The agricultural sector has been the backbone of the Uganda’s economy for decades, employing over 80 percent of the rural population and about 64.3 percent of the working population. Agriculture is a source of food, raw materials for industries and foreign exchange given the many agricultural exports. The Agricultural Sector Strategic Plan (ASSP), the National Development Plan (NDP) II, and now the NDP III identify agriculture as one of the priority sectors for investment.

Given the importance of agriculture as a strategic sector that provides subsistence and income to a large portion of the population, but also contributes to the national economy, the need for reliable and timely data to inform policy makers has become increasingly urgent.

In 2017, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) established the Annual Agricultural Survey (AAS) to address such growing demand for agricultural statistics in the country. Since 2018, FAO has provided technical and financial assistance to AAS, through the AGRISurvey Programme.

The AGRISurvey Programme assists countries in strengthening their national agricultural surveys and in promoting the access to and the use of agricultural statistics. The Programme is currently present in 11 countries and is funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development (AICS). The implementation of the AGRISurvey Programme in Uganda was made possible through the USAID and the AICS funding.

Using Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI), the AAS 2018 survey collected data from a sample of about 7 000 agricultural households. The Survey was carried out in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF). It provides data on agricultural land tenure- including the gaps between men and women, key primary crops, status of soil fertility and use of fertilizers by households, livestock rearing and production, food security, extension services and disease and pest control.

Among its results, the AAS 2018 report shows that at national level, only two percent of the agricultural households use irrigation, 23 percent use improved seeds and 12 percent received advisory services in the 12 months prior to the survey.

According to FAO Representative in Uganda, Antonio Querido, the survey will guide the Government of Uganda and partners to make necessary agricultural development policy decisions and relevant investments to foster modernisation of the agricultural sector, while also promoting climate change adaptation.

“Modernising agriculture and promoting the use of improved technologies and methods in farming, such as irrigation, access to improved seeds and value addition of agricultural products, are fundamental”, Querido said. “FAO is committed to a world without hunger and therefore by using timely statistical information like the AAS 2018, together with the Government of Uganda and partners, we can greatly contribute to better agriculture outcomes and improved livelihoods” he added.  Download the full report here:

https://www.ubos.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/AAS_2018_Report_Final_050620.pdf

Download the Statistical Release here:

https://www.ubos.org/the-annual-agriculture-survey-2018-statistical-release/

For further analysis, download the statistical tables from UBOS Open Data platform:

https://uganda.opendataforafrica.org/data#topic=Annual+Agricultural+Survey+(AAS)

To know more about FAO’s AGRISurvey programme:

http://www.fao.org/3/ca6785en/ca6785en.pdf