MPs press govt on agricultural support for rural farmers

What the report says

Ugandan lawmakers are urging government to widen agricultural support for rural communities after debating a motion linked to President Yoweri Museveni’s State of the Nation Address, delivered to Parliament in June. The debate focused on how farmers can better access inputs, equipment and irrigation to improve livelihoods and participate more fully in commercial agriculture, according to Watchdog Uganda.

Gulu City Woman Representative Betty Aol raised concerns about the restocking programme in the Acholi sub-region, saying livestock has reached too few households and that many residents still rely on animals such as oxen for tilling land because tractors and other mechanised tools remain out of reach. She argued that limited access to the programme is deepening poverty and slowing agricultural commercialisation. Otuke District Woman Representative Susan Abeja called for coffee seedlings to be delivered during the correct planting season, alongside low-cost irrigation systems and regional soil mapping to match crops to local conditions.

Rose Obigah, the Terego District Woman Representative, pressed for action on flooding that has damaged crops in Imvepi Refugee Settlement. State Minister for Animal Industry Bright Rwamirama said the contractor responsible for a water project there had abandoned the work, but added that technical teams were on site and restoration efforts were under way. Terego East MP Wilfred Babanga also asked for more equipment, including tractors in each subcounty, to support mechanised farming in both the district and refugee settlements.

Museveni’s address, as cited by the report, said irrigation is being expanded, including micro solar-powered schemes developed with Nexus Green in several districts. The debate reflects wider questions about how quickly national agricultural plans are reaching farmers outside major urban and commercial centres.