Hello, and welcome come a new edition of the IFPR-Kampala’s USSP weekly news and research digest!
As usual, this weekly collection of recent news articles related to agriculture is compiled from online news sources. We also include links to recent publications on agricultural and policy-related research topics pertinent to Uganda.
This week, we report on the fact that Uganda gets traps for armyworm and on Coffee consumption still low. We also have an article on how climate-resilient ‘super beans’ boost food rations for refugees in Uganda and on digital agriculture.
In the section discussion papers, policy briefs and research reports, we refer to the following publications:
- A latent class analysis of improved agro-technology use behavior in Uganda: Implications for optimal targeting
- Understanding the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s agricultural paradox: Based on the eAtlas data platform
Under research, we highlight:
- Microcredit and Food Security: Evidence from Rural Households in Uganda
- Patterns of labor productivity and income diversification–Empirical evidence from Uganda and Nigeria
- The effect of climbing bean adoption on the welfare of smallholder common bean growers in Rwanda
- Agricultural Commercialisation and Food Security in Rural Economies: Malawian Experience
- Gender, Weather Shocks and Welfare: Evidence from Malawi
- Social Network Effects on Mobile Money Adoption in Uganda
- Do as they did: Peer effects explain adoption of conservation agriculture in Malawi
Note that newsletters are archived on https://bjornvancampenhout.com/newsletter/
Happy reading,
News:
Uganda gets traps for armyworm
New Vision
The Government’s plan of commercialising agriculture could be hampered by the increasing incident of pests and diseases. Under the plan, the Government identified 12 key priority food items for both food security and income-generation through export. Maize, which is both a food security crop and an economic crop, is being threatened by various pests and diseases.
Coffee consumption still low
Daily Monitor
Mr Emmanuel Iyamulemye Niyibigira, the managing director of Uganda Coffee Development Authority has completed one year in office. In a recent interview he talked about how he intends to steer the presidential directive of Uganda achieving the 20 million bags of coffee exports.
Bushfires leave several acres destroyed in Pader
Daily Monitor
It’s estimated that the fires have in two sub-counties destroyed at least 800 acres of both food and cash crops that include maize, sim-sim, groundnuts, sorghum and peas. The fires are suspected to have been set up by hunters, who intensify their chase for the wild edible rats commonly known as Anyeri during this season.
Fishermen, leaders want government to restock Lake Mulehe
Daily Monitor
Leaders and fishermen on Lake Mulehe in Nyundo Sub-county in Kisoro District have appealed to government through the ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries to consider restocking Lake Mulehe with tilapia and cat fish species. The lake was last restocked with tilapia in the 1980s and cat fish around 2000.
Government to develop irrigation policy
Daily Monitor
Government is in the process of developing a National Irrigation Policy in a move to guide its irrigation development and expansion. The development comes at a time when President Museveni is looking at modernising Uganda’s agricultural sector.
Climate-resilient ‘super beans’ boost food rations for refugees in Uganda
The Guardian
South Sudanese refugees in Uganda are being given drought-resistant “super beans” to reduce their reliance on food aid and encourage self-sufficiency. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation is distributing the fast-growing, high-yield Nabe 15 super bean, which refugees can plant immediately to replenish their stocks.
Buvuma palm oil project: 5,000 reject compensation for land
Daily Monitor
About 5,000 residents in the Island district of Buvuma have rejected a government proposal to compensate them for their land to pave way for oil palm growing, claiming their property was undervalued.
Intercropping mango trees benefits farmers in the Albertine Rift
CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security
For the last five years, the farmers have been intercropping improved mango fruit trees with food crops such as maize, sorghum, cassava, sweet potatoes, nitrogen fixing legumes (beans and groundnuts) and indigenous vegetables. Mangoes are among the five popular fresh fruits in Uganda, and the trees are planted across contours and also on terrace ridges to conserve soil by reducing erosion.
Forget tea, drink more coffee: can a national culture be changed?
The Guardian
Rwanda, which produces some of the world’s finest coffee yet hardly consumes a drop. The country’s government hopes to change this with a campaign urging Rwandans to drink what they sow.
East Africa grain farmers set to gain from lease, credit deals
East African
The Eastern African Grain Council has partnered with RentCo East Africa, an asset leasing firm, and Centerprise Africa, an advisory company, to offer grain equipment and credit based on their unique business needs.
AfDB tips Africa on agriculture to drive industrialisation
Business Daily
“Agriculture must be at the forefront of Africa’s industrialisation. Integrated power and adequate transport infrastructure would facilitate economic integration, support agricultural value chain development and economies of scale,”.
Is digital agriculture the key to revolutionize future farming in Africa?
CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security
The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security in East Africa brought together stakeholders from the private sector, government organizations and universities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to explore digital agriculture and its potential to transform farming on the continent.
