The overall vision, mission and investment strategy of the agricultural sector in Uganda is guided by six principles that are derived from the county’s experiences, the agricultural sector strategy plan (ASSP 2015/16, 2019/20) and the national development plan (NDP2). The sector mission is to transform from subsistence to commercial agriculture with a vision of creating a competitive, profitable and sustainable agricultural sector. It is from the same background that Kanungu district Local government production department derives its mission “provision of agricultural extension / advisory services in the field of crop, livestock, fisheries and water for production that will bring an increase in production and productivity leading to social economic development of the district”
DEPARTMENT CONTACT
productionofficekanungu@gmail.com
ROLES AND OBJECTIVES OF THE DEPARTMENT.
- To promote food security and house hold income
- To empower farmers to access and utilize available extension services
- To promote farmer groups to develop capacity to manage farming enterprises
- To promote use of appropriate labor saving technologies
- To promote use quality agro inputs
- To promote private sector participation agricultural value chain
- To strengthen mainstreaming of cross cutting issues (environment, gender, HIV/AIDS)
Below are some of the developments and sector achievements that have been implemented by the department;
Agriculture extension services which are the responsibility of local governments have been reformed to promote services to farmers on high yielding and commercial enterprises. This has been done through a Programme for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA). The PMA has key components of research, national advisory services, agro processing and marketing.
We employ a pro-people approach in transforming households to improve food security, nutrition and stabilize incomes. Crop farming contributes to 53 of the population and employment. We have improved access to agricultural extension services and productivity by focusing on agronomy and animal husbandry, agribusiness, reduction of post-harvest losses and marketing, targeting women and youth. Extension services focus on banana, coffee, beans and ground-nut production, which contribute a big production output in the District. The District had deployed extension workers all the 17 lower local governments.
Currently, we prevent and control diseases among exotic and indigenous cattle breeds through vaccinations, regulating movement and providing advisory services to farmers. We further protect consumers by inspecting slaughter places and products.
Our Fisheries sector, promotes fish farming (aqua-culture); advisory services to farmers on pond construction, fertilization, feeding and harvesting; enforcing fish Regulations, ensuring quality of stock and fish farming inputs supplied to fish farmers. Privately owned fish ponds are 592 (sizes are 100 m2 to 1000m2). There are no stocked public valley dams. The average fish production is 9.2 tonnes from private ponds and the annual fish stock is valued at UGX 92 million.
Entomological services include promotion of bee keeping and tsetse control. Through Trade & Commercial services, we supervise cooperatives and promoting trade in the district. a total of 150,000Kgs of honey is produced in the District per annum.
Some of the challenges faced are;
under income generation, 81 million tea seedlings have been distributed to 16,656 farmers and institutions. As a result two factories have been constructed namely Kigezi Highlands Tea Factory in Rugyeyo Sub county and Kinkizi Development Company Factory in Butogota Town Council also a second line has been installed in Kayonza growers tea factory in Butogota Town Council. We hope for more other factories to come as a result of increased tea production in the District
Under Coffee intervention. The District in collaboration with UCDA has distributed13,511,137 seedlings to farmers in the District over the last 10 years. Due to this intervention a number of new private coffee hullers/ factories have come to argument value addition. In the Live stock sector, under the intervention of His Excellency the President of Uganda, a total of 732 in calf heifers have been given out to farmers in collaboration with OWC.
Below are the items delivered to different farmers in the district in a bid to improve on incomes of the people
Items delivered and number of beneficiaries
| FY | Commodity /Enterprise | Planned Quantities Kg/Tons FY 2014/15 | Actual Quantities Delivered By Supplier | Number Of Beneficiary Farmers | Estimated Acreage Per Commodity /Households |
| 2015/16 | Maize seed | 28760kg | 28760kg | 4512 | 1150H |
| Bean seed | 26910kg | 26910kg | 6819 | 269H | |
| Cassava cuttings | 906 Bags | 906 Bags | 1222 | 75 H | |
| Coffee seedlings | 2350000 | 2369988 | 10513 | 2133H | |
| Fish fry | 2760 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 2016/17 SEASON (A) | Irish potato | 230 bags | 230 bags | 32 acres | |
| Coffee | 1544266 | 1544266 | 1389 h | ||
| Mangoes | 50000 | 26268 | 583acres | ||
| SEASON (B) | Ginger | 0 | 194 bags | ||
| Coffee seedlings | 1080460 | 1080460 | 972h | ||
| Heifers | 16 | 16 | (Special intervention for youth leaders) | ||
| 2017/18 | Heifers | 56 | 56 | 56 | (16 youth leaders,40 for main stream) |
| Pigs | 92 | 92 | 46 | ||
| Mangoes | 25000 | 25000 | 1250 | 413 | |
| Tea | 2,210,000 | 2,210,000 | 426 | 442 | |
| Coffee | 1226074 | 1226074 | 3194 | 1092h | |
| 2018/19 | Semen straws | 150 straws | 150 | 50 farmers | n/a |
| maize | 25200 kg | 25200 | 2520 farmers | 2520acres | |
| beans | 13400 kg | 13400 | 2680 farmers | 148h | |
| potato | 1015bags | 1015 | 507 farmers | 145acres | |
| coffee | 2,838,000 | 2838000 | 14190 | 2554h |