REPORTS & STUDIES

Promoting Sustainable Rural Transformation – Uganda

July 10, 2015
The Uganda report is a synthesis of ACET’s study of that country’s value chains for cassava, cow, millet and sorghum.

Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa with a total land area of 241,551 km, 17 percent of which is lakes and wetlands. The country has fertile soils and regular rainfall, making land its most important natural resource. Indeed, agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing more than 66 percent of the workforce. The sector contributed 25.9 percent of GDP and agricultural exports accounted for 48.5 percent of total exports that year. The agricultural sector is also the basis for most industrial activity in the country.

About 85 percent of Ugandans live in rural areas and rely mainly on agriculture. Uganda’s population numbers about 35 million and is relatively young, with the lowest median age in the world. Further, it has one of the fastest rates of population growth in the world, about 3.3 per annum. Thus, agriculture will continue to play a key role in the future, as the population explodes and brings a huge demand for food and jobs.

However, agriculture remains largely underdeveloped. The agricultural value chains of Uganda remain weak and fragmented, with much of their potential yet to be unlocked.

Download the full report for recommendations on how Uganda can unlock its agricultural potential towards rural transformation.

The study was sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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