‘Wild’ genes open up opportunities for healthier, climate-smart rice
IRRI
The genome sequencing of seven wild rice varieties has finally been completed. This breakthrough is expected to provide opportunities for breeders worldwide in developing better rice varieties that will respond to the changing needs of the farmers and the consumers.
Seeding success: Increasing agricultural technology adoption through information
International Growth Centre
This brief focuses on mechanisms to encourage the adoption of better farming technologies – broadly defined to include improved agricultural practices, inputs, crop varieties, and other products like crop insurance or innovative lending products – to increase agricultural productivity and improve livelihoods.
Forget Ebola, Sars and Zika: ticks are the next global health threat
The Guardian
In the past 17 years we have battled Sars, the Ebola virus, Mers, and more recently the mysterious mosquito-borne Zika virus. These diseases seeming to appear from nowhere and rapidly ravage our populations. One commonality is that they almost always originate in animals before jumping across to people, and few parasites are as good at jumping between animals and people as the tick.
Discussion papers, Policy Briefs and Research Reports
Bizimungu, Emmanuel; and Kabunga, Nassul Ssentamu, IFPRI Discussion Paper
This study uses a large dataset that covers a wide geographical and agricultural scope to describe the use patterns of improved agro-technology in Uganda. Using latent class analysis with data on more than 12,500 households across the four regions of Uganda, we classify farmers based on the package of improved agro-technologies they use. We find that the majority of farmers (61 percent) do not use any improved agricultural practices (the “nonusers”), whereas only 5 percent of farmers belong to the class of “intensified diversifiers,” those using most of the commonly available agro-technologies across crop and livestock enterprises. Using multinomial regression analysis, we show that education of the household head, access to extension messages, and affiliation with social groups are the key factors that drive switching from the nonuser (reference) class to the other three (preferred) classes that use improved agrotechnologies to varying degrees. Results reveal the existence of heterogeneous farmer categories, certainly with different agrotechnology needs, that may have implications for optimal targeting.
Marivoet, Wim; Ulimwengu, John M.; and El Vilaly, Mohamed Abd Salam, IFPRI Report
The huge agricultural potential of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is well Documented. The country is endowed with well over two million square kilometers (km2) of land, 800 thousand of which is arable, yet only 10 percent is currently under cultivation. DRC also has favorable climatic and ecological conditions, allowing several harvests of numerous crops per year. Nevertheless, few studies have looked at the country’s spatial heterogeneity in terms of economic activity, public goods, or the livelihood strategies of smallholder farmers. As a result, policymakers have little evidence to guide their decisions in planning and implementing interventions to improve the nation’s food and nutrition security status. To fill in this knowledge deficit, the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS), which is facilitated by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), provides knowledge products and analytical tools in support of African countries. Among the tools developed, country eAtlas—which is freely available online (http://eatlas.resakss.org/)—is a highly interactive, geographic information systems–based mapping tool designed to provide policymakers and analysts with access to high-quality, highly disaggregated data on agricultural, socioeconomic, and biophysical indicators.
Research
Microcredit and Food Security: Evidence from Rural Households in Uganda
NMM Faith, G Antonides, F Cecchi – Journal of African Economies, 2018
This study investigates the effect of participation into a microcredit program on household food security parameters of female borrowers in a rural setting in Uganda. We explore the modes of food acquisition, dietary diversity, caloric and protein intake, and qualitative food insecurity measures for different categories of respondents. We conduct a cross-sectional analysis comparing old clients to newly registered first time borrowers. Next, we compare first time borrowers and non-borrowers using a panel design. While the cross-sectional analysis allows the comparison of women that similarly self-selected into borrowing, the panel analysis complements by providing insights into changes of food security parameters. In both cases, we use Kernel matching, or difference-in-difference with Kernel matching, to control for potential bias in observables, and perform a sensitivity analysis with respect to unobservables using Rosenbaum bounds as well as an individual fixed effects panel analysis. Results show a decline in food security following the uptake of microcredit. In particular, the analysis reveals robustly lower dietary diversity among long-time borrowers than new borrowers, and larger reductions in dietary diversity scores among new borrowers, after 1 year, compared to controls. The reduction in dietary diversity was traced to a reduction in animal-source food, fruit and sugar intake. We find indicative evidence that this is partly explained by a shift from own production to reliance on food purchase by households. Other household members relegating the burden of food provision to women after borrowing may also help explain the observed result.
Patterns of labor productivity and income diversification–Empirical evidence from Uganda and Nigeria
AI Djido, BA Shiferaw – World Development, 2018
The labor productivity gap and differentials within and between farm and non-farm sectors is the key to understanding household income diversification patterns. This study shows that the labor productivity gap between farm and non-farm sectors attenuates after controlling for labor intensity. Within agriculture, there are no productivity gaps between staple and high value crops. This provides some evidence of underemployment in agriculture and employment gaps between the farm and non-farm sectors. In addition, diversification into and within farm and non-farm sectors is positively correlated with labor productivity in the specific sector. Diversification into non-farm activities may, however, reduce farm labor productivity and requires policies that reduce such tradeoffs in the transformation process. In addition, the pathways linking income diversification and labor productivity are complex and non-linear. In Uganda, income diversification is higher among resource-poor households (with limited family labor, land, and livestock) in rural areas away from main roads or urban centers. In Nigeria, diversification is higher for male-headed households with productive assets (family labor and land) and in areas closer to markets and urban centers.
The effect of climbing bean adoption on the welfare of smallholder common bean growers in Rwanda
EM Katungi, C Larochelle, JR Mugabo, R Buruchara – Food Security, 2018
This paper assessed the effect of climbing bean adoption on the welfare of the bean growers in Rwanda, using four indicators: per capita consumption expenditure, poverty head count, quantity of bean consumed per person and food security. The analysis was based on cross sectional data from a nationally representative survey of bean growers, conducted in 2011. Instrumental variables and control function approaches were used to address the endogeneity of climbing bean adoption decisions in household welfare outcomes. Results demonstrated that investments in climbing bean research and dissemination efforts contributed significantly to improve household welfare. One additional kilogram of climbing bean seed planted raises per capita consumption expenditure by 0.9% and that of bean consumption by 2.8%, and increases the probability that a household is food secure by 0.6% while decreasing the likelihood of being poor by 0.6%. These findings highlight the important role climbing bean adoption can play in reducing food insecurity and poverty in land constrained areas.
Agricultural Commercialisation and Food Security in Rural Economies: Malawian Experience
Natalia Radchenko & Paul Corral – Journal of Development Studies
This paper contributes to the debate on the nutrition-related outcomes of cash crop adoption by using a model with essential heterogeneity and a semi-parametric estimation technique. The model explicitly frames non-separability between production and consumption decisions of farming households providing an original test of separability. The empirical application is run using Malawian data. The results imply rational anticipations and decision process of agrarian households relative to the crop portfolio choice, disparate strength of market barriers faced by the farmers, non-separability between production and consumption decisions and a weak transmission from agricultural incomes to higher food expenditures and better diet.
Gender, Weather Shocks and Welfare: Evidence from Malawi
Solomon Asfaw & Giuseppe Maggio – Journal of Development Studies, 2018.
This paper explores the gender-differentiated effects of weather shocks on households’ welfare in Malawi using panel data aligned with climatic records. Results show that temperature shocks severely affect household welfare, reducing consumption, food consumption and daily caloric intake. The negative welfare effects are more severe for households where land is solely managed by women, a finding that sheds light on the gender-unequal impact of temperature shocks. Our evidence also suggests that women’s vulnerability to temperature shocks is linked to women’s land tenure security, as temperature shocks significantly impact women’s welfare only in patrilineal districts, where statistics show that investment in agricultural technologies is lower.
Social Network Effects on Mobile Money Adoption in Uganda
Conrad Murendo, Meike Wollni, Alan De Brauw & Nicholas Mugabi – Journal of Development Studies, 2018.
This study analyses social network effects on the adoption of mobile money among rural households in Uganda. We estimate conditional logistic regressions controlling for correlated effects and other information sources. Results show that mobile money adoption is positively influenced by the size of the social network with which information is exchanged. We further find that this effect is particularly pronounced for non-poor households. Thus, while social networks represent an important target for policy-makers aiming to promote mobile money technology, the poorest households are likely to be excluded and require more tailored policy programmes and assistance.
Do as they did: Peer effects explain adoption of conservation agriculture in Malawi
Bell, Andrew; Zavaleta Cheek, Jennifer; Mataya, Frazer; and Ward, Patrick S. – Water, 2018
Adoption of the trinity of practices known commonly today as conservation agriculture (CA)—maintaining soil cover, reducing tillage, and enhancing soil nitrogen through legumes—is a critical process to the management of erosion in rural landscapes, and maintenance of aquatic habitats and hydropower potential. However, the large literature on the benefits and risks of CA fails to find any universal determinants of adoption, with competing uses for crop residues, availability of labor, and access to physical inputs common constraints appearing in different contexts. We conduct a study in the specific context of Malawi, using ethnographic interviewing to draw out possible decision criteria and machine learning to identify their explanatory power. This study is structured to inform the question: “How do farmers decide to adopt the specific activities of CA in Malawi?” We find that more than any other factor, adoption by neighbors (i.e., peer effects) matters, with possible implications for the overall cost of encouraging CA (e.g., through subsidies) as it is taken up across a landscape. Further, we note that little else within our household survey (save for more detailed articulation of neighbor and neighborhood characteristics) offers greater explanatory power than those factors identified by farmers themselves. Finally, we note that decisions made in the presence of an incentive are structurally different than those made without incentives, validating previous concerns in the literature regarding the basis most CA adoption studies, within CA promotion interventions.
