Commercial farming - The Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Jose Graziano da Silva, on Friday met with Ugandan Vice-President Edward Sekandi to discuss ways to ensure food security in the East African country.
According to a FAO news dispatch from Rome, they also discussed ways and means of reducing poverty by supporting rural smallholders in the country's agriculture sector.
Sekandi met with Graziano da Silva on behalf of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni during the FAO chief's one-day visit to Uganda.
Graziano da Silva commended the government of Uganda for its leadership in the country's efforts in improving agricultural development and climate change mitigation.
He also pointed out that Uganda needs a major boost in agriculture to accelerate development. The agriculture sector employs more than 80% of Uganda's population.
'We agreed that for the agriculture sector to grow, Ugandans need to support both the small scale rural subsistence farmers as well as building the bridge for small scale farmers who want to go into commercial farming,' said the Director-General, who pledged FAO's support in transforming the country's agriculture.
Although Uganda generally has food, its food security and nutrition situation continues to face challenges, such as unequal food distribution and pockets of food insecurity in areas like Karamoja in the northeast. Efforts therefore need to be made to ensure that nutritious food is well distributed and consumed in all parts of Uganda.
Since 1981, FAO has been working with the Government of Uganda to design and implement policies and programmes aimed at eradicating the root causes of hunger, malnutrition and poverty, develop farmer organizations, study storage capabilities, improve integrated water management systems and water harvesting.
Pana 09/03/2013