CSOs urge government to step up fight against malnutrition
Daily Monitor
Civil Society Organisations have urged the government to increase the health budget and implement its commitments in the fight against malnutrition. Organisations under the Uganda Civil Society Coalition on the Scaling up of Nutrition (UCCO-SUN) highlighted four aspects that government must fulfil if everyone in the country is to access proper nutrition. “The government needs to utilise the aid we get, make sure that all big companies pay taxes, avail farmers with land, stop illegal evictions and fight corruption,” Ms Muniira Mbabazi, a nutritionist with Uganda Action for Nutrition, said.
Strong Africa coffee outlook boosts bean surplus
Agrimoney.com
Africa's coffee producers are coming good just when ample supplies are depressing international market prices – although values in Kenya are so strong that stealing beans has become a major industry headache. Africa's eastern coffee-growing heartland, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, will produce a record 11.9m bags of beans in 2013-14, US Department of Agriculture foreign staff said. The crop, sufficient to support exports of nearly 8.5m bags, also an all-time high, will add extra supplies to a world market already struggling to cope with existing availability - especially of the Arabica beans most commonly produced in the region.
How a Ugandan company manages 12000 farmers
www.howwemadeitinafrica.com
Divine Masters Limited is a Uganda-based business involved in the production and trade of soya beans, maize and rice. The company was started in 2007 by entrepreneur Orisa Raphael Jawino and currently works with 12,000 out-grower farmer families. In addition, Divine Masters also has its own central farms in the Tororo District of eastern Uganda, which produced over 500 tonnes of soya beans, 2,000 tonnes of maize and 5,000 tonnes of rice crops last year. Managing so many farmers does come with its challenges, but Divine Masters has tackled some of these issues by organising its farmers into 300 groups, consisting of between 30 and 500 farmers per group.
Malnutrition kills more than 3 million children every year - study
Thomson Reuters Foundation
Nearly half of all deaths among children under five - 3.1 million deaths a year - are caused by malnutrition, according to a new series of reports released on Thursday. The 2013 Lancet series on maternal and child nutrition also estimated that stunting, a form of malnutrition which causes a child to be too small for his or her age, affected at least 165 million children worldwide in 2011, with Africa and Asia showing the highest prevalence. The articles in the Lancet can be downloaded here: http://www.thelancet.com/series/maternal-and-child-nutrition.
Also see a write-up on the contributions of IFPRI researchers to the Lancet series, plus an IFPRI infographic drawn from the series here: http://www.ifpri.org/blog/lead-g8-launch-lancet-seminal-series-undernutrition
Agricultural and food policy research
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Institutional constraints to agriculture development in Uganda
L Bategeka, J Kiiza, I Kasirye - 2013
Since the early 1990s, Uganda has implemented a number of reforms in the agricultural sector. However, in the past 10 years, the performance of the sector has lagged behind other sectors particularly services and industry. There are concerns among researchers and policy analysts that institutional constraints in agriculture play a central role in the lacklustre agricultural performance registered during the 2000s. This study examines the institutional constraints affecting agricultural production in Uganda. We recommend reforming the land tenure system as well as the architecture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries as means of dealing with the major constraints.
Prioritizing rural investments in Africa: A hybrid evaluation approach applied to Uganda
K Pauw, J Thurlow - WIDER Working Paper No. 2013/060
Prioritizing public investments requires information on relative returns that are difficult to derive from disparate evaluation studies. This paper presents a ‘hybrid’ approach that combines ex post evaluation data with an economy-wide model for experimenting ex ante with alternative investment portfolios within a consistent, structural framework. The approach is used to evaluate rural investments in Uganda. Agricultural research and extension services are found to be much more effective at promoting economic growth and poverty reduction than either rural feeder roads or irrigation infrastructure. This suggests that the government’s recent shift in emphasis from extension services to irrigation is potentially misguided.
AM Brown – CIGI-Africa Initiative Policy Brief Series, 2013
Uganda will release its first NUP in late 2013. This policy brief points to the gaps and silences in Uganda’s urban strategy, specifically those linked to food security and gender. Urban food security and gender are critical factors needing full integration in the National Urban Policy (NUP) if it is to address the needs of the poorest residents of Uganda’s cities. Without attention to the inequalities of power and the subsequent gradations of poverty within communities, Uganda’s NUP will be ineffective in reaching marginalized groups within the poor. A focus on economic opportunities, better administration and slum upgrades will not meet the larger challenges of urban food security, which differ substantially from food insecurity in rural areas.
Agriculture and small towns in Africa
P Dorosh, J Thurlow - Agricultural Economics, 2013
Africa is urbanizing rapidly. Yet most dual economy models focus on the sectoral rather than spatial dimensions of development. This article adopts a “dual–dual” approach to measuring rural/urban and farm/nonfarm linkages. We develop an economy-wide model of Ethiopia that distinguishes between cities, towns, and rural areas. We find larger linkages between agricultural production and small towns and show that redirecting urban growth toward towns rather than cities leads to broader-based economic growth and poverty reduction. In contrast, industry and services, particularly within cities, are far less effective in reaching rural areas and the poor. Africa's current urbanization pattern—toward major cities rather than towns—will weaken national growth–poverty linkages. Urbanization that takes advantage of the synergistic relationship between agriculture and small towns has the potential to result in a more inclusive growth trajectory.
