Agriculture Cluster Development Project

  The 4 th Project Technical committee was held in September 2020 and chaired by the Under-Secretary MAAIF,   Mr Gyagenda Ssegawa.   These committee meetings are held twice a year and are aimed at keeping the Technical team abreast of the project implementation and progress.   It is also at these meetings that the technical team proposes ideas for improvement. The meeting was attended by the Technical Committee, composed of   MAAIF Commissioners,   Top policymakers from   NIITA-U, Ministry of Local government and the Project Implementation Team.   The team noted that the Project is commendable and strategic thereby, making it very important to the Ministry. Objectives of the meeting Presentation and adoption of ACDP performance 2019/20 Presentation of highlights of approved Financial year 2020/21 work plan Presentation and adoption of Mid-term review and the Issues paper Presentation of the upcoming Mid-term review and World Bank support mission Discussions and deliberations

  One of the Grievances that the project anticipated to arise was the supply of poor quality of inputs, delays in delivery of inputs, high cost of inputs, wrong input varieties among other complaints. Indeed, in April, verbal reports reaching the coordination office, indicated that a cross section of beneficiary farmers in Muko Sub county, Rubanda district had received poor germinating bean seeds redeemed under the e-voucher program.   To validate the complaints a response team quickly visited the aggrieved farmers to make an assessment. The team was comprised of MAAIF Cluster 11 Coordinator, the supplier (Green Firm Africa), Acting District Production Officer, Acting DAO and the sub county extension worker for the affected sub county. The team sampled and interacted with nine affected farmers and sampled four gardens. This is what they found out; ·        A total of 63 farmers all hailing from one sub county; Muko in Rubanda district had received a batch of bean seed whose germin

  Sustainable Land Management (SLM) strategies and practices enable farmers and communities to adapt, as well as become more resilient, to climate change by increasing food production, conserving soil and water, enhancing food security and restoring productive natural resources. SLM refers to the adoption of land use systems that, through appropriate management practices, enables land users to maximize economic and social benefits from the land while maintaining or enhancing ecological support functions of land resources. In most of the agricultural production zones, the soils are old with little mineral nutrient reserves. Many cases where phosphorus, potassium and calcium, are below critical levels, it means that there is: •          a decrease in fallow periods due to increased pressure on land •          those under ‘fallow’ are in poor state [abandoned rather than deliberate fallow] •          rain-fed agriculture •          continuous cultivation without fertility