Modernizing agriculture in Uganda: What it takes

Modernizing small hold agriculture in Uganda requires helping farmers to improve their farm practices, utilize more modern farm inputs and produce more for the market.

This is according to the Deputy Governor, Bank of Uganda, Louis Kasekende.

He said this has been evidenced by an increase in farm yields by farmers being supported by development agencies through demonstration gardens and plots using modern farming practices.

"We know, from the work done on demonstration plots supported by development agencies that farmers can, in principle, achieve large increases in their crop yields even with relatively low input technologies combined with the adoption of good agricultural practices,' said Kasekende. 

He made the remarks on Tuesday at a high level meeting on developing approaches for Financing Smallholder households in Uganda, at Protea Hotel in Kampala.

The meeting was organized by the Uganda Agribusiness Alliance. It was established in 2014 as a not -for-profit multi-stakeholder partnership and members-based organization, to catalyze sustainable investment and growth in the Ugandan agricultural sector.

He added that Ugandan smallholder farming has the potential for transformation but the constraints to the transformation are both large and multifaceted. 

According to Kaseskende, lack of access to finance by smallholders is one of these constraints, although not necessarily the most binding constraint for the majority of smallholder farmers at this early stage of agricultural development.

"To tackle the multiple constraints to the modernization of smallholder agriculture by adopting and preserving a holistic long term approach," said Kasekende.