Agriculture as a sector of opportunity for young people in Africa
K Brooks, S Zorya, A Gautam, A Goyal - World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, 2013
Employment and job creation remain front-page issues around the world. The need for jobs is especially acute when large numbers of young people enter the labor force and seek employment. Africa south of the Sahara has a large and growing population of young people yet little job creation in the formal sector. The employment challenge in this region is therefore not just one of creating jobs in the wage sector – important as that may be – but of creating opportunities for productive activity of the 70-80 percent of workers in agriculture and informal nonfarm enterprises. This paper sheds light on how to harvest the “youth dividend” in Sub-Saharan Africa by creating jobs in agriculture. The agriculture that attracts the youth will have to be profitable, competitive, and dynamic. These are the same characteristics needed for agriculture to deliver growth, to improve food security, and to preserve a fragile natural environment. With higher priority accorded to implementation of well-designed public investments in agriculture, continued progress on regulatory and policy reform, and attention to assure inclusion of young people in Africa’s agricultural renaissance, the sector’s handsome youth dividend can be collected and widely shared.
MPs decry declining agriculture sector performance
Red Pepper
Members of Parliament have expressed concern over the declining performance of agriculture and national food and nutrition in the country. Under the Parliamentary Forum on food security, population and development, Suleiman Balyejjusa, the Budiope West MP notes that agricultural sector performance has been steadily declining from 7.9 percent in 2000 to 3.1 percent in 2011.
'Big-headed' cotton dealers risk losing their licences for questioning diversion of resources
Daily Monitor
Cotton dealers who question how their financial contributions to the Cotton Development Fund (CDF) are managed could lose their cotton ginning and export licences. The Uganda Cotton Ginners and Exporters Association (UGCEA) wants the Cotton Development Organisation (CDO) to exclude such operators, claiming they could “destabilise the [cotton] sector”. Over the last six months, however, some ginners have asked for refunds because of claims that Shs500million of their contributions in 2011 went to some political slush fund. UGCEA’s finance and administration manager Salome Namono has on two occasions declined to comment on the issue.
Parasite-resistant maize developed by Kenyan scientist
SciDev.Net
Two new varieties of hybrid maize that are resistant to the deadly parasitic Striga weed have been developed by a Kenyan scientist. The weed affects cereal crops in many parts of Africa and is a major cause of crop failure in East Africa, where climate change has been driving its spread in recent years. Mathews Dida, a maize breeder in the school of agriculture and food security at Maseno University, developed two maize varieties that produce a natural chemical that suppresses the growth of Striga weed, also known as witch-weed. Striga weed destroys crops estimated to be worth US$10-38 million per year in Kenya.
Traditional knowledge 'can enable precision farming'
SciDev.Net
Farmers in developing countries could take advantage of the emerging field of precision farming without needing the expensive technology usually associated with it, a geostatistics expert says. Crop yields could be improved by applying traditional knowledge to mirror precision techniques such as using the satellite Global Positioning System (GPS) to analyse farm land, says Margaret Oliver. "By working on the same area for years, they can map the soil like GPS would do, knowing which corners are more or less productive, which are drier or wetter."
The State of Food and Agriculture 2013
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
The FAO recently published its annual report on global food and agriculture issues, focusing on the theme of “Food systems for better nutrition”. Among the key messages in the report are that, food systems offer many opportunities for interventions leading to improved diets and better nutrition, and that . agricultural production and productivity growth remain essential for better nutrition, but more can be done. The authors also make the case that better governance of food systems at all levels, facilitated by high-level political support, is needed to build a common vision to address malnutrition globally.
Agricultural and food policy research
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New IFPRI policy notes on fertilizer supply in Uganda, Tanzania, and Mozambique
Last year, three IFPRI discussion papers were published on fertilizer supply in Uganda, Tanzania, and Mozambique, respectively. Now 4-page policy notes have been developed from each discussion paper to better meet the needs of certain segments of the audience for this research. The policy notes can be downloaded from the IFPRI website:
The supply of inorganic fertilizers to smallholder farmers in Uganda
The supply of inorganic fertilizers to smallholder farmers in Tanzania
The supply of inorganic fertilizers to smallholder farmers in Mozambique
Leaping and learning: linking smallholders to markets
S Wiggins & S Keat - Overseas Development Institute (ODI), 2013
This report provides a comprehensive review of the existing literature on smallholder-centred market-based interventions. Developing smallholder agriculture can be effective in reducing poverty and hunger in low income countries but only through sustainable access to markets can poor farmers increase the income from their labour and lift themselves and their families out of poverty. Most poor farmers are not linked to markets for a variety of reasons: remoteness, low production, low farm-gate prices, and lack of information, to name a few. Addressing and overcoming these market failures in order to increase smallholder farmers’ access to markets was the subject of this research project. In short, the project aimed to answer the question: how can smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa use a combination of agricultural growth and links to markets to raise their incomes and reduce poverty and hunger?
Postharvest agriculture in changing climates: its importance to African smallholder farmers
T Stathers, R Lamboll, BM Mvumi - Food Security, 2013
Climate change and variability affect not only the field stages and yields of crops, but also what happens to them after harvest. There has been little discussion of the impacts of climate change on postharvest agriculture, and still less on these impacts in developing countries. Many studies have focused on potential crop yield and pre-harvest implications of different climatic projections, but have omitted an analysis of the need and ability to then protect this increasingly valuable harvest as a vital aspect of food security. Postharvest systems will be affected by changes in temperature, rainfall, humidity, extreme events and the natural and human responses to climate change and variability. This study describes typical grain postharvest systems in east and southern Africa and discusses the likely impacts of different climate change trends on postharvest activities, assets and human well-being outcomes.
