Beyond kony,

Agriculture still flourish in the districts of Acoli sub regions.

Agriculture in the districts of Acoli was something not of thought for a long time

as rebel forces wreaked havoc on villages, killing men and women, capturing and

turning children into child soldier.

It is estimated that during that time nearly 1.4 million farmers took shelter in

internally displaced (IDP's) camps with most of her population living in poverty.

However this has come to past when farmers began returning to their homes for the

first time in decades way back in 2008. Farmers have embarked on farming

although it’s not commercials in nature.

Acoli sub region agricultural sector

Acoli sub regions have arguably the most fertile soil in Uganda, generally flat

terrain that allows for farm mechanization of the land plus easier access to water

for distribution, a mild climate and a well-distributed rainfall in most areas.

However, the sector is underperforming in the regions as compared with

other part of Uganda and its growth has not kept up with the population

growth.

Agricultural production is dominated by smallholder farmers of between 2

and 3 hectares of land. Of these, they rely solely or partially on family labor

and they mainly use hoes to till their land. Rain dependence, low input

usage and weak agricultural institutions have resulted in low productivity

levels on these small holders’ farmers. As most farmers occupy a

disadvantageous place in the value chain, they sell their produce for low

and unstable prices. Land issues further undermine productivity levels.

Few farmers have the capacity to bulk and store their produce without

suffering post-harvest losses, which reduces their ability to bargain with

traders or to choose to sell their produce when the prices are best. Poorly

functioning markets across the region, and resultant price fluctuations,

undermine their ability to invest in production. Furthermore Vegetable

productions in the regions remain poor due to lack of knowledge for

example in every 10 of farmers only two can be found to be growing

vegetable.

Access to Information

Radio station such as Mega FM, Radio Pacise, Gulu FM, Radio Ruping

are educating farmers through their Radio talks show programme about

good farming practices , markets connection, hosting farmers in a talks

show, giving update on the weather conditions , Price update in the market

among others. NGOs and institution such as Gulu University, department of

Agriculture are also helping to transform the sectors in the regions by

conducting research and experiments in modern agricultural practices.

Commercial investors.

The regions as well has attracted a lots of commercial investors, this

commercials farm whose areas of operation ranges from 200 to 10,000

acres mainly grow sunflowers, Rice, sorghum, maize and Soya Bean .

Some of the food produced by this commercial farm is sold to bulk buyers

such as world food programme while the rest exported to the neighboring

countries , they include Omer farm, Amatheon Agri Uganda Limited, Rigil

Agrotech Limited to mentioned but a few.

Agronomic, crops and land management practices in the region.

Stone lining

construction of drainage channels and waterways

Mainly along swamps with horticultural plots

Crop rotation All crops

Burning All crops

Fallowing All crops

Application of organic manure

Horticultural crops

Mulching Onion, carrots, cabbages, cucumber,

Hot pepper, Green pepper and tomato

Tobacco and cotton

Inorganic fertilizer

application

Contour ploughing Mainly along the swamps with horticultural crops

Broadcasting Sesame, sorghum, Bean, Rice and millet

Row spacing

Maize ,Beans, Soya bean and cassava

Application of herbicides

Horticultural crops

Manual weeding All crops

Chemical pest control Maize, tobacco, cotton, and horticultural crops

Drought-tolerant and

early maturing

varieties

Cassava, cucumber and millet

Use of fallowing has declined as a result of an increase in the population. The use

of inorganic and organic fertilizers is still very limited. Farmers perceive their soils

as fertile and the cost of fertilizer high.

Seed Systems

Seed systems are locally integrated. Across the regions, 60% of the crop varieties

cultivated is sourced through what is referred to as the traditional or local seed

system. Farmers produce, disseminate, and procure their own seeds. Despite this,

poor seed quality and access to seeds as major constraints to agricultural

production. Farmers practice traditional farming systems and rely largely on

indigenous knowledge. For example, broadcast seeding is widely practiced

Crops Calender.

Rainfall across the Acholi sub-region is bimodal, with the first rainy season lasting

from March to June and the second rainy season lasting from July to November.

Mean annual precipitation is about 1500mm. The mean annual temperature is

about 23C. Farmers perceive climate variability to be a serious challenge limiting

agricultural production. More specifically, they cite unreliability in the onset and

cessation of the rains, uncertainty about the duration of the rainy season, and the

long dry spells that fall within the season.

During the cropping season farmers spend most of their time in the fields for

activities such as ploughing, harrowing, weeding, land clearing, planting, Weeding

and post-harvest handling (harvesting, threshing, winnowing, and storage)

Cassava, sesame, beans, groundnuts, sweet potato, finger millet and maize are the

most important crops in the region. Sesame is the only crop cultivated in the

second rainy season. Agricultural labour is largely supplied by family members,

and is cited as inadequate for the amount of labour required on the farm.

NB:

Farmers have taken an initiative of preparing land during dry season to allow

for timely planting.

Land tenure systems

Majority of the land is held under customary tenure with access based on the

membership to a community, clan, or family. Rights to land, ownership, and

control are in favour of men. Presently, there are land conflicts after the return of

communities from the IDP camps. Disputes are mainly related to boundaries and

ownership at an individual, family, and clan level.

Challenges

The majority of those who depend on agriculture in Acoli sub region are

caught in what is termed as ‘low productivity poverty trap’ where a

combination of low yields, fluctuating prices, poor infrastructure and weakly

integrated markets conspire to make it extremely difficult for small scale

producers to increase their productivity and improve their living standards .

Remedy

The only means by which individual farmers can protect themselves

against these dynamics is by increasing and diversifying their production

levels, either through intensification or by increasing the area of land under

cultivation

Innovative approached

Increasing production and productivity through establishment of extension

network of locally based field officers and lead farmers as well as

conducting modular and community video based training in agronomic

practices and financial literacy.

Providing market access through the selection and training of locally based

buying agents who are pre financed to buy commodities from the trained

farmers

Investing in young people

Youth are the sector's future, policies and programmes to increase

productivity should invest in and support young farmers. Young farmers

receive little formal education or skills training. They learn from their

parents and communities, whose knowledge is limited. To increase

productivity, youth need training in three key areas:

Agronomics such as soil fertility management or how to make the most of

available technologies and produce more varied crops.

Small business management such as book keeping, or how to access

credit and to invest wisely.

Entrepreneurship such as understanding agricultural markets and

developing a business plan.

Tailored financial services

Young farmers need credit to purchase inputs and invest in farming

technology, yet formal financial services are not widely available. Young

people often lack the confidence to access these limited services. Young

people also lack the infrastructure to store their crops, which would help

protect themselves from price fluctuations. Increasing access for financial

services would help young people increase productivity and earning

potential.

More youth targeted programmed and services

Young people contribute a lot of time and energy to the sector, yet they are

often perceived as lazy, drunk and uninterested in farming. As a result,

agricultural extension services, policies and programmes tend to overlook

them and focus on older household members. However, it is often easier

for young farmers to take advantage of policies, programmes and services

aimed at increasing productivity. Young people have fewer family

obligations and can therefore take more risks, or experiment with new

farming techniques or technologies.

“Agriculture in the regions can be productive only if our Agricultural

extension officers who are working directly with farmers begin to work to

see the impact on farmers rather for report submission”

By Olanya Richard

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