Projects

Strategies and development programmes,Expertise and research work,

Identification of an Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme in Northern Uganda

Uganda

The EC Delegation in Uganda and the National Authority Officer

The Government of Uganda and district authorities

The European Commission is currently finalizing its Country Strategy Programme for the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) that will provide the framework for EC supported development interventions in Uganda over the 2008-2013 period. In view of the poverty levels in the conflict affected North of Uganda and the political opportunity presented by peace negotiations, one of the focal areas of EC intervention will be: “Conflict Resolution and Agricultural Recovery in Northern Uganda”. While the situation in Northern Uganda remains extremely serious, with some 1.4 million IDPs still suffering from continued insecurity and poor social services. Until recently, interventions in Northern Uganda have almost entirely focused on the humanitarian caseload and their immediate survival needs. With the prospect of a peace agreement people have started to move back to their homesteads. It is estimated that between 200,000 and 230,000 IDPs are already returning home in Teso, Lango and Acholi. The challenge is to address the obstacles to both production and marketing of agricultural commodities faced by farmers, while providing them with the necessary basic productive infrastructure at the community level, and to reconstruct the regulatory and supporting technical services that are the function of central and local governments. Future interventions will have to fit within the Government’s ‘Peace, Recovery and Development Plan’ (PRDP) and will focus on a limited number of priority areas: revitalization of agriculture, restoring production capacity of rural communities, rehabilitating basic community infrastructure, strengthening the capacity of local governments to perform their roles, and assisting in the establishment of viable private sector-based financial, supply and marketing systems. The overall objective of the assignment is to identify interventions that will contribute to the recovery of agricultural livelihoods of returned IDPs in the war-affected northern districts of Uganda. The identification mission will analyse the necessary building blocks that would allow returnee farmers and receiving communities to restart production, market their output and initiate the economic revitalization of return areas. Building on this analysis, the mission will put forward options on possible investment elements as part of a comprehensive recovery programme. Components to be considered will include (but not be limited to): • Clearing of land • Cash/Vouchers for work • Forestry/tree planting • Encouraging the return of private sector operators • Access to financial services • Access to agricultural education • Building local government planning, supervision and accounting capacity • Links with existing extension services NAADS

Start date: 2007-04-01

End date: 2007-06-30