MPs want NAADS board put in place
New Vision
House agriculture committee has tasked the Minister of Agriculture to explain the delay in the formation of the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) programme board. MPs said the absence of the board had negatively affected the implementation of NAADS and sector’s policies. “Can the minister explain why the NAADS board is not in place because a number of things are not moving well within the sector? We need an update on that,” demanded Ngora MP Francis Epetait.
African countries must improve livestock data
SciDev.Net
Good data are crucial for identifying effective public and private sector investment opportunities, and in helping to improve the livelihoods of smallholder livestock producers in Africa, according to 'Livestock Data Innovation in Africa' initiative. "We are striving to improve data information on livestock in Africa so as to exploit the continent's potential in livestock for improved exportation of livestock products," said Ibrahim Gashash Ahmed, manager at the AU's Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources. The project is being piloted in Tanzania, Uganda and Niger.
Netherlands govt and dfcu sign letter of intent for finance agriculture
Daily Monitor
Farmers have a reason to smile as more commercial banks are developing growing interest into funding agriculture. Agriculture has suffered inadequate financial support and because of this Uganda despite being resourcefully endowed has not been able to exploit its potential. In a bid to stimulate growth in the sector, dfcu, Rabo Development, and the Netherlands government have signed a letter of intent that forms the basis for future cooperation in developing agro- and retail-financing at dfcu.
Dairy farmers get Sh21 billion grant
New Vision
Dairy farmers in the Southwestern region have received a sh21 billion grant to boost milk production in the region. The funding from Agribusiness Initiative Trust (aBi Trust) is to be used to support 128 dairy farmers' societies through Uganda Crane Creameries Cooperative Union (UCCCU) to implement a project dubbed cold chain. It will enable the societies to acquire items which include; 100 milk coolers, 100 generators, milk testing kits, laboratory kits, 1500 milk cans, 10 insulated milk tanks and 4 refrigerated trucks.
Agricultural and food policy research
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Scope for improved eco-efficiency varies among diverse cropping systems
PS Carberry, W Liang, S Twomlow, DP Holzworth, JP Dimes, T McClelland, NI Huth, F Chen, Z Hochman, & BA Keating – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2013.
Global food security requires eco-efficient agriculture to produce the required food and fiber products concomitant with ecologically efficient use of resources. This eco-efficiency concept is used to diagnose the state of agricultural production in China (irrigated wheat–maize double-cropping systems), Zimbabwe (rainfed maize systems), and Australia (rainfed wheat systems). More than 3,000 surveyed crop yields in these three countries were compared against simulated grain yields at farmer-specified levels of nitrogen (N) input. Three questions are addressed. First, how close are farmers to the production frontier of attainable yields set by their current levels of input investment? Second, based on this assessment, what crop intensification pathways are likely to lead to increased food production, and how will they differ between systems? Finally, can such intensification pathways encompass environmental benefits? This paper shows that pathways for achieving improved eco-efficiency will differ among diverse cropping systems.
JO Bukenya, TS Hyuha, J Molnar & J Twinamasiko - Aquaculture Economics & Management, 2013
The study draws on data from a field survey administered to 200 small-scale fish farmers in three major fish farming districts in Central Uganda: Mukono, Mpigi and Wakiso. Productive efficiency was analyzed using stochastic frontier analysis with a translog production function while assuming a truncated-normal distribution for the inefficiency term. The output variable was total quantity of fish produced, while input variables were quantity or value of inputs used in the production process, namely labor, pond size, stocking density, capital and feeds. The estimated index of resource-use efficiency revealed that small-scale farmers were inefficient in resource allocation by over-utilizing labor and grossly under-utilized pond size, feeds and fingerlings. The results suggest that there is considerable scope to expand output and also productivity by increasing production efficiency at the relatively inefficient farms and sustaining the efficiency of those operating at or closer to the frontier.
C Blattman, N Fiala, & S Martinez – Social Science Research Network, 2013
Existing evidence from established entrepreneurs shows that grants lead to business growth on the intrinsic margin. Little of this evidence, however, speaks to the young and unemployed, and how to grow employment on the extensive margin — especially transitions from agriculture to cottage industry. We study a large, randomized, relatively unconditional cash transfer program in Uganda, one designed to stimulate such structural change. We follow thousands of young adults two and four years after receiving grants equal to annual incomes. Most start new skilled trades. Labor supply increases 17%. Earnings rise nearly 50%, especially women’s. Patterns of treatment heterogeneity are consistent with credit constraints being relieved. Finally, we go beyond economic returns and look for social externalities. Despite huge economic effects, we see little impact on cohesion, aggression, and collective action (peaceful or violent). This challenges a body of theory and rationale for employment programs, but suggest the impacts on poverty and structural change alone justify public investment.
Uganda ranked Africa's top coffee exporter
Daily Monitor
Uganda is the leading coffee exporter in Africa, beating Ethiopia the continent's leading producer in the region. Ethiopia produced more but exported less because a large part of its output is consumed locally, unlike in Uganda where domestic consumption is less than 2 percent.
NAADS must stay, says minister Bucyanayandi
New Vision
In this interview with the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries, Hon. Bucyanayandi, he answers questions on a range of topics, including the future of NAADS and strengthening the extension system to deliver efficient services to the farmers; a commodity approach to boost agricultural production; mechanizing agriculture in Uganda; and shortages of improved seed and planting materials.
Women's engagement in the emerging oil sector in Uganda
Oil in Uganda newsletter
The Oil in Uganda website, which seeks to provide regular, timely and accurate information on the social, economic, governance and environmental dimensions of Uganda’s oil and gas exploration and production, has published a new newsletter issue. This issue delves into the key gender issues in the oil and gas industry, highlighting the possible ways in which oil activities may affect women differently from men. It shows how some women have benefited from the oil and gas industry, through jobs and business opportunities. One article discusses how women farmers in Hoima district have entered into the ready market for fresh produce in the oil camps. (Also see Hoima farmers seize the moment-with some Irish help.)
