Hello, and welcome to a new edition of the IFPR-Kampala’s USSP news and research digest!
As
usual, this 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 and the wider region.
This week, we report on A learning exchange for improved extension to coffee farmers and on how Uganda’s agriculture and food system can create jobs. We also have news articles warning that farming insects may solve one problem but create others and link to the a WEF report on Improving traceability in food value chains through technology innovations.
Under research, we provide links to:
- Welfare effects of weather variability: Multi-country evidence from Africa south of the Sahara
- Status and scope of kitchen gardening of green leafy vegetables in rural Tanzania: implications for nutrition interventions
- Climbing bean as a solution to increase productivity in land-constrained environments: Evidence from Rwanda
- Using household survey data to identify large-scale food security patterns across Uganda
- Potato market access, marketing efficiency and on-farm value addition in Uganda
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News:
FAO and agriculture ministry team up to support fishing communities around Lake Victoria
PLM Daily
The
Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries together with
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have unveiled a
joint project to support fishing communities around Lake Victoria. The
two-year pilot project launched in Masaka aims at improving the
livelihoods of fishing communities, especially women and youths in three
districts of Masaka, Kalungu, and Kalangala.
A learning exchange for improved extension to coffee farmers
CCAFS
Both
HRNS and Olam provide extension support services to smallholder coffee
farmers for the improvement of livelihoods through increased coffee
production. Both are working to ensure gender mainstreaming in their
respective programs.
Coffee farmers in Uganda learn about practices for successfully increasing productivity and climate change resilience
CCAFS
As
part of USAID’s Feed the Future project, the International Institute of
Tropical Agriculture in collaboration with Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung
have established 10 Climate Smart Investment Pathway demonstration plots
in Luwero and Ntungamo districts in Uganda for research and learning on
good agronomic practices for coffee.
Farming up: Uganda’s agriculture and food system can create jobs
World Bank
Agriculture can provide jobs to Uganda’s unemployed youth if well
harnessed, according to the twelfth Uganda Economic Update published in
late-2018 by the World Bank. The report, “Developing Uganda’s Agri-Food
System for Inclusive Economic Growth,” notes that the sector’s economic
contribution extends well beyond the production sector into the wider
food system, including related processing, manufacturing, and services.
However, the employment potential of Uganda’s agriculture and agri-food
system remains largely untapped, despite providing 70% of the country’s
employment opportunities, contributing more than half of all exports,
and about one-quarter of gross domestic product .
Top Senegalese chef backs ancient grain as next superfood
Reuters
Cultivated
in Senegal, Ghana, Mali and other parts of the sub-Saharan region,
fonio has been dubbed “the new quinoa” by superfood fans in the
West. Fonio fits the bill, as it is gluten-free, high in protein and
amino acids, and very easy to cook. Agriculture experts say the
drought-resistant, fast-growing plant also has the potential to help
ease hunger linked to the negative impacts of climate change.
China has culled 916,000 pigs as of Jan 14 due to African swine fever outbreaks – ag ministry
Reuters
China has culled 916,000 pigs as of Jan. 14 due to outbreaks of African
swine fever since the first case was reported in early August last year,
the country’s agriculture ministry said on Tuesday. China has reported
about 100 outbreaks of the highly contagious disease in 24 provinces
and regions since it was first confirmed in the northeast of the
country.
South Korean farmers see boost in banana crop
BBC
Climate change could soon turn the South Korean mainland into a producer
of bananas, mangoes and passion fruit, it has been reported. Bananas
already grow on sub-tropical Jeju Island off the southern coast, but
farmers elsewhere are reporting successes.
OLAM to refocus on coffee, cocoa and exit rubber and sugar
Coffee and Cocoa International
Announcing its 2019-2024 strategic plan the company said it intended to
capitalise on key trends shaping the sector and refocus on commodities
such as coffee and cocoa, and de-prioritise selected businesses –
including rubber and sugar.
Seafood processing water can help supply the world with protein
Food Tank
Recent
research has shown that seafood processing water is a valuable source
of protein and can play a vital role in fulfilling the world’s growing
demand for nutrient-dense food. Seafood processing water is the water
fish and seafood are caught, held, and processed in. Many seafood
manufacturers currently treat it as waste and dispose of it, which can
be costly.
Giant leaf for mankind? China germinates first seed on moon
The Guardian
A small green shoot is growing on the moon after a cotton seed
germinated onboard a Chinese lunar lander, scientists said. “This is the
first time humans have done biological growth experiments on the lunar
surface,” said Xie Gengxin, who led the design of the experiment.
Farming insects may solve one problem but create others, scientists warn
Reuters
Insects have great potential as an alternative source of protein, but
further research is urgently needed before mass production begins in
order to avoid environment disaster, Swedish researchers warned Monday.
There is currently an “overwhelming lack of knowledge” on basic
questions such as suitable species, their housing and feed requirements,
managing their waste and that escaping insects do not wreak havoc on
the ecosystem, they said.
Policy briefs, research reports and discussion papers:
Improving traceability in food value chains through technology innovations
World Economic Forum
This report by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with McKinsey
& Company, analyses the innovative use of traceability, which builds
on several transformative technologies, provides a foundation to
address many of today’s food-systems issues in addition to contributing
to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals and has
potential throughout developed and developing markets. Many of these
technologies are already beginning to disrupt food systems and drive new
business models.
Research:
Welfare effects of weather variability: Multi-country evidence from Africa south of the Sahara
B Haile, S Signorelli, C Azzarri, T Johnson – PloS one, 2018
Climate change and weather variability pose serious threats to food and nutrition security as well as ecosystems, especially when livelihoods depend heavily on natural resources. This study examines the effect of weather variability (shock) occurring up to three planting and growing season prior on per capita monthly household expenditure in rural Tanzania, Uganda, and Ghana. The analyses combine monthly temperature (1950–2013) and precipitation (1981–2013) data with data from several rounds of household surveys conducted between 1998 and 2013. Substantial spatial and temporal heterogeneity is documented in the incidence of shocks, with effects dependent on both the study and lag period considered. Analysis of short panel data shows the cumulative effect of above-average precipitation on expenditure to be negative in Uganda -while positive in Tanzania-, but the relationship does not persist when pooling survey data spanning over a decade. The evidence from pooled data suggests a positive association between above-average temperature (heat wave) and expenditure in (historically cooler) Uganda, with the opposite effect observed in (the relatively warmer) Tanzania. For Ghana, the association between heat wave and expenditure is positive. There is no evidence of heterogeneous effects along several dimensions, except by agro-ecological condition. Further research into the effects of shocks on more direct outcomes–such as agricultural practices, yields, and dietary intake–is therefore recommended to shed light on possible impact pathways and appropriate localized adaptation strategies.
Status and scope of kitchen gardening of green leafy vegetables in rural Tanzania: implications for nutrition interventions
C Rybak, HA Mbwana, M Bonatti, S Sieber, K Müller – Food Security, 2018
Kitchen gardens in Tanzania are currently facing a variety of threats. However, many households depend on basic farming activities to meet household food needs. The objective of this study was to describe the current status and scope of kitchen gardening for improving the food security situation in the Morogoro and Dodoma regions of Tanzania. A cluster sampling method was used to select 383 households. The main respondents were mothers or caregivers responsible for food preparation. Techniques for data collection were observations, focus group discussions and face to face interviews. A small proportion (2.6%) of residents in the semi-arid Dodoma region had a kitchen garden as compared to the sub-humid Morogoro region (9.9%). Sweet potato leaves, cassava leaves, pumpkin leaves, cowpea leaves and African egg plant were the principal vegetables grown in the two areas. The market provided vegetables to 87% of the surveyed households. Vegetables sold at the market were mostly in the dried form, fresh vegetables in the market being those cultivated near ponds, especially during dry seasons. About 90% and 55% of the kitchen garden produce was used for home consumption in Dodoma and Morogoro, respectively. Women contributed 80% and 75%of the total labor for managing kitchen gardens in Dodoma and Morogoro, respectively. Socio-cultural factors (food habit and demand and supply of food materials), environmental factors (climatic factors, water availability), types of soils and farmers’ local knowledge and understanding (traditional knowledge and practices, formal and non-formal education) were the key determinants of vegetables grown in the traditional kitchen garden. Kitchen gardening was practised by few of the surveyed households and the diversity of the planted vegetables was low. Factors that influenced the presence of a kitchen gardens at household level were: sex of the household head (p = 0.002), literacy status of the mother/caregiver (p = 0.001) and the education level (p = 0.001) of the respondent.
Climbing bean as a solution to increase productivity in land-constrained environments: Evidence from Rwanda
E Katungi, C Larochelle, J Mugabo, R Buruchara – Outlook on Agriculture, 2018
Climbing bean is a potential solution to increase the agricultural sector productivity and sustainability. Using nationally representative bean-producing household data collected in Rwanda, this study identifies factors that influence the decision to switch from cultivating bush to climbing bean and quantifies the impact of climbing bean adoption on yield. About 50% of bean-producing households grow climbing bean, a substantial increase over the past 15 years. Elevation, population pressure, and drought shocks are important drivers of climbing bean adoption. Adoption of climbing bean increases yield by 23% among adopters and has the potential to increase yield by 48% for non-adopters. Findings from this study provide important information for the development of agricultural policies and programs in Rwanda and elsewhere.
Using household survey data to identify large-scale food security patterns across Uganda
J Wichern, J van Heerwaarden, S de Bruin,… – PLOS ONE, 2018
To target food security interventions for smallholder households, decision makers need large-scale information, such as maps on poverty, food security and key livelihood activities. Such information is often based on expert knowledge or aggregated data, despite the fact that food security and poverty are driven largely by processes at the household level. At present, it is unclear if and how household level information can contribute to the spatial prediction of such welfare indicators or to what extent local variability is ignored by current mapping efforts. A combination of geo-referenced household level information with spatially continuous information is an underused approach to quantify local and large-scale variation, while it can provide a direct estimate of the variability of welfare indicators at the most relevant scale. We applied a stepwise regression kriging procedure to translate point information to spatially explicit patterns and create country-wide predictions with associated uncertainty estimates for indicators on food availability and related livelihood activities using household survey data from Uganda. With few exceptions, predictions of the indicators were weak, highlighting the difficulty in capturing variability at larger scale. Household explanatory variables identified little additional variation compared to environmental explanatory variables alone. Spatial predictability was strongest for indicators whose distribution was determined by environmental gradients. In contrast, indicators of crops that were more ubiquitously present across agroecological zones showed large local variation, which often overruled large-scale patterns.
Potato market access, marketing efficiency and on-farm value addition in Uganda
H Kyomugisha, C Sebatta, J Mugisha – Scientific African, 2018
Understanding barriers to market access for smallholder farmers and their marketing efficiency when they participate in agricultural value chains is key to unlocking the market potential and overcoming market failures. This study aimed at determining factors limiting farmers’ market access, the break-even point for undertaking postharvest value addition activities by the farmers, and the market efficiency of the Uganda potato market chains in which the smallholder farmers are participating. Our study was based on the hypothesis that market access and efficiency are higher where farmers have contract arrangements with buyers, and where they are directly linked with the buyers at the end of the value chain. The study was carried out in the popular potato growing districts of Kabale and Mbale in Uganda. The survey involved purposive selection of the study areas and random selection of potato farmers and traders. We used an Ordinary Least Square model to determine factors that influence potato smallholder farmers’ market access. We also used break-even analysis to determine the break-even point for potato farmers to take up postharvest value addition activities, and a value addition approach to determine market efficiency. Results indicate that having a contract with buyers, size of land owned, number of forked hoes owned and variety grown positively and significantly influenced farmer market access. We found that adding value to potato on farm earns farmers relatively more income. A farmer would earn 25% higher than when no value addition was done. Market chains where farmers sell to local rural traders were more efficient than selling to other alternatives. We recommend farmer involvement in value addition, collective and/or contractual marketing, and selling directly to the nearest actor in the value chain.
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