The vast majority of farmers in Uganda are smallholders and they produce almost all of the country’s agricultural output. Ninety six percent of total farm output in Uganda is produced on farms of five hectares or less in size. There is no feasible route to agricultural modernisation which does not place the smallholder at its centre.
Although Ugandans often perceive themselves as “blessed by nature” our agricultural performance has been poor for several decades. Aggregate output growth has been weak and the growth that has occurred has largely been the result of increases in land acreage under cultivation and increases in the agricultural labour force. Both average land and labour productivity have been stagnant for decades.