A tractor on display during a recent Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic. As smallholder farmers increasingly embrace mechanisation, cost remains a major challenge. The cost of hiring a tractor for farming can vary depending on the service and provider. PHOTO | NMG.
Agriculture remains the backbone of Uganda’s economy, contributing approximately 25 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing the majority of the population. Smallholder farmers dominate the sector, engaging in food and cash crop production, horticulture, fishing, and livestock farming.
Despite its importance, agriculture in Uganda continues to face numerous challenges, including low productivity due to traditional farming methods, limited access to mechanisation, and a lack of modern technology. To overcome these barriers, there is a growing need for farmers to embrace mechanised farming through the use of tractors and other modern agricultural equipment.
Bridging the mechanisation gap
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), countries with developed agricultural sectors have approximately 200 tractors per 100 square kilometres of farmland, yet in sub-Saharan Africa, the average is only 27. This deficit significantly affects farm productivity and limits economic growth, especially in a country like Uganda, where smallholder farmers form the majority.
Recognising this challenge, the Government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), is working towards commercialising agriculture by increasing access to mechanisation at the farm level.
The goal is to provide more farmers with tractors and other agricultural machinery to enhance efficiency, productivity, and income.
Boniface Okanya, the commissioner for Agricultural Infrastructure, Mechanisation, and Water for Agricultural Production, notes that Uganda has a range of farm machinery available, including knapsack sprayers, tarpaulins, egg incubators, feed processors, milling machines, and automated irrigation systems.
As smallholder farmers increasingly embrace mechanisation, cost remains a major challenge. The cost of hiring a tractor for farming can vary depending on the service and provider, but generally ranges around Shs40,000 per acre for basic operations such as ploughing, with private owners potentially charging significantly higher rates like Shs120,000 per acre; government-subsidised programmes may offer lower rates for tractor hire.
John Okello, a farmer and private tractor owner from Dokolo District, notes that hiring a tractor costs between Shs100,000 and Shs150,000 per acre, depending on location and terrain. With a new tractor costing around Shs150m ($40,000), purchasing one is out of reach for most small-scale farmers.
A farmer’s journey
Jasper Okengo, a 57-year-old rice farmer from Otuke District, is a member of the Ogor Joint Farmer Cooperative Society. Having farmed for over 15 years, Okengo initially struggled with low yields due to poor farming practices and limited market access.
"Because I didn’t know any better, I made mistakes like poor seed selection, planting at the wrong time, and relying on middlemen who took advantage of me when selling my rice," he recalls.
In 2020, Okengo became a beneficiary of the ‘Building Resilience to Enhance Food and Nutrition Security, Incomes, and Health in Northern Uganda’ (DINU-BRENU) Project.
Through the project, he received training in modern farming techniques, access to postharvest technologies, and market linkages to large formal buyers.
In 2021, he planted 10 acres of rice using improved seed varieties, an increase from eight acres in 2019. His yield more than doubled from 1.6 metric tonnes per acre in 2019 to 3.5 metric tonnes per acre in 2021. Encouraged by his success, Okengo applied for a tractor loan through the DINU-OPM office, after hearing an advertisement on the radio. With a 10 percent down payment of Shs14 million, earned from his rice sales, he was able to secure a Shs140 million tractor to ease his work.
"This tractor will help me cultivate more land with less effort, and I expect my yields to keep improving," he says.
The need for tractors
When the planting season arrives, farmers eagerly await tractor services to prepare their fields before the rains vanish. However, according to Drake Namanya, a humanitarian and entrepreneur, the reality is that the number of tractors available falls significantly short of the demand during this crucial time.
This scarcity forces many tractor owners to strategically target commercial farmers with plots exceeding five acres. This leaves smaller, less affluent farmers with plots under three acres in a challenging position. “This delay in planting has severe consequences, particularly for the vulnerable households of small-scale farmers. Late planting not only jeopardises crop yields but also contributes to food insecurity within these households. The stark disparity in access to tractor services underscores the need for interventions to address this issue and promote equitable opportunities for all farmers, regardless of the size of their holdings,” Namanya notes.
Mechanisation is revolutionising Uganda’s farming sector by reducing labour costs, increasing productivity, and improving the quality of agricultural products.
“Before tractors and other mechanised tools were introduced, farmers relied on manual labour, which was slow, costly, and physically demanding. Now, farmers can plough, plant, and harvest faster and more efficiently, allowing them to increase their acreage and yields.”
REGIONS
There are five regional mechanisation centres in Uganda, according to Okanya that need to be utilised by farmers in the respective regions. They are situated in Buwama to serve the central region, Agwata for northern region, Mbale for eastern region and Sanga for western Uganda.
