The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a multilateral agency established in 1945 with the mandate to monitor the global supplies of food, fibre and forest products and to enhance their production. It is a source of knowledge and information, and also helps developing countries to modernize and improve agriculture, fisheries and forestry practices, to ensure good nutrition and food security for all.
FAO and Uganda have a long history of cooperation. The Organization’s technical assistance in the country began as early as 1959 in the areas of aquaculture development and livestock disease control. Cooperation has increased since the opening of FAO’s representation in 1981, with interventions comprising national policy and programme formulation, agricultural and rural development projects, and emergency and rehabilitation assistance. More recently, emphasis has been given to building resilience to the effects of climate change.
FAO’s cooperation with Uganda Government is shaped by the Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2015-2019, jointly developed with the Government and other partners.
The CPF is a joint framework which forms the basis for strategic cooperation over the next five years between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of the Republic of Uganda. The CPF is fully aligned with national and regional development priorities as well as the UN Development Assistance Framework for Uganda.
Over the years, the stature and influence of FAO in Uganda has grown considerably. Currently, the country programme comprises well over 20 projects with a combined budget of close to 80 million USD, which makes FAO one of Uganda’s significant development partners. FAO projects are mainly field-based, addressing on-ground pertinent issues.
Until 2010, FAO’s support programme emphasized emergency and rehabilitation following two decades of insurgency in Northern and North Eastern Uganda. The current CPF however, focuses more on long-term development objectives aimed at revitalizing agricultural production and productivity and spurring economic development for the country.
FAO Uganda therefore falls under the Development Programme. FAO’s development interventions aim to support and build resilient agriculture-based livelihoods. Our interventions focus on crops, livestock, fisheries, forestry and their interaction with the environment, Climate change and building resilience. Further, FAO gives guidance in drafting effective legislation and creating national strategies to achieve transformational development and alleviate hunger.
There are currently about 84 people working for FAO Uganda. About 35 are based in the capital Kampala, with regular travels to the field.
The Representation counts with:
- International staff: 24
- National staff: 60
- HQ staff: 38
- Field staffs: 45 (including Chinese Co-operants)
Representation
- Mr. Alhaji Jallow
FAO Country Representative - Dr. Massimo Castiello
Deputy Representative
PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS
The CPF 2015 – 2019 focuses on three areas of priority congruence with the Government priorities of the same duration, and takes advantage of FAOs comparative advantage, technical competence and niche.
Priority area 1. Production and productivity of agriculture, forestry and fisheries commodities
FAO and the Government will work with farmers and pastoralists to increase their access to quality seeds, tools, livestock breeds, veterinary drugs and care, and knowledge through training. The farmers will be supported to engage in commercial production, value addition and marketing, while the traders and their associations will be supported to access business and financial knowledge and services, as well as facilitate their access to trade knowledge and standards. The public and private institutions will be supported to improve their capacity in service provision, oversight and regulation and sustainable natural resources management.
Priority area 2. Agricultural knowledge and information
FAO will work with institutions and actors involved in acquisition and management of agriculture sector related information on production, marketing, trade, environmental among others to generate sufficient and credible data and information for decision making.
Working with institutions such as Uganda Bureau of Statistics, ministerial departments responsible for planning, communication and advocacy, public universities, public and private information service providers to address the existing weaknesses in knowledge and information management systems and accessibility mechanisms, characterized by delayed, infrequent or incomplete update, and/or inadequate coverage, scope and disaggregation of national agricultural and Food Security and Nutrition statistics.
Priority area 3. Resilience to livelihood threats with emphasis on climate change
The emerging phenomenon of climate change has been recognized as a major threat to agriculture. The climate change consequences that affect agriculture include rising temperatures, pest and disease incidents, water shortages, extreme weather events and loss of biodiversity. These cause reduction in crop productivity, and its associated effects of reduced food and income security and therefore vulnerability of communities.
FAO will work with line ministries and institutions such as the National Early Warning Systems in the Office of Prime Minister, and Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Climate Change Department in the Ministry of Water and Environment, other UN agencies, academia, private sector, and civil society to strengthen the absorptive, adaptive and transformative capacities of the system by actively understanding the risks and how they impact on systems; determining the levels at which those risks are best managed; applying a set of resilience principles to strengthen the system’s capacity to absorb shocks or adapt and transform so as to reduce exposure to shocks.
IMPLEMENTED PROJECTS
Project list
Priority area 1. Production and productivity of agriculture, forestry and fisheries commodities increased
Technical Assistance under the South-South Cooperation with the People’s Republic of China in support of the Agricultural Sector Strategy Plan in the Republic of Uganda: Phase 2
Securing tenure rights for forest landscape-dependent communities: linking science with policy to advance tenure security, SFM and people’s livelihoods – CIFOR (MSP)
Priority area 2. Agricultural Knowledge and Information
Strengthening Resilience and Adaptive Capacity of Agro-Pastoral communities and the Local Government to Reduce Impacts of Climate Risk on Livelihoods in Karamoja, Uganda
CountrySTAT for Sub-Saharan Africa: Strengthening the CountrySTAT System established in 17 Sub-Saharan African Countries – Phase II of GCP/GLO/208/BMG (Grant OPPGD1452)
Implementation of a national reference scenario and inventory of forest resources for REDD+ readiness in Uganda
FMM support to SO3 – 002 (MTP 2014-2017) – The rural poor have greater opportunities to access decent farm and non-farm employment
Priority area 3. Resilience to livelihood threats with emphasis on climate change
Improving food, nutrition and income security and asset based of vulnerable households in refugee settlements in northern and Western Uganda
FAO Representation in Uganda
Plot 88 Buganda Road, Wandegeya
P.O. Box 521, Kampala
Tel: +256 414 349916/7
+256 414 340324/5
Fax: +256 414 250579
Email: [email protected]
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