breakaways. Some farmers when joining the groups thought that they would be given money to inject directly into their farming,” she said.
Another youth leader from Gomba district, Arthur Katongole said that the advisory services rendered are not easily measurable, hence not easy to appreciate by farmers. This is worsened by general inadequacy of competent staff and institutions that are paid to deliver the advisory services.
“There is lack of capacity and commitment by some service providers, and a general lack of uniformity in the messages given to farmers by some service providers,” he said.
On his part the NAADS acting executive director, Dr. Francis Byekwaso refuted allegations that corruption among the top officials had failed the success of the programme in the districts.
He observed that although there were several shortcomings, NAADS had played a major role in advising and extending technologies to farmers in the countryside.
The in-charge of Youth desk at state house, Godfrey Longa asked the youth leaders to always advise their farmers to engage in active agricultural production instead of walk to work activities.
“We are now looking at production, processing and marketing as a chain, and it’s the youth that will help us achieve our goal,” said Longa.