Directorate of Agricultural Extension

Department of Agricultural Investment and Enterprise Development

Overall Objective

The Department of Agricultural Investment and Enterprise Development has the overall objective of supporting Sustainable agribusiness development and management, private sector investments and emerging commercially viable agricultural enterprises for improved food security and enhanced household income.

Key Functions

• Providing technical advice on agricultural investment and enterprise development in the sector

• Generating, analyzing and disseminating information on agricultural investments and enterprise development in the sector;

• Building the capacity of farmers and  other stakeholders for development of agribusiness in the agriculture sector;

• Establishing and operationalizing collaborative mechanisms with national regional and international organizations for agriculture investment and enterprise development;

• Formulating, reviewing and implementing plans and strategies for commodity value chain analysis;

• Identifying public sector investments needed to stimulate private sector investments;

• Establishing commodity stakeholder platforms and frameworks to manage implementation of commodity value chain analysis/recommendations.

Supporting projects to the Department

1. Establishment of Agro Processing and Marketing of Agricultural Products (APM) Project

• The overall objective of the project is to develop a rural community based agro processing and marketing strategy for agricultural products in domestic, regional, and international markets for increased incomes and food security.

• The achievements registered under the APM Project are culminating from activities that are supporting the pilot agro processing demonstration facilities

• Mobilization and training of  farmer groups including youth and women. The mobilized groups are trained in sustainable market linkages, group dynamics, postharvest handling along the rice and maize value chains as to sustainably supply the agro processing pilot demonstration centres.

• Development of graining Marketing model for the farmers produce and the processed products. 

• Agro-Economic Impact Deepening

The overall objective is to strengthen existing agriculture production, commercial practices and enhance the supply chain of agricultural goods and and developing market opportunities in the region and beyond. Therefore, the project covers the whole agriculture value chain including inputs, production, processing, collection and marketing of the products.

• The project has developed the agricultural investment profile to all the stakeholders interested in the investment in the agricultural sector in the region.

• The project conducted the comprehensive needs assessment for the communities in Western  region.

• Survey on producer opportunities and consumer demands for major commodities in Western Uganda completed.

• A database of private sector actors and commercial farmers and organizations engaged in production, value addition and marketing of priority enterprises is being zoned including, poultry, maize, beans, dairy and beef developed.

1. Agricultural Cluster Development :Market linkages, Post-Harvest Handling, Storage and Value addition
   This component intends to support activities and investments to improve marketing and post-harvest handling of farm produce at Rural Producer Organisations (RPOs) and Area-based Commodity Cooperative Enterprises (ACCE) levels.
   It will further foster market linkages through productive alliances and support measures to eliminate bottlenecks and trouble spots in rural access roads, critical for the movement of farm produce to market.

The component has three subcomponents:

Sub Component 2.1;

This sub component will address the ‘software’ elements of institutional development and capacity building for improved market linkages, including the formation and strengthening of farmer organizations (Rural Producer Organisations, Area-based Commodity Cooperative Enterprises (ACCEs).

• Hold engagement meetings to link Value Chain Stakeholders

• Developed ToR for capacity building in Institutional development and Agribusiness;

• Strengthening and capacity building support will be provided to farmer organisations to enhance their abilities to manage business enterprises effectively, to scale up their operations and improve profitability

Sub-component 2.2

• This sub component will support ‘hardware’ infrastructure investments for post-harvest and market infrastructure, ware houses, primary storages, processing and value addition, through matching grants, direct financing and productive alliances.

• Developed ToR for matching grants managers

• Developed matching grants manuals

• Trained DLG in preparing Business plans.

Youth engagement in Agricultural value chains

Objective: The overall objective of the project is to empower and equip the youth with technical skills and resources to engage in agricultural activities along the value chain to enhance their socio economic potential.

• The department developed the National Strategy for Youth Employment in Agriculture value chains as the decent method of employment for the growing population of the youth in the country through; It has 5 thematic areas: Ensuring an enabling environment for youth employment in agriculture, Support youth oriented agricultural extension, Improving youth education and learning, Support Youth enterprise and entrepreneurship, Adaptation to and mitigation of agribusiness risk and uncertainties.

• Implementation of the strategy: Youth Champions selected and trained in Agribusiness. The trained youth are now inspiring other youth in Agriculture value chains.

• Prepared two project proposals to support youth in agriculture value chains.

1. Food Processing Technology transfer Project at National Agricultural Research Laboratories Kawanda.
   Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries in partnership with Korea Rural Community Corporation KRC is implementing Food Processing Technology Transfer Project at National Research Laboratories (NARL) Kawanda. The project is into food processing of maize, rice and soy bean into instant food products.

The objectives of the project are;

• To contribute to the development of the grain value chain and disseminating grain processing technologies.

• To promote an incubation center that supports food research, capacity building and production of processed foods.

Key Achievements of the Project

• Mobilized and selected Soy bean Farmer groups

• Capacity building of farmer groups in post-harvest handling.

• Trained Food Processing Incubatees

• Procured office equipment

• Project is going to install complete food processing equipment and a bakery equipment in Isingiro District.

THE AGRICULTURAL INVESTMENT UNIT AND THE AGRO- PROCESSING COMPETITIVENESS PROJECT.

CECICOJU has established an Agricultural Investment Unit (AIU) under the Department of Agricultural Investment and Enterprise Development (DAIED). The Agricultural Investment Unit was established on 1st January 2020.

Overall Objectives of the Unit

"To assist in coordinating and promoting agribusiness, with emphasis on value addition and act as an initiative to link and create synergies between CECICOJU,  the Private Sector and Development Partners on issues of promoting agribusiness and value addition."

Key functions

• Coordinating and promoting agribusiness value addition initiatives between CECICOJU  the Private Sector and Development Partners.

• Creating awareness about agricultural credit facilities available to the Private Sector.

• Assisting SMEs and farmers in formulating project proposals to access agricultural credit facilities.

• Assisting SMEs and farmers throughout the processes of accessing agricultural credit facilities and following up on successful applicants

• Updating and keeping inventory of all agribusiness enterprises in THE area.

• Providing technical support to all farmers  with value addition initiatives

• Undertaking strategic studies on value addition of key commodities.

• Agro-Processing Competitiveness Project

The development objective of the Agro-Processing Competitiveness Project is to improve business environment in agribusiness sector and increase productivity of targeted agro‐processing firms Uganda. . The project comprises of three components. The first component is promote enabling environment for agro‐processing sector competitiveness and growth of agribusiness firms. It consists of following sub-components: (i) enabling business regulations for competitive agro‐processing; (ii) targeted retention and expansion of agribusiness investors and export promotion agency ,

and (iii) building institutional capabilities in to improve market access for small and medium enterprises (SMEs); and (iv) support to ministry of trade and industry (MTI), ministry of agriculture and forestry (MAF), and small and medium enterprises development agency (SMEDA) for stronger SME coordination. The second component is firm‐level support to increase productivity and strengthen competitiveness of agro-processing firms and SMEs in selected value chains. It consists of following sub-components: (i) firm‐level technical assistance (TA) and capacity building of ecosystem players; and (ii) provision of matching grants to SMEs. The third component is project implementation, coordination, and monitoring and evaluation (M and E).