In the “Kansen for Morgen” program run by LNV, Wageningen Environmental Research carried out a research study about organic farming opportunities in Uganda. The purpose of this study was to determine ways to leverage organic farming initiatives in Uganda.
The research began at a period when the Ugandan Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries (MAAIF) has announced that it will increase organic farming’s contribution to 50% of agriculture’s GDP and boost the productivity of organic farming to more than 50% by 2020-2025. The country may be advantageous due to its minimal use of inputs from outside and the fact that the area currently under organic agriculture is just 1.8 percent of total area of agricultural surface (GIZ 2021) and is mostly the market to export organically certified products. The usage of pesticides that are chemical are increasing, which leads to health and environmental risks to food however, the application of fertilizers is usually restricted due to soil fertility loss due to the depletion of soil fertility.
It is certain that this will require an evolution to systems of agriculture which are more sustainable. But, the degree by the external inputs as well as organic farming practices could be a factor, varies according to the specific context. The study’s research focused on local initiatives which could lead to a more sustainable agriculture, but without trying to make the production completely organic and certified.
The study produced two documents: the initial report that provides some of the current initiatives involving organic farming in Uganda that ranges from those who produce biopesticides, biofertilizers, and biopesticides up organisations and platforms. It also summarizes the obstacles and opportunities and makes recommendations that include improved education to farmers, identifying the business case for organic farming, improved control of quality and regulation thorough studies that document the efficacy as well as (economic) potential for organic practices and a greater awareness of the consumer in order to increase market for food that is safe to be produced.
The report’s second edition focused on the use of pesticides in the horticultural field, which is a field that has an extremely excessive use of pesticides, which causes the environment and health issues. This report provides an analysis of the pesticide residues found in three different varieties of crops taken from six market locations across Uganda. Results showed an extremely large amount of pesticide residues on tomatoes, as well as exceeding the limit of concentrations of pesticide residues in 9 samples from 60. The recommendations include more information in native languages, increased funds from the government for regulatory enforcement as well as capacity-building and public-private partnerships to ensure export-related compliance, transparent product labels, additional study using a bigger sampling size, and links to current (organic) programs for pest control.
Results have been discussed with institutions and government agencies within Uganda. In the process of distributing the conclusions and suggestions from these two studies, we intend to increase awareness for healthy agriculture and food security as emerging issues of importance in Uganda as well as for export as well as for the local market.
For more information: agroberichtenbuitenland.nl