Uganda's agriculture has declined by 50% in 20 years: UN

Agriculture has gone down by half in the last 20 years, according to a new UN report.

In the mid 1980s, agriculture contributed over 60% to GDP, but fell to 51% in 1991 and further dropped to 34% in 2006, said the Uganda Human Development Report released yesterday.

Dr. Johnson Nkuuhe, the country adviser on the Millennium Development Goals, called for increased government funding for the agricultural sector.

“I believe more than 3% of the current 5% national budgetary spending on agriculture goes to salaries. The Government should increase funding for the sector,” he said.

The report blames the decline in agriculture on lack of a good policy. Agriculture remains the backbone of the economy, with 73% of the country’s population depending on it.

The report paints a gloomy picture of the livestock sub-sector. The sub-sector’s contribution has declined from 23% to only 5% between 2001 and 2006. This has left the country short of livestock products like beef, milk, pork and poultry.

Under the theme: Re-discovering agriculture for human development, the report shows the link between agricultural productivity, development and the standard of living. It recommends that Uganda quickly forms a national agricultural policy to address access and use of land, irrigation, research, financing, marketing, and mechanisation.

“People have to have food security and various agricultural institutions strengthened to provide adequate services to the rural population. These must be backed and supported by a more comprehensive agricultural policy,” Nkuuhe added.

On life expectancy, the report shows that people in Kapchorwa and Bukwo live 10 years longer than their counterparts in other parts of the country. This means that the people in the two districts located in eastern Uganda live for an average of over 60 years. Uganda’s life expectancy is 50.4 years.

A senior official at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics said this indicates that the two districts have a low infant mortality rate compared to other areas.

Kapchorwa and Bukwo are some of the most fertile districts with high agricultural productivity.

They also have one of the highest standards of living, with an a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.6.

HDI monitors the long-term progress in human development using three basic dimensions: a long and healthy life, knowledge and a decent standard of living.

Kitgum district has the lowest standard of living, followed by Gulu.

Karamoja region has the highest poverty index at 65.3, while Kampala has the lowest poverty index at 9.6. The report shows that the poverty levels have fallen from 38% in 2002 to 31% in 2006.

The report shows gross imbalances in development, with people in some regions dying 21 years short of the national life expectancy of 50.

Kitgum has the lowest life expectancy of 29 years, followed by Gulu at 30 years. The report points out that most welfare indices are low in the northern districts largely because of conflict and weak institutions.

The report shows that the literacy rates in most parts of the country are improving.

The central region has the highest literacy rate at 80%, followed by the western region at 74% and eastern region 63%. Northern Uganda has the lowest at 56%.

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