Uganda

An overview from the USAID Uganda website.

Uganda is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. Agricultural growth is helping the country progress toward the first Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty and hunger by 2015. Despite these gains, Uganda still suffers from the hardships of widespread poverty.

With agriculture contributing 85 percent of export earnings and almost 75 percent of national employment, including employing most of the country’s poor, improvements in the sector are necessary to expand Uganda’s economy and reduce poverty. USAID’s agriculture programs address these challenges by reducing food insecurity and increasing household incomes.

Uganda is a focus of the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future. Through Feed the Future, USAID investments focus on the three value chains—maize, coffee and beans—with the greatest market potential, nutritional benefits and income potential for farming households. Coffee is the country’s most important export crop, maize will contribute to greater food security, and beans complement the maize to improve nutrition.

USAID efforts work to transform subsistence farms into more commercial operations. USAID also works to increase farmers’ skills in improved production, post-harvest handling and storage technologies. Agricultural programs include researching and promoting biotechnology products aimed at improving the productivity and disease resistance of key food and cash crops.

USAID programs focus on creating trade linkages and on making Ugandan products more competitive in national, regional and international markets. USAID training for farmers and agriculture dealers develop their business skills and technical capacity to increase their participation in national and regional trade. They also provide expertise to expand agricultural production, extension services to farmer associations, bulk marketing techniques, and nutrition counseling to communities.