Rural communities must be focus of livelihood projects

The establishment of social and economic infrastructure has in some cases not guaranteed economic prosperity, despite its immense potential to uplift the livelihoods of beneficiary communities. In such cases, it could easily be construed that such infrastructure is not essential for development – hardly. Social and economic infrastructure is the fulcrum of livelihood improvement, as enablers.

Livelihood can be defined as a means to secure necessities of life, comprising capabilities, assets, and activities which are essential for a means of living. In essence, it seeks to mitigate the threats to human security, by strengthening economic security, food security and health, among others. A person or family’s livelihood is sustainable when they can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance their capabilities and assets both now and in the future, without undermining environmental resources.

The agriculture sector in Uganda, across the entire value chain, provides the most promising opportunities for livelihood improvement, especially among rural communities. Uganda is gifted with abundant rainfall, fertile arable soils, and very conducive weather conditions for agricultural production to thrive. In this, farming communities can be assured of not only food but also income security, for livelihood improvement. However, a very conducive environment for agriculture development has not been harnessed to transform the livelihoods of especially rural communities. Rampant poverty and all its associated ills, including, hunger, malnutrition, et al, is prevalent in rural communities. In addition, smallholder farmers who are the majority in Uganda are more prone to agricultural shocks because of climate change, pests and diseases, and price fluctuations, among other vulnerabilities. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) 2017 report attributed the rise in poverty rate up to 27 percent largely to the overreliance of farmers on rain-fed agriculture and existing markets. 

Agriculture is still the mainstay of rural communities in Uganda employing over 70 percent of the population. This implies that increased investment in the agriculture sector would go a long way in uplifting the livelihoods of rural communities and contributing to the social and economic development of Uganda. The government has invested heavily in road, energy, and telecommunication infrastructure, to facilitate the movement of agricultural products, inputs, and services. However, it is debatable whether this improvement in livelihoods is proportionate to the massive investments.

 As a result, more emphasis should be placed on building the technical capacity of district extension officers and model farmers, in not only agricultural production but also marketing as well as improvement of  quality of life. This requires improved access to extension services, however, the budget monitoring and accountability unit of the Ministry of Finance does not present a rosy picture of the extension worker to farmer ratio which, according to  its paper  25/19, stands at  1:1,800, dwarfing the recommended 1:500. In Gulu District, for example, one extension worker covers about three sub-counties, a ratio that not only compromises but also leads to inefficient service delivery.

Through the Northern Uganda Farmers’ Livelihood Improvement Project (NUFLIP), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Uganda has since 2015 worked with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, and the district local governments of Acholi Sub-region to uplift the livelihoods of its rural communities through the promotion of market-oriented vegetable production, among others. .

People-centred initiatives and interventions, irrespective of the sector, should have ingredients of market orientation and quality of life practices, for sustainable livelihood improvement to be assured.

Mr Inoue Yoichi is the chief representative, JICA Uganda office.