Technologies for intensification in SW Uganda ... - Foodnet - cgiar

The intensity of agricultural extension activities varies between the various zones. While Kabale
and Kisoro districts have large numbers of NGOs supporting extension, in other districts such
support hardly exists. All district directorates of production and marketing were hampered by
staffing levels of below 70% of approved posts and reported lack of operational funds and
transport facilities. There were apparent mismatches between staffing levels and outputs between
different specializations and districts, suggesting an unevenness in resource allocation or
performance. The newly introduced NAADS approach is not yet operational. One of the aims is
that this new approach will be more demand driven and therefore able to perform more effectively
and efficiently.
The extent and quality of agricultural data recording and management differed between districts.
The same applies for the records of the other organizations. Some of the traders and processors
freely shared their information with the survey team while others didn’t.
2.3 Biophysical and socio-economic potentials and constraints of the farming systems
This survey confirmed the finding of the earlier IFPRI work (Bolwig et al 2001) regarding
feasible development pathways for the southwest:
Cultivated land has not increased in recent past and there is no scope for further
expansion;
The most promising development pathway lies in the intensification of agricultural
production that should increase food production and income generation while at the same
time reducing the pressure on, and inappropriate use of, very vulnerable land, particularly
steep slopes.
Encroachment into protected areas seems to be a minor problem, but conflicts between
farmers in the buffer areas and protected area authorities are common. However, overall
conflict potential between intensified agriculture and protected areas appears to be low.
Fallow and grazing land is declining, while abandonment of cropping on degraded sites is
found in many areas.
The decline in natural forest areas is not a recent development while the planting of
woodlots is becoming common. This confirms the common finding that tree planting onfarms
occurs when population pressure reaches a certain threshold level (Holmgren et al.,
1994; Shepherd and Brown 1997).
Two sets of constraints are found to be limiting intensification in southwestern Uganda: low
productivity and issues related to markets and prices.
2.3.1 Low productivity and environmental degradation
A main concern of farmers and leaders is the decrease in soil fertility and high rates of runoff and
erosion. The latter also leads to serious flooding at the valley bottoms. Various mitigation
measures are implemented by farmers’ own initiative or stimulated by formal extension services
and NGOs. In most cases these initiatives are based on individual farmers’ efforts without
community planning at e.g. watershed level. Given the high fragmentation of land, the length, and
the slope of the land, these individual efforts only have limited success. Except for the bench
terraces in Kabale (which were established more than 60 years ago) and some few watersheds
with coordinated initiatives, no interventions at landscape level were observed.
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