Activities in Uganda

Uganda, unlike most African countries, has suitable soils for both subsistence and commercial food production. This confirms the fact that the agriculture sector employing, directly and indirectly, more than 70 % of the working population is the cornerstone of Uganda's economy. Therefore, modernizing the sector for improved agricultural productivity, competitiveness, and income is extremely important in the promotion of social and economic growth for livelihood improvement, especially among the rural residents, a bulk of whom fall below the poverty line. JICA’s development cooperation activities in Uganda started in 2004, and have always been aligned to the existing government priorities and programmes.

Rice Promotion

Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) Initiative

JICA, in partnership with Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and development partners, launched an initiative on the 4th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in 2008 to support efforts of African countries to double rice production from 14 million MT to 28 million MT by 2018. Currently in its second phase, the Initiative seeks to further double the rice production in Sub-Saharan Africa up to 56million MT by 2030.

Under the framework of CARD Initiative, JICA supported the formulation of the Uganda National Rice Development Strategy (NRDS) Ⅰand Ⅱ, and subsequent implementation, through aligning its rice development cooperation projects to the same.

Support to Rice Sub-sector through the Promotion of Rice Development Project (PRiDe)

With positive outcomes from past rice projects which focused on extending rice field area and increasing rice growers, JICA has in recent years shifted its focus to productivity. Since 2019, JICA has been supporting implementation of the Promotion of Rice Development (PRiDe) Project Phase II , in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) as well as its associated research agency, National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO). The 5-year project seeks to boost rice productivity and improve livelihood through strengthening Research-Extension-Farmer linkages with a stronger emphasis on training and increased access to quality rice seed.

The project covers three Agro-ecological systems, rain-fed upland, rain-fed lowland, and irrigated lowland, and is expected to contribute to government efforts geared at ensuring rice self-sufficiency by 2030.

Irrigation

Project for Sustainable Utilization, Operation and Management of Irrigation System in Atari Basin Area

The project is to ensure functionality of irrigation infrastructure, good management and appropriate practices of utilization and operation are applied. Through the Project, JICA is currently working with the MAAIF and the District Local Governments of Kween and Bulambuli to build technical capacity for not only sustainable operation and management of irrigation facilities but also irrigated rice production practices. Accordingly, the project seeks to build the management capacity of the Atari Irrigation Water Users’ Association (IWUA), and technical capacity of farmers in farm management for irrigated rice cultivation.

The Project for the Development of Irrigation System in Atari Basin Area

In 2018, JICA undertook to work with the MAAIF in the establishment of irrigation systems on the adjacent sides of River Atari in Kween and Bulambuli Districts in Eastern Uganda. Once completed, the irrigation infrastructure covering approximately 550ha is expected to not only help with flood control and agriculture water conveyance in the area but also, and most importantly, boost rice production and productivity in Atari area and Eastern Uganda at large.

Animal Husbandry Promotion Program – Animal Disease Diagnosis and Control