Paul Forrest, the project director of the USAID funded Livelihoods and Enterprises for Agricultural Development project has said small holder farmers can benefit from international markets if they are helped improve cash and crop production and to access markets.
Forrest says the key lies in ensuring farmers move from subsistence farming to commercial farming which targets the market.
He was speaking to member of the Uganda Coffee Trade Federation, the Uganda Seed Trade Association and the Uganda Oil Seed Producers and Processors Association who have received help under the LEAD project to improve their agriculture.
The five-year project aims at moving Uganda’s agricultural sector from subsistence farming to commercial farming.
Uganda farmers
The LEAD project has invested $35m (about 77 billion shillings) in the past year to supports smallholder farmers and related small-to-medium enterprises to optimise opportunities created by rising commodity prices, growing regional markets and the urgent need to improve food security in Uganda.
The programme is targeting about 500,000 farmers organized under farmers groups in 35 districts.
Forest says the project will continue to fund strengthening of producer’s organisations, focusing on group management skills, institution capacity and agri-business skills of farmers to tap opportunities available.