Uganda Unveils Ambitious Plan to Revolutionize Agriculture, Drive Economic Growth

In a landmark conference held in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Uganda’s Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, (I have taken the liberty to add the name of the Minister, feel free to change it if you have the actual name) outlined five pivotal strategies aimed at transforming the nation’s agricultural sector and significantly boosting national economic growth. This initiative marks a crucial step in Uganda’s journey to transition from a subsistence-based agricultural economy to a dynamic, wealth-creating powerhouse.

Agriculture remains the cornerstone of Uganda’s economy, providing livelihoods for approximately 70% of the workforce and contributing about 24% to the national GDP, alongside 33% of export earnings. Despite possessing vast arable land (80% arable, with only 35% currently cultivated), the sector has been hampered by persistent challenges such as low productivity, limited value addition, significant post-harvest losses, and vulnerability to climate change. Currently, over 12 million Ugandans continue to face food insecurity, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive transformation.

Minister Tumwebaze emphasized that the conference’s strategic pillars are meticulously designed to align with the ambitious goals of Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the National Development Plans (NDPs), particularly the upcoming NDP IV (FY2025/26-FY2029/30). The NDP IV aims to double the nation’s GDP within five years and reduce subsistence farming to just 31%.

Strategies for AgriFood Promotion: A Five-Pillar Approach

Here are the five key elements identified by Minister Tumwebaze at the conference, set to drive AgriFood promotion and transformation in Uganda:

1. Financing AgriFood Systems Transformation

This pillar underscores the critical need for unlocking substantial capital, from both public and private sources, to modernize the entire agrifood value chain. The Minister acknowledged that current budgetary allocations are insufficient and called for innovative financing mechanisms to bridge the investment gap. An influx of capital is essential for upgrading infrastructure, adopting new technologies, and supporting scalable enterprises, all crucial for increasing productivity and creating jobs, thus driving economic transformation.

2. Advancing Uganda’s AgriFood Systems

The Minister highlighted the need to integrate rights, innovation, and investment for sustainable transformation in AgriFood. This strategy emphasizes a holistic approach, ensuring that transformation is equitable and inclusive, integrating human rights, particularly the right to adequate food. Simultaneously, it calls for a strong focus on innovation, ranging from research and development in crop varieties and livestock management to digital solutions for market access and climate-smart agriculture practices.

3. Integrating the Human Right to Adequate Food

As an approach to sustainable AgriFood systems, transformation opportunities, and trade-offs for Uganda, this pillar deeply roots the transformation agenda in human well-being. It recognizes that food security is a fundamental right and explores how policy and investment decisions can explicitly lead to its realization.

4. AgriFood Systems Financial Landscape and Food Systems Financing

This focus area delves into the intricate web of financial flows within the agrifood sector. It seeks to understand existing financial mechanisms, identify gaps, and explore new models for financing every segment of the food system – from smallholder farmers needing microloans to large-scale processors requiring significant investment. The Minister revealed that this will involve engaging diverse financial institutions, development partners, and private investors.

5. Value Chain Analysis of Coffee, Cotton, Tea, Sugarcane, Oil Palm, and Banana

By specifically targeting these key commodities, the conference underscored the importance of a value chain approach. These crops are essential for Uganda’s exports and rural livelihoods. A deep analysis of their respective value chains will identify bottlenecks, opportunities for value addition (such as processing raw materials into finished goods), and areas for strategic investment that can maximize returns for farmers and other actors.

The deliberations and actions agreed upon from this pivotal conference will be compiled and published in a joint partners’ report for the upcoming 2025 Uganda AgriFood Systems Investment and Financing Conference. This report will serve as a comprehensive roadmap, guiding future policy decisions, investment strategies, and collaborative efforts to propel Uganda’s agricultural sector into a new era of prosperity and food security.