Uganda: Agriculture - This Govt Simply Doesn't Get It

Around the same time, a special signing ceremony was happening at the ministry of Finance's boardroom on the seventh floor.

As I hit the narrow, rugged and dusty road that connects to Gomba, after getting off Masaka road, World Bank Country Manager Moustapha Ndiaye and Finance Minister Maria Kiwanuka had just finished shaking hands on a $285m loan agreement to support 14 municipalities spread throughout Uganda, and widen access to clean water.

From my side mirror, dotted with dust specks, I could see lush green fields - a near perfect setting for model agriculture - but with large pieces of idle land. The view from the ministry of Finance boardroom is rather different; a shambolic setting of Kampala hits you as slums and bungalows fight for space.

A glance through the window would have offered the World Bank a good idea of the challenges that lay ahead with developing the municipalities. I have my reservations about any money from foreign institutions that goes to areas like municipalities while vital sectors like agriculture cry for help.

For good measure, the World Bank's funds to Uganda are spread throughout different areas, including agriculture. However, there is need for more support towards commercial agriculture. Gomba, like many other districts in Uganda, desperately needs money to exploit her fertile soils for commercial agriculture projects. However, all that agriculture has received from government, banks, and you just might as well add donors, is either a cold shoulder or a raw deal.

This brings us to the more important question: why has agriculture been ignored even when three out of four Ugandans earn a living there, and with the country a crucial food basket for the region?

A number of government technocrats will tell you that Uganda's agriculture is a risky venture to invest in. But that's only half the answer. The more realistic answer, dear reader, is plain and simple: this government just doesn't get it!

Even with all the facts and figures about the significance of agriculture, and predictions from the United Nations of a looming food crisis hitting Africa, for some reason this government has decided to act blind and dumb.

What the government needs to do is trim the cabinet, tackle corruption head-on, and reduce on public expenditure. At the same time, it should promote food processing plants, finance the use of fertilisers, fund irrigation plants, advise on land use, especially adding value to it, and build roads to ease food transportation.

Original Article Here