The newsletter can be directly downloaded here: http://www.oilinuganda.org/?file_id=5.
Govt asks investors to focus on agriculture
New Vision
Government has asked investors to stop branding the agricultural sector as a risky area to invest if the country is to address the key destabilizing challenge of agricultural risks. The call was made by the Minister of State for Animal Industry Rwamirama. He said that many investors have been dodging to invest in the sector which employs the largest population of Ugandans claiming that the agricultural sector is risky thus cannot easily give back returns. He admitted that sometimes there may be production risks which may be taken for granted until calamity strikes, but planning beforehand can improve the situation.
Cattle farmers to construct 18bn modern abattoir
New Vision
Cattle farmers have finalized preparations for the establishment of a sh18b ($7m) modern abattoir to enable them export meat products abroad. The farmers, under their cooperative the Uganda Meat Producers Cooperative Union, have agreed to build an abattoir that meets international standards. A UMPCU official Dr Francis Jumba noted that local cattle farmers will get double the price of their meat products and carcasses, when the project kicks off.
Agricultural and food policy research
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The Emperor has no data! - Agricultural statistics in sub-Saharan Africa
C Carletto, D Jolliffe, & R Banerjee – Conference paper - African economic development: Measuring success and failure, Vancouver, Canada, 18-20 April 2013
While the debate rages on how to best harness the still untapped potential of agriculture to reduce poverty in SSA, in this paper we tackle a more primordial, yet equally important, question: how much do we really know about the state of agriculture in Africa and its contribution to the “wealth of the nations”? As forcefully argued by Jerven (2013), we probably know less that we’d like to think. If that is the case, then a second question is in order: what can be done to reverse the situation? To that end, in this paper we describe a number of initiatives aimed at addressing the problem of quality of agricultural statistics in Africa and highlight selected work in the area of methodological research in agricultural data collection.
Also see http://mortenjerven.com/conference-program-2013/ for full list of conference presentations
An overview of (international) large-scale land transactions in the context of food security
S Saravia-Matus, J Delincé, SGY Paloma - JRC Scientific and Policy Reports, 2013
The report provides an overview of the scale, speed, drivers, key players and main expected consequences in terms of food security of the recent wave of (international) large-scale land transactions (LSLT) which has taken place at world level in the past years. Three basic steps were taken: i.) Assess whether and how the wave of land deals is a new phenomenon. This required developing a working definition of LSLT in order to identify actors and motives in both global and regional scenarios. ii.) Understand why this new wave of LSLT´s emerged and establish a connection to food security challenges. iii.) Reflect on the theoretical and empirical consequences of LSLT´s at productivity, environmental and social levels.
Estimating the potential economic benefits of adopting Bt cotton in selected COMESA countries
R Mulwa, D Wafula, M Karembu, M Waithaka – AgBio Forum, 2013
Cotton farmers in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) countries face pest challenges, the most destructive of which is the African bollworm. Reduction in these pest infestations can increase yields and improve welfare of cotton producers, consumers, and innovators. Currently, the control of bollworms in this region is done through application pesticides. A more effective and less costly way to control damage from bollworms and other insects is by adopting Bt cotton. Governments in COMESA region are debating whether to approve Bt cotton for commercial production. This decision requires empirical evidence showing the likely magnitude of anticipated gains for producers, consumers, and innovators of the technology. Using an economic surplus framework, this study shows that there are welfare gains from adopting Bt cotton in the region, and countries that are not adopting Bt cotton are losing.
Poverty reduction during the rural-urban transformation
L Christiaensen, Y Todo – World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, 2013
As countries develop, they restructure away from agriculture and urbanize. But structural transformation and urbanization patterns differ substantially, with some countries fostering migration out of agriculture into rural off farm activities and secondary towns, and others undergoing rapid agglomeration in mega cities. Using cross-country panel data for developing countries spanning 1980–2004, the analysis in this paper finds that migration out of agriculture into the missing middle (the rural nonfarm economy and secondary towns) yields more inclusive growth patterns and faster poverty reduction than agglomeration in mega cities. This suggests that patterns of urbanization deserve much more attention when striving for faster poverty reduction.
Poultry farmers get quality assurance laboratory
New Vision
Ugachick has launched a quality assurance laboratory. Speaking at the launch of the facility, Aga Sekalala Junior the Ugachick executive director, said the facility in Wakiso will approve the quality of the company’s chicks, feeds, raw materials and chicken farm facilities. He said the facility is expected to improve efficiency and productivity of Ugachick products and those of other industry players since all their samples will be tested at the facility. Sekalala said this will guarantee quality for customers because it will produce quantified and definitive measurements of products in line with international standards. “If a bird dies now, we can tell what it has died from,” he added.
Mobile phones unleash farmers in Uganda
CS Monitor
A powerful new mobile platform combining agriculture information and financial services specifically designed for smallholder farmers is going live in Uganda, helping farmers plow even more value from each acre. Based on AgriLife, a cloud-based platform, the platform will be accessible via mobile phone and provide two key, interconnected services: data collection and analysis about farmers’ production capability and history. It will also be an integration point for financial institutions, mobile network operators, produce buyers, and their agents to more efficiently provide much-needed services to distant, rural farmers.
More rains expected: A breakdown for each region
Daily Monitor
The rain season started as was predicted in most parts of the country during the third and fourth weeks of March and in the first week of April for the north. However, there has been heavier rainfall, which has impacted positively and negatively on various sectors. In agriculture, most farming communities took advantage to plant hence good harvests are expected. In pastoral areas, pastures improved and there was replenishment of water reservoirs. But in some areas, there were floods that claimed lives, displaced people and destroyed property. Increase in the wet conditions is expected as warm surface temperature across western Indian Ocean is likely to trigger the influx of moisture into Uganda. There is an increased likelihood of more rain than usual.
US nutrient-rich food producing firms plot for local market
Daily Monitor
A US based food and ingredient supplier has laid a plan that will involve improving Uganda’s legume crop market. The firm recently unveiled a plan that will seek to supply Ugandans with high nutritional value legumes and ingredients through direct partnerships with local businesses in the same line of trade. Other products that will make their way into the market include; dry beans, soy and US dehydrated potatoes. “We are looking to address the deficiency gap,” Mr Jim Hershey, the executive director of World Initiative for Soy in Human Health, said.
Agricultural and food policy research
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Soil health indicators: A case study with smallholder coffee farmers in Uganda
A Mentler, W Pohl, E Okalany, L Probst… - EGU General Assembly …, 2013
The study aimed to determine soil health indicators of 46 coffee smallholder farmers in the area of Mbale, Mount Elgon region (1200m ∼ 1900m) in the southeast of Uganda. Forty of these farmers are working under an organic farmers association and are certified. They are compared to six conventional coffee production systems. Topsoil and subsoil samples were collected from each farm and analyzed. A set of 33 quantitative and qualitative indicators was exclusively developed for coffee farmers to best describe a functioning ecosystem through social, economic and ecological indicators. There is a significant difference between the soil health indicators of organic and conventional coffee producers. The soil health indicator systems allowed to differentiate and to evaluate organic farms. Through the different management system of organic farmers they are able to create an ecofriendly environment and benefit through higher biological biodiversity in the farm ecosystem. The approach of agro-ecosystem health and soil health highlights the challenges of farmers in certain regions and can support certification schemes and therefore assist as a planning tool for regional development.
C Roberts – MSc Thesis, American University, 2013
This paper explores whether and in what ways barley farmers in Kapchorwa, Bukwa, and Kween Districts in eastern Uganda benefit from selling their produce to Nile Breweries and Uganda Breweries. It pays particular attention to the breweries' intended effects on respondents' incomes, expenditures, and access to credit, as well as the potential unintended consequences of barley production on respondents' alcohol consumption and environmental stewardship. The author relies both on narratives and on econometric analysis to draw conclusions about the effect of breweries' demand for raw materials on domestic small-holders.
Using mobile phones for nutrition surveillance: A review of evidence
I Barnett, JV Gallegos - IDS programme on Strengthening Evidence-based Policy report, 2013
Nutrition surveillance – or the systematic and periodic collection of information on nutrition – is vital to the capacity of governments and other agencies to track their progress towards reducing undernutrition, to promoting the accountability of their actions and to improving their ability to respond promptly to rapid changes in nutrition status brought about by food price volatility and other shocks. However, nutrition surveillance is expensive and logistically laborious and therefore often non-existent in resource-low countries. Consequently, monitoring of nutrition outcomes in real time and timely response to nutritional crises is often impossible. Mobile phone technologies could help to address many of these challenges and offer potential benefits such as (1) lower costs of data collection and transfer; (2) faster data transmission, analysis and dissemination; (3) improved data quality; (4) more transparent and inclusive data collection processes with the possibility of immediate feedback to households and communities.
Researchers tackle new pest challenge in maize breeding
Daily Monitor
Ugandan scientists who have been conducting research on drought-resistant maize varieties for the last three years, seem to be faced with the challenge of the stem borer, which is destroying farmers’ fields. The researchers from National Agricultural Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) in Namulonge are developing the maize varieties under the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project. But after noting infestation of the pest in most farmers’ fields throughout the country, they have included a strategy to curb the pest.
Govt told to set up agric banks...
New Vision
Government should establish agricultural and development banks in order for farmers to access funds at a lower interest rate to spur economic development in the country. The call was made by Nyabusozi MP Col. Fred Mwesigye and supported by the poverty eradication expert who is also a lecturer at Makerere University, Prof. Augustus Nuwagaba. “Government should put more money in agriculture banks to enable Ugandans to access funds with cheap interest rate. This will go a long way to solve the agriculture problem in the country,” Mwesigye said.
New cassava varieties give farmers hope...
New Vision
Cassava production in Uganda is largely affected by Cassava Mosaic and the Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD). Cassava mosaic affects mainly the leaves, which turn yellow consequently affecting the photosynthesis of the plant. This leads to poor yields. CBSD affects the roots turning them brown. Currently, geneticists and plant breeders are breeding new cassava varieties. The new variety is a cross between a breeder’s two desired varieties each with traits a breeder is looking for. The traits include drought and water resistance, pests and diseases resistance and high yielding traits.
Coffee farmers in Kamwenge, Kasese get subsidised seedlings..
New Vision
In Kasese district, coffee farmers are embarking on the planting season, with a giant share of the cost of coffee seedlings this season, again being met by the Hima Cement Ltd-funded coffee project. Hima pays sh300 for each seedling and a farmer tops up the money with sh50. Fundson Walina is one of the 15,000 beneficiaries in Kasese and Kamwenge districts of the project that started last year in April. In the 2012 September planting season, Walina planted 500 Arabica coffee seedlings. Living up in the Rwenzori ranges has greatly favoured his coffee. He lost only 30 trees.
Agricultural and food policy research
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A Dorward - CeDEP (Centre for Development, Environment and Policy) Working Paper, 2013.
There are strong conceptual linkages between agricultural development and nutrition improvements which may be categorised into three main pathways: the development, own-production and market pathways. Evidence on the efficacy of these pathways is mixed with some strong, some negative and some weak impacts. These findings reflect both the importance of agriculture for nutrition and the conditionality of that importance on contextual factors. They are also the result of insufficient high quality empirical research investigating these linkages. The most effective ‘pathways’ and interventions linking agricultural change to improved nutritional outcomes change with economic growth and development, with declining importance of the development and own production pathways and increasing importance of the market pathway. Substantial challenges in operationalizing agricultural-nutrition linkages need to be overcome to better exploit potential opportunities.
Nature special issue – 2013.
The introduction of the first transgenic plant 30 years ago heralded the start of a second green revolution, providing food to the starving, profits to farmers and environmental benefits to boot. Many genetically-modified (GM) crops fulfilled the promise. But their success has been mired in controversy with many questioning their safety, their profitability and their green credentials. A polarized debate has left little room for consensus. In this special issue, Nature explores the hopes, the fears, the reality and the future.
Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Joint Research Centre, European Commission – 2013.
Leading soil scientists from Europe and Africa have collaborated to produce the first ever Soil Atlas of Africa. The atlas shows the changing nature of soil across the continent. It explains the origin and functions of soil, describes the different soil types that can be found in Africa and their relevance to both local and global issues. The atlas also discusses the principal threats to soil and the steps being taken to protect soil resources. The Soil Atlas of Africa is more than just a normal atlas. It presents a new and comprehensive interpretation of an often neglected natural resource. The Soil Atlas of Africa is an essential reference to a non-renewable resource that is fundamental for life on this planet.
A digital version of the Soil Atlas of Africa can be downloaded from the web-page link above in three very large parts.
A new map of standardized terrestrial ecosystems of Africa
Sayre, R., P. Comer, et al. – Association of American Geographers, 2013.
Terrestrial ecosystems and vegetation of Africa were classified and mapped. To model the potential distribution of ecosystems, new continental datasets for several key physical environment data layers (including coastline, landforms, surficial lithology, and bioclimates) were developed at spatial and classification resolutions finer than existing similar data layers. Multi-scale ecosystems were classified and mapped in an increasingly detailed hierarchical framework using vegetation-based concepts of class, subclass, formation, division, and macrogroup levels. A total of 126 macrogroup types were mapped. The modeling effort was implemented at a base spatial resolution of 90 m.
The Africa-wide digital spatial data created through this mapping effort is available for free download, albeit very large downloads, at http://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/outgoing/ecosystems/AfricaData/.
New on-line weather and climate data resource for Uganda and the region
A free web-service for users in Uganda and neighboring areas, the aWhere Weather module provides access to local historical and forecast weather information. Daily weather surfaces are interpolated across the landscape resulting in weather information available at a 9km-by-9km resolution. In some regions, more than 10 years of history is available for visualization, analysis and download. Emailed daily or weekly weather reports are a key feature, allowing users to interact with weather data sent directly to them. For more information, aWhere has an on-line video to explain the features of the Weather module – Weather Module Video
Uganda Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis
Relief Web
The Uganda 2013 CFSVA was produced by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with the World Food Programme. This CFSVA establishes the distribution of food insecure and vulnerable households in terms of the human, social, physical and natural capital as well as detailing the various risks that households are exposed to and the coping mechanisms they employ. It evaluates the causal relationships between factors that determine food and nutrition security and the effects of seasonality on food security outcomes..
ABi Trust gets UShs 31 billion German fund
The Observer
The German government intends to succeed where its Ugandan counterpart and banks have failed miserably – offering money for agriculture and getting the farmers to take advantage of it. Through its development bank, Kfw, Germany has offered £8m to aBi Trust to manage the Uganda Rural Challenge Fund. The fund will run up to 2015. “The fund will be accessed by banks that are using innovative products to reach the rural population,” said Svend Jensen, aBi Trust’s managing director, at the launch of the fund last week at Sheraton hotel.
Lobby groups in Kenya want ban on GM foods lifted to boost maize stocks
The Standard Digital News, Kenya
Players in the cereals and bulk storage sector are pushing to have the ban on genetically modified foods lifted to pave way for the importation of about 600,000 metric tonnes of maize to plug a deficit responsible for the rising price of the staple. Concerns have also been raised that the ban of GMOs could prevent countries like the US, which has traditionally stepped in to supply Kenya with emergency food aid during drought or calamities like flooding, could be constrained by the decision.
World Bank stops supporting Uganda's budget
New Vision
The donor community is completely pulling out of budget support, Business Vision has learnt. Analysts say the development presents new opportunities for the country if well utilised. Senior sources from the World Bank country office this week confirmed that an official position will be circulated confirming the decision that was reached at the Spring meeting in Washington DC a few days ago. The Government has already got wind of the information. The World Bank is the largest multilateral lender extending almost half of the entire budget support funding given to Uganda by donors, which is close to 30%.
Agricultural and food policy research
Note that if you experience any trouble in downloading any of these research documents, you can contact us by return e-mail for assistance. We can offer no guarantees that we will be able to provide the document, but we may have other avenues to pursue to assist you.
Smallholder agriculture’s contribution to better nutrition
S Wiggins & S Keats - Overseas Development Institute (ODI), 2013
Despite their direct contribution to food production, small-scale farmers and their households are disproportionately vulnerable to these undernourishment and micronutrient deficiencies. This paper addresses the question of how smallholder agriculture that is sustainable can contribute to improving food security and reducing under-nutrition. With a review of the literature and using five country case studies- studies, we examine the contribution of smallholder agricultural development to attaining improved food security and nutrition, how development policy might strengthen its contribution, what complementary actions are needed, and what the political conditions for better policy may be. The report sets out 12 recommendations for food security and nutrition-sensitive smallholder agricultural development.
Tissue culture banana for smallholder farmers: lessons learnt from East Africa
T Dubois, Y Dusabe, M Lule, P Van Asten, D Coyne, J.-C. Hobayo, S. Nkurunziza, E. Ouma, N. Kabunga, M. Qaim, E. Kahangi, P. Mwirigi, P. Mwaura, D. Kisii, H. Kizito, & J. Mugisha - Acta Horticulturae, 2013
The use of tissue culture (TC) banana (Musa spp.) planting material is an effective method of providing pest and disease-free plants. Although there are many added benefits to using TC plants, the adoption of TC technology remains relatively low in East Africa. Adopting TC banana technology, however, is more expensive for the farmer than conventional suckers and may not be economically beneficial across all banana-producing areas in East Africa. One of the greatest potential dangers for sustainable commercial TC plant production is the limited use of certification for plant quality and health, which is especially important in order to avoid the spread of viruses. Additionally, TC plant nurseries are important components, as they provide essential distribution hubs connecting TC producers with farmers. However, TC nurseries in East Africa face an array of challenges.
EB Karamura, W Jogo, A Rietveld, D Ochola, C Staver, W Tinzaara, DA Karamura, J Kubiriba, & S Weise - Acta Horticulturae, 2013
In eastern Africa, banana suffers increasingly from pests and diseases. Agro-ecological intensification (AEI) harnesses ecological processes to increase productivity of local resources, such as labor, off-farm nutrients and sunlight, to increase production and reduce losses to stresses, while preserving the environment. Selected on the basis of agro-ecology, production systems and farming objectives homologue sites were evaluated for the incidence of common pests and diseases. Interviews with 60 households in three agro-ecological zones and two banana production systems documented knowledge for applying AEI, including identification of diseases. The study concludes that improved farmer knowledge and capacity for ecological reasoning will make more effective the use of current on-farm resources for disease/pest and nutrient cycle management.
GMOs good for Africa's development, says Harvard don...
New Vision
Biotechnology and genetic engineering have the potential to do for agriculture what mobile technology has done for the communications sector in Africa, a renowned Harvard University scholar, Prof. Calestous Juma, has said. Prof. Juma, who was in the country for a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni, advocated for the adoption of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) saying that GMO crops would boost food and income security. He however, cautioned that it would be detrimental to adopt GMOs without clear flexible and supportive biotechnology regulations, asking Parliament to pass the Biotechnology Bill.
US proposal on African food aid excites crop farmers
The East African
A proposal by US President Barack Obama to buy nearly a half of food aid from developing countries instead of buying it from US farmers has excited the farming community in East Africa, who see it as an incentive for farmers to produce more food. Under the current arrangement, the US buys all food aid from American farmers and then exports it abroad where it is needed. Under the new proposal, 45 per cent of money spent to buy food aid from American farmers will be used to buy food from the local markets where food aid is needed. What this means is that in case of a drought in Kenya or Somalia, agencies like USAid will use nearly a half of the allocated money to buy food from local or regional markets.
Marketing gaps hurt nutritional crops
Daily Monitor
Poor marketing structures largely explain why nutritional crops are still cultivated for subsistence consumption rather than commercial use, says the industry players. And according to industry analysts, this has been worsened by poor yields that affect both production and quality of the nutritional crops soy beans, peanuts and beans. This means that the consumer does not get enough nutrients from the nutritional products.
Banyenzaki advises Mubende coffee farmers
New Vision
The Minister of State for Economic Monitoring, Henry Banyenzaki has urged farmers to unite and develop the coffee industry by embracing the commercial agriculture to generate more income. He observed that co-existence in agriculture helps commercialise agriculture which is government's emphasis.
Agricultural and food policy research
Note that if you experience any trouble in downloading any of these research documents, you can contact us by return e-mail for assistance. We can offer no guarantees that we will be able to provide the document, but we may have other avenues to pursue to assist you.
G Okoboi, A Kuteesa, & M Barungi – African Growth Initiative Working Paper 7; Brookings Institute, 2013
This paper examines the level of participation of vulnerable households in Uganda’s National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) program, and the program’s impact on agricultural households’ access to extension services, the use of improved technologies, crop yield and share of output sold, consumption expenditures and poverty level. We use matching data from the Uganda National Household Survey 2005/6 and Uganda National Panel Survey 2009/10. In addition, we validate and complement panel data results with qualitative data from focus group discussions. Our results indicate a lower participation rate of vulnerable households in NAADS and further indicate that households participating in NAADS, irrespective of vulnerability status, had higher access to extension services and credit, but the quality of services was of concern. No clear evidence of the program’s impact on the increased use of improved technologies, crop yield and sales by households was observed. On the policy front, we argue that the Ministry of Agriculture and NAADS management need to implement an affirmative plan targeting more vulnerable farmers in NAADS phase II, recruit competent and dedicated extension workers, increase farmer capacity building activities and provide farmers with effective technical and input support.
Towards sustainable highland banana production in Uganda: Opportunities and challenges
K Nyombi – African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Development, 2013
The government of Uganda in its National Development Plan 2010/11−2014/15 targets increased agricultural production of staple crops to alleviate poverty. In other countries, it was possible to increase average banana yields five-fold through better horticultural management, cultivar choice and plant protection. In this paper, banana production constraints in Uganda are presented, past banana research reviewed and the major issues leading to the low banana response to fertilization are analyzed. Opportunities and challenges facing the banana sector are discussed and new research perspectives aimed at increasing banana production towards the potential yield are suggested.
A Acipa, M Kamatenesi-Mugisha, & H Oryem-Origa - African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Development, 2013
Wild food plants play an important role in the diet of inhabitants of Oyam District. These foods are an important source of nutrients. However, there is a lack of comprehensive data regarding the nutrient content of these indigenous plants. The purpose of this study was to document and assess the nutrient and mineral content of some of these plants. Wild and cultivated fruits, seeds, underground organs and vegetables from Ngai and Otwal Sub counties were analysed for nutrients and mineral elements. However, it should be noted that there is a general decline in the consumption of wild plants, despite the apparent high nutritional values. The conservation of wild food plants is not taking place among the communities in the study area, thus the poor rural communities who are limited on balancing their diet could be faced with diseases associated with nutrient deficiencies.
Grain traders appeal to WFP over cancelled contracts
New Vision
Grain traders have appealed to the World Food Programme (WFP) not to cancel their contracts. Contracts worth $6m are at stake after the traders failed to meet the desired quality of maize grain. The chairman of the Uganda Grain Council, Chris Kaijuka, said the traders will improve the quality of the grain once WFP reverses its decision. He added that many traders had acquired loans to get the required amounts of supplies, and cancelling the contracts will render them bankrupt.
The vision for Uganda in 30 years
Daily Monitor
President Museveni will on 18 April launch Vision 2040 at Kololo Independence Grounds, even as some MPs said the plan needed improvement. The document plans to “transform Ugandan society from a peasant to a modern and prosperous country within 30 years”. It also aims to raise the country’s per capita income from $506 in 2010 to $9,500 in 2040. The lawmakers, who nevertheless adopted the plan, yesterday said although they supported the vision in principle, it was unrealistic. They said the plan was too ambitious, yet the government showed no interest in achieving the goals set by the document..
See the National Planning Authority website for more on Uganda Vision 2040 - National Planning Authority - Vision 2040
Burundi set to embrace hybrid maize seed
SciDev.net
Farmers in Burundi are set to benefit from new high-yielding, fast-maturing hybrid maize seeds that are also resistant to maize streak virus. The varieties are being tested by the Burundi Institute of Agronomic Sciences (ISABU) and should be available to farmers in September. Two seed companies, Pannar and Naseco, based in Kenya and Uganda respectively, have developed the seeds. "These varieties have already been tested in Kenya and Uganda but we need to test them again in Burundi because the conditions are not the same in the three countries," says Nkurunziza Gelase, a researcher and maize breeder at ISABU.
Agricultural and food policy research
Note that if you experience any trouble in downloading any of these research documents, you can contact us by return e-mail for assistance. We can offer no guarantees that we will be able to provide the document, but we may have other avenues to pursue to assist you.
K Wedig – United Nations Research Institute for Social Development conference paper, 2013
Despite the recovery of agricultural cooperatives in sub-Saharan-Africa since the 2000s, knowledge about their social and economic effects in liberalized agricultural markets remains inadequate. Evidence from Uganda’s coffee sector indicates that today’s cooperatives create net benefits for small producers by contributing to an improved capacity of disadvantaged groups to defend their interests. However, high risks and inadequate financial services in weakly regulated agricultural markets create barriers to economic organization for small producers, and some become too poor to organize. Furthermore, intraorganizational inequalities limit access to cooperative benefits for some members. New evidence from Uganda indicates close linkages between existing inequalities and the lack of a larger institutional framework which would allow disadvantaged members to defend their interests vis-à-vis stronger economic actors at the local level. Thus, community-based organizations seem to be particularly vulnerable to alliances between better-off producers and primary-level cooperative managers, which contribute to the reproduction of elite bargains.
Data needs for gender analysis in agriculture
C Doss – IFPRI Discussion paper, 2013
To support gender analysis in agriculture, household surveys should be better designed to capture gender-specific control and ownership of agricultural resources such as male-owned, female-owned, and jointly owned assets. This paper offers guidelines on how to improve data collection efforts to ensure that women farmers are interviewed and that their voices are heard. Researchers need to clarify who should be interviewed, how to structure the interview, and how to identify which people are involved in various activities, as owners, managers, workers, and decisionmakers. It is important not simply to assume that one particular person does these activities based on social norms, but instead to ask the questions to allow for a range of answers that can demonstrate how the gender patterns in agriculture are changing. To assist in these efforts, the paper provides an overview of relevant questions to include, emphasizing that whenever questions are asked about ownership and access to resources, answers should be associated with individuals. Finally, collecting data on the institutions that are related to agricultural production and marketing allows analysis of the gender-based constraints and opportunities that they present.
The impact of irrigation on nutrition, health, and gender
L Domenech, C Ringler - IFPRI Discussion paper, 2013
The hypothesis underlying this review paper is that how irrigation gets deployed in SSA will be decisive not only for environmental sustainability and poverty reduction, but also for health, nutrition, and gender outcomes in the region. The focus of this paper is on the health, nutrition, and gender linkage. We find that to date, few studies have analyzed the impact of irrigation interventions on nutrition, health, and women’s empowerment, despite the large potential of irrigation to affect these important variables. Irrigation interventions may have differential effects on different members in the household and in the community, such as irrigators, non-irrigators, children, and women. Measuring and understanding such differences, followed by improving design and implementation to maximize gender, health, and nutrition outcomes, could transform irrigation programs from focusing solely on increased