Agricultural trade for rural transformation #2

Therefore agricultural trade is composed mainly of raw or low value products with minimal returns to the farmers at household level and at national level leading to an ever increasing trade deficit. The far reaching implications of climate change on agricultural productivity have also been overlooked, and there is limited coherence between agriculture, food security, trade and climate change despite the interdependence between them. This situation can be attributed to a number of factors, however what is most apparent is the low level of commitment by Uganda and the EAC Partner States to develop the sector and the declining role of the state in revamping the economy. For example, in all the Partner States, the budgetary allocations to the sector fall below the agreed 10% of the Maputo declaration.

The agricultural policies and protocols in place at national, regional and global levels are focused on promoting private investor rights while undermining community and farmers’ rights and issues of biodiversity, food sovereignty and sustainable production. The trade processes, negotiations and agreements have further undermined the role of the governments in directing agricultural development while promoting private driven agenda in agriculture transformation. This has subsequently limited small scale farmers’ sustainable access and ownership of factors of production especially seed and land despite the fact that they dominate Uganda’s agriculture sector. The agricultural agenda has also not facilitated value addition, industrialization and rural transformation in Uganda and the EAC region. Stakeholder interventions to address these issueshas been largely geared towards increased agricultural production and productivity for food security with minimal attention to policy issues that promote backward and forward linkages in the economy, rural transformation, protection of biodiversity, and farmers’ rights and access to factors of production . Against this background, this Programme Area will focus on addressing these issues.