Abstract:

Agriculture forms the basic engine of economic growth for Uganda. Low agricultural productivity is at the heart of Uganda's economic, social and environmental problems. Agriculture has grown steadily at a rate of over 4% per annum over the past ten years or so. However, there are concerns that this rate cannot be sustained without structural reforms to the sector. This realisation is being backed by the adoption of clear policies, economic support and guidance. Recent agricultural growth has taken place at a time of profound re-orientation in the role of the public sector in the agricultural economy. This re-orientation has involved significant liberalisation of the agricultural economy and complementary institutional reforms that right sized, privatised and decentralised public agricultural institutions. It has also resulted in a reformulation of policy so that poverty eradication is not the overriding objective of Gou agricultural development efforts.