mdgs are your business too!
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MAKING URBAN AGRICULTURE EXTENSION WORK
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
RATIONALE FOR REFORMS IN URBAN AGRICULTURE EXTENSION WORK
METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY
POLICY BRIEF
Urban agriculture extension has taken a demand driven approach because of the market liberalization demands.
The study that underpin this policy brief shows that only 18% of the urban farmers receive government extension
workers on their farms quarterly an indication that the demand driven government extension service may not be
regular in urban centres. The demand for ‘need based’ urban agriculture extension may still exist in urban areas
especially where majority of the farmers (78%) are primary school dropouts. Farmers also receive agriculture
extension from various actors; civil society actors, private service providers, the media, production departments
and the Resident District Commissioner oces, presenting a need to coordinate such multiple service providers.
The study on the contribution of agricultural policies towards enlargement of livelihood outcomes of urban
farmers, demonstrates that urban extension service is mainly demand driven rather than need driven. FAO (2005)
denes extension as the function of providing need-and demand-based knowledge and skills to the population
with an objective of improving their livelihoods. The study shows that only 50% of the farmers knew where the
agriculture urban agriculture oces were located in their sub-counties. Agriculture extension oces are ill
facilitated, as such, extension workers often ask farmers to organize and transport them to the communities. There
seems to be less appreciation of urban agriculture among politicians to the extent that the ordinances that were
made to control and guide agricultural practices in Kampala, for instance have not been implemented since 2006.
The agriculture department budget commonly underperform, the activity plans are not regularly implemented
because of lack of funding to conduct the agriculture extension. Only 18% of the urban farmers receive
government extension workers on their farms at least quarterly. Most farmers (73%) receive agricultureinformation on agriculture from friends and from the public media (59%) compared to government extension
workers. Kampala has had parallel extension services, conducted by the Resident District Commissioner and the
technical team at the district/ division with minimal coordination. FAO (2005) noted that extension function is also
important for the welfare of farmers, no matter who performs it as long as it is done satisfactorily. Results of this
study show that extension service providers can benet from improved organization, coordination and
inter-linkages.
The recommendations in this policy brief arose from a research conducted in two urban centres in Uganda i.e.
Kampala City Council and Mbale Municipality. This study focused on assessing the contribution of Government of Uganda agricultural policies in expanding the livelihood assets of the urban farmers. The two urban centres are
among the biggest in Uganda. Kampala city is the largest city in Uganda with about 2.3 million people. It is the
capital city of Uganda. Meanwhile, Mbale municipality is among the three largest urban centres in Uganda with
about 70,000 people. The city of Kampala and the Municipality of Mbale experience a natural rainfall cycle that
allows the growth of most foods produced within the tropics.
This policy brief argues for agriculture extension reforms in urban centres; concurrent promotion of demand and
need driven agriculture extension; education of both technical and political leaders in local governments on the
importance of urban agriculture to urban economies; institutionalization of farm radio programmes; ensuring
guided media information pull outs and intertwining extension with agriculture research. Such policy options will
go a long way to boost urban agriculture extension.
UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA
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POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Encourage concurrent promotion of demand and need driven agriculture extension
The current demand driven urban agriculture extension has beneted fewer urban farmers i.e. those who can
demand and aord to provide transport to agriculture extensionists to their farms. Despite market led economies,
it is important to reform the extension to benet urban farmers who may not fully benet from liberalized
economies. Extension is a public service, thus becomes an entitlement to urban farmers.
City authorities need to categorise the agriculture community to be able to apply the ‘need based approaches’ on
those who cannot aord to demand for extension services.
To do this, there must be clear data base on urban farmers through regular census and data collection. Extensionocials as a requirement must engage in the two aspects of agriculture extension and report accordingly. All urban
local authorities should be equipped with relevant numbers of technical ocers including sheries, crop, animal,
orists’, agronomists so as to boost agriculture. Urban authorities need to make strong political and nancial
commitments towards ‘need based’ extension to benet majority of farmers.
2. Provide education to leaders on the importance of urban agriculture
Leaders need to appreciate the contribution of urban agriculture to the livelihoods of urban dwellers and to the
local economies.
Although, majority 74% of urban farmers had another source of income other than farming, 16% fully dependedon urban farming as their sole source of income. Thus, urban agriculture supplements people’s incomes but also is
important for survival for a big percentage of people. The issue of political will is important in revamping urban
agriculture to benet many farmers. The production to deliberately educate both technical and political leaders on
the importance of urban agriculture and the need for support to develop quality extension services. Production
departments need to compile brief gures and facts regarding the contribution of urban agriculture to local
economies and use them to inuence the decisions and actions of urban authorities. The local government
committees on agriculture should continuously educate the entire council on the importance of urban agriculture
and lobby for budgets that can perform or functional budgets.
3. Institute farm radio programmes
Results of this study indicate that 59% of urban farmers acquire agriculture information from the media. Theproliferation of several FM radios should be used at the advantage of farmers.
As a matter of policy government should require radio management to provide free air space to technical ocials
to oer technical advice to farmers. This could be a call in programme where professors, researchers, experienced
farmers and other stakeholders can oer agriculture related information to the population.
Call-in programmes would help to immediately provide solutions to the farmers. The revolution in information
technology should be used as a means in agriculture extension. Information is important to introduce farmers to
better agronomical and agro-processing practices. The production departments together with marketing
department have to manage such air space for the benet of the farmers. Appropriate timing especially evenings
and lunch hours are anticipated to be appropriate times of the day to reach the urban farmers.
This study used an exploratory and a case-study design whereby both qualitative and quantitative approaches and
methods were utilised. The study involved review of literature on agriculture, agriculture policies and urban
agriculture policies and practices. Primary data was collected from Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and
Fisheries (MAAIF), district and urban authorities, agriculture ocers, community development ocers, farmers’
leaders and urban farmers.
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CONCLUSION
4. Avail guided media information products
Quality and validity of information accessed through the media need to be certied.
Generally media was viewed as one of the major sources of agriculture related information for urban farmers. These
included news paper pull outs, TV programmes, and Internet information. This is an indication that the urban
population has access to these media platforms. MAAIF together with agriculture teaching and research
institutions need to establish mechanisms to control and assure content quality of the news paper pull outs and TVprogrammes. Government need to demand that media houses consult MAAIF on their agriculture related
information products to the masses. The media houses together with MAAIF should organize short courses for
particular journalists to educate them on a regular basis on new technologies for urban agriculture. These are good
practices that will enable the farmers to be feed on relevant and quality information important to increase
production, control pests and diseases and access markets for their produce.
5. Intertwine extension with agriculture research
Extension is an essential aspect for research and development although now are currently being viewed and
practiced independently of each other. Study ndings show that for those projects where urban agriculture
extensions have worked together with research institutions and the communities, through an action research,
such extension has been benecial. Both farmers and the research institutions gain trust in extension and theextension workers are able to gain research skills.
Government should fund urban agriculture researches that focus on developing useful technologies and
strategies relevant to local contexts. The extension should focus on enhancing acceptance and adoption of those
technologies by users. The extension services need the backstopping of strong applied agricultural research
institutions to eectively serve the farming communities.
Therefore the production department need to formally maintain strong working relationships with research
institutions located in their locations. The production departments need to coordinate with universities in delivery
of agriculture extension and research outreach programmes. Linkage with research institutions will also enable the
production departments to access funding through research projects.
Urban agriculture can work better with appreciation of agriculture as a critical component of livelihoods of urban
farmers and urban economies. Government need to utilize the revolution of information technology to reform the
government extension service delivery and establish policy guidelines that requires dierent extension providers
to oer quality services.
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RECOMMENDED FURTHER READING
Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry & Fisheries (2009) “National Agricultural Policy” Unpublished; Draft for
discussion (June 2009, Kampala).
Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry & Fisheries (2010). Agriculture for food and income security: agriculturesector development strategy and investment plan: 2010/11 – 2014/15; Kampala: Government of Uganda
Publications.
Kampala City Council (2005). The Kampala City Urban Agriculture Ordinance: A Guideline; Kampala: KUSSALCC and
Urban Harvest Publishers.
Rivera,W.M. and G. Alex (2003). Pluralism, Emergent Priorities and the Central Role of Government in Extension
Reform; in: Extension and Rural Development: International Case Studies and Emerging Trends. World Bank.
Washington, DC.
Swanson, B. E., Bentz, R. P., and Sofranko, A. J. (1998) (ed) Improving agricultural extension: reference manual; FAO,Urban: university of Illinois.
Tindiwensi, Dan (2002). The challenges to construction industry development in Uganda, 10th symposium
construction innovation and global competitiveness, CRC press.
Sebastain Bigabwenkya-Department of Human Resource Management and Organizational Studies,Uganda Management Institute
Rose B. Namara- Department of Research, Uganda Management Institute
Benon B. Basheka- Department of Higher Degrees, Uganda Management Institute
Japheth Kwiringira - Department of Sociology, Kyambogo University
Edrisa Mutebi - Department of Internal Medicine-endocrinology section, Makerere University
RESEARCH TEAM
This Policy Brief is based on Research supported by the Association of African Universities, Mobilising Regional
Capacity Initiative (MRCI) Programme under Project No. MRCI 310 with funding from DFID.