Uganda to benefit from $280m multi-donor agriculture fund

AGRICULTURE | DONOR FUNDING

Uganda to benefit from $280m multi-donor agriculture fundMore than 95% of investments in agriculture go to increasing yields and production. What is over looked, however, is the over 30% of food stuffs produced by small holder farmers and lost due to various challenges. Such challenges include poor harvest techniques, lack of storage facilities, poor transportation, limited access to markets and finance.

The director of the Rockefeller foundation, Mamadou Biteye, said such challenges should be addressed if the continent is to realise agriculture.

He made the remarks at the launch of a partnership between the Rockefella Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, USAID and AGRA to transform agriculture in African countries.

The multi-million dollar Partnership for Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Africa (PIATA) that was launched on September 5 at the 2017 African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), is an innovative and transformative partnership and financing vehicle to drive inclusive agriculture transformation across the continent

The organisations will provide up to $280m to catalyze the process in at least 11 countries in Africa, according to Biteye.

11 countries have been selected as priority countries, including Uganda, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique.