UGANDA RELEASES ANNUAL AGRICULTURAL SURVEY 2019 REPORT

Uganda, one of the partner countries of the 50x2030 Initiative, recently released its Annual Agricultural Survey (AAS) 2019 report providing stakeholders with key data and information on the country’s agricultural sector. The survey was conducted by Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) with technical assistance of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). 

The Uganda AAS have undergone significant enhancements in the domains of survey design, use of technology, data analysis, dissemination and use of data and key results since 2018.  These changes were brought about by the country’s adoption of the Agricultural Integrated Survey (AGRIS) methodology of the FAO which recommends a core module on crop & livestock production and periodical rotating modules on thematic topics, such as the holding economy, labour input, production methods and environment, and machinery/equipment/ assets.

Key findings from the AAS 2019 include the following –

Agricultural sector continues to be the largest employer, ranking first in terms of number of labour force in the Ugandan economy. About 7 million households, representing around 80 percent of the total households in Uganda, either operated or cultivated land and/or reared livestock in 2019. The percentage increases to 87 percent if female household heads are taken into account.

Agriculture remains the backbone in securing subsistence and income to a large portion of the Ugandan population. In fact, crop production was the most widespread agricultural activity, with 99 percent of agricultural households engaged in it. On the other hand, approximately 71 percent of agricultural households raised livestock both for own consumption and income. 

For the first-time, data on agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers to monitor the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators 2.3.1 and 2.3.2 have been collected in Uganda. Results indicate a considerable gap between small and large holders in terms of labour productivity. The volume of production per labour unit of small producers is roughly half that of large producers (only 7,691 UGX among small producers compared with 13,524 UGX for large producers).  Similarly, in terms of average annual farm income, small holders’ income was estimated at less than 1 Million UGX while large-scale producers have 2.6 Million UGX.

Gender-based disparities on tenure rights, already observed in 2018, still prevails in 2019. Around 41 percent of adults (18+) living in agricultural households own or have tenure rights over the land they cultivate.  The percentage gets as high as 52 percent among men, while it goes down to about 30 percent among the women (SDG 5.a.1 – part a).  This despite women cultivating crops more frequently than men and for longer hours.

The findings from the AAS 2019 will help policy makers in the design and monitoring of agricultural policies based on sound evidence. The 50x2030 Initiative, through the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a UN agency, will provide technical assistance and support to Uganda data users, particularly MAAIF, in optimizing use of AAS data in policy making in the country.

For more information, please visit: UBOS website