Abstract:

Abi ARDC is located in the west Nile agro-ecological zone of North Western Uganda. Extensive savannah grasslands and highlands with a moderate equatorial climate characterize the region. Rainfall is bimodal but of late weather patterns are becoming unpredictable. The soils are ferralitic sandy barns that have been degraded in several places. This is partly due to continuous cultivation as result of increasing population. The average family size is 7 persons per household with land holdings of 2-5 ha. The majority of the people derive their livelihood from subsistence farming. Their main source of agricultural related information is local government institutions and NGOs that operate in the zone. As a contribution to the government's policy of poverty eradication, NARO through the ARDC aims to increase the benefit derived from sustainable agricultural production by small-scale farmers. This will be through empowering resource poor farmers to participate in technology generation and development. This will enable them make effective demands on the research services. Greater participation in technology development and dissemination is an explicit and vital feature of NARO's approach to defining and implementing its research agenda. Abi ARDC therefore, has decided to have this Integrated Farm Management Planning Workshop to provide a platform for the stakeholders to contribute knowledge and experience to find new ways of supporting smallholders to innovate their land and farm management strategies.