1. Small holder farmers agency in National
and Regional Policies: Opportunities
and challenges
http://www.aft-u.org/images/slider/AFT.gif
Morrison Rwakakamba
Agency for Transformation (AfT)
www.aft-u.org

2. Farmers or Diggers: The state of
agriculture in Uganda: The story of Mrs.
Apuli in Kamwenge

3. Policy environment should be understood from 3
angles; a)Formulation b) Execution and c)
Monitoring
Formulation: Are family farmers involved? If so at
what level? Are their thoughts incorporated in the
available cartel of blue prints?
Execution: Are the above policy intentions
translated into actions that have improve livelihood
security and wellbeing of family farmers?
Monitoring: Are family farmers holding
government (guarantor of policy) to account?
-----Dealing with the question of AGENCY--------

4. Policies not supporting economic interests of small-scale farmers
- Inhibitive market access regime eg (for one to sell few Kilos of maize in Kenya);
Certificate Access points
Certificate of analysis from a Uganda Bureau of Standards and Chemipher (U) Ltd,
recognized laboratory Acacia road, Kansanga off Gaba road
Phyto sanitary certificate Plant Health Services (Ministry of Agriculture, Animal
Industry and Fisheries)
Fumigation certificate Issued by firms registered by agricultural chemicals
board
Certificate of Origin (EAC/COMESA) Issued by Uganda Export Promotion Board and until
2010 by The Uganda National Chamber of Commerce
and Industry at UGX 3000
Certificate of conformity Issued by Uganda Bureau of Standards after the
consignment has been cleared for quality ready for
export.

5. Obstacles to small-scale producer agency
in policy making
Lack or ineffective use of spaces to shape policies
- Example of participation in the Budget process – Is it
effective?
- Weak representation in the policy process
- Lack of capacity for knowledge-based advocacy
- Representation without agency

6. Democratic Budget process and ritualism!
MFPED holds the first Budget Workshop: announces;
Indicative Sector Ceilings, Budget & SWG Guidelines
(Oct / Nov)
MFPED releases the approved allocation to
respective MDAs. The realised funds are MFPED holds consultative meetings SWG meetings are held: Prepare Sector BFP
monitored and expenditure audited (Aug - June) with LGs: -Indicative Budget Ceilings & revised MTEF, and allocations within the
& national Budget priorities ceiling (Dec/ Jan)
(Nov /Dec)
Parliament scrutinises the national proposal
Inter-ministerial
budget allocations & approves the budget – final Consultation
allocations (June- Aug) (Jan / Feb)
MFPED compiles a National BFP and
The President delivers the Budget Speech (before updates the MTEF
15th June) (Jan / Feb)
Cabinet finally approved the budget Public Expenditure Review
(May /June) Meeting (April)
MFPED Finalises the Budget Allocations
/MTEF (April /May)
President submits the NBFP to Parliament (by 1st MFPED submits the NBFP to Cabinet for
April). Parliament reviews the proposals and discussion and approval of NBFP and /
submits recommendations to the President MTEF ( March /April)
(April/May)

7. Institutional weakness resulting inadequate
policy implementation:
-Where is the one stop center for agriculture policy in
Uganda?
-Policies are as numerous as institutions that run
them – hence clash of mandates, duplications and
wastage: Take the example of NAADS in Uganda:
For example, the Auditor General’s report of 2008 reveals
that only 37.1 percent of the total money spent on NAADS
may be considered as useful expenditure. And yet, since
the inception to June 2006, it is estimated that a total of
US$ 107 million has been spent on NAADS activities
(Auditor General 2008)

8. Evasive budget architecture
• The meager allocation to agriculture
sector (But is the little working?)
• Burgeoning public administration cost
• The new trend of supplementary budgets
• Lack of effective budget monitoring

9. The Budget Architecture
High Expenditure on Overhead than Service Delivery
Trends in national budget allocations by workstream
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50% Service expansion
Service Delivery
40% Overhead
Capacity building
30%
20%
10%
0%
Budget Releases Budget Releases Budget Releases Budget Releases Budget Releases Budget Releases Budget Releases Budget
2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11
Source: Author’s Calculations based on data from MFPED.

10. Run-away public spending on public administration
Public administration sectors took over 35% of the
national Budget in 2009/10 compared to 25% in 2003/04
Trends in national budget allocations
Public Admin
40% sectors (Public
Admin., Parliament
m PSM, Acc'ty)
35% 35%
Social Sectors
(Educ, health, water
30%
)
25% 25%
Productive
22% (Agric, Energy, Road
20% s, Tourism, ICT)
15% 15%
Security
10%
6%
5% Arrears + Interest
payments
0%
2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11
Source: Author’s Calculations based on data from MFPED.

11. Run-away public spending on public administration
There has been tremendous growth in the budget of Parliamentary
commission and State house…
Trends in Budget allocations to select institutions
320,000,000
280,996,195
280,000,000
240,000,000
200,000,000
160,000,000
120,000,000
94,196,465
80,000,000
41,384,364 45,923,911
40,000,000
-
2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11
Office of the President State House Parliamentary Commission
Source: Author’s Calculations based on data from MFPED.

12. Regular supplementary budgets to mainly consumptions
sectors
Trends in Supplementary Budget Approvals (2005-
2012)
Trends in Supplementary Budget Allocations per sector: Percentage
100.0
0.1
16.5
Others
22.0 6.6
80.0 32.5
21.1 Local Governments
10.2
28.2
34.8 Interest Payments
60.0 25.9
28.1 20.7 Public Admin. + PSM
36.8 6.8
Justice, Law & Order
40.0 14.6
23.1
Health
11.9
28.0
20.0 36.7
Education
24.9
17.8
15.6
Security
4.3
2.0
0.0
2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11
Source: Author’s Calculations based on data from MFPED.

13. Reshaping the debate/ digging out opportunities
-Farmers must stop agonizing and begin to organize for
collective agency
- Farmers must begin to advocate for themselves/ exercise
agency
- Urgent need for the knowledge-based advocacy
- Urgency to harness information technology to solve problems
- Small holder farmers actors in the market and not victims –
The victim mentality must stop
- See Nine Points ………