MAAIF well-represented in Mini Agricultural Exhibition in Kawanda

13/08/2020

Kawanda, 13th August 2020. The Agricultural sector has been represented in a scientific exhibition in Kawanda by teams from the Crop Protection Department, the Mechanization Department, the National Oil Palm Project and the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) today.

The exhibition was held on the sidelines of an Operation Wealth Creation meeting attended by representatives of the Church of Uganda and MAAIF Top Policy Management led by the Permanent Secretary Mr. Pius Wakabi Kasajja and Dr. Ambrose Agona the NARO Director General.

The MAAIF Top Policy Management Team was led by the Permanent Secretary Mr. Pius Wakabi Kasajja and Dr. Ambrose Agona the NARO Director General

The meeting which was aimed at forging a way forward in joint promotion of commercial Agriculture with the Church of Uganda hosted Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho Salim Saleh the Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation and The Most Reverend Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda.

Going forward, the Ministry will continue to work with the Church of Uganda to promote Commercial Agriculture and mobilise the masses for developmental projects and adoption of new technologies.

The Most Reverend Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda (Right) on a tour of the stall for the Department of Agricultural Infrastructure, Mechanization and Water for Agricultural Production where the forthcoming Uganda Micro Scale Irrigation Program was exhibited.

Over the next three years, the Micro Scale Irrigation program supported by the World Bank will reach 4,500 to 9,000 smallholder farmers who crop 1 to 2.5 acres (1 hectare) of land and are willing to transit from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture.

Crop Protection

Above: The team from the Department of Crop Protection presented the Plant Clinic innovation.

In rolling out the Plant Clinic approach, the Plant Health Experts (known then as Plant Doctors) set up centers of this kind in production areas. Farmers visit them and submit inquiries about plant pests and diseases and also get onsite diagnostics.

In the Mobile Plant Clinics, the Plant Doctors use updated Diagnostic Guides which were developed in collaboration with the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International to provide advisory to the farmers on how best to handle the pests and diseases that they report.

**The Plantwise Diagnostic Field Guide:** As and when the Ministry is notified of any changes in in the field of Crop Pests and Diseases, these guides are updated to enable the Plant Doctors to provide exact solutions to the farmers.

Another item presented by the team from the Department of Crop Protection is the Safe Use of Pesticides which includes guidance on specialized protective gear and directions on how to spray.

The team also presented Pest and Disease Charts used to sensitize farmers in the field about Crop Pests and Diseases. This particular one was useful in the fight against the Fall Army Worm.

Notes for editors

About the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF)

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries is a Ministry in the Government of Uganda charged with creating an enabling environment in the Agricultural Sector.

The Ministry formulates, reviews and implement national policies, plans, strategies, regulations and standards and enforce laws, regulations and standards along the value chain of crops, livestock and fisheries.

Vision: A competitive, profitable and sustainable agricultural sector.

Mission: To transform subsistence farming to commercial agriculture.

Strategic Objectives

To initiate the formulation and review of the policy and legal framework for the sector
To establish and implement systems for service provision in the sector
To strengthen and implement strategies, regulatory framework, standards, institutional structures and infrastructure for quality assurance and increased quantities of agricultural products to access and sustain local, regional and export markets
To design and implement sustainable capacity building programmes for stakeholders in the agricultural sector through training, re-tooling, infrastructure, provision of logistics and ICT
To develop strategies for sustainable food security
To develop appropriate agricultural technologies for improved agricultural production, productivity and value addition through research
To develop effective collaborative mechanisms with affiliated institutions and
To take lead and establish a system and institutional framework for agricultural data collection, analyses, storage and dissemination to stakeholders including Uganda Bureau of Statistics.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) is made up of four Directorates including the Directorate of Crop Resources, Directorate of Animal Resources, Directorate of Agricultural Extension Services and the Directorate of Fisheries Resources each with Departments, Divisions and Partnership Projects.

The Departments of the Ministry which do not fall directly in the above include the Department of Agricultural Planning and Development, the Human Resource Department, the Department of Finance and Administration and the Department of Agricultural Infrastructure, Mechanisation and Water for Agricultural Production.

The Ministry is also made up of seven Agencies including the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), Cotton Development Organisation (CDO), Dairy Development Authority (DDA), Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) and Coordinating Office for the Control of Trypanosomiasis in Uganda (COCTU) and the National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Databank (NAGRC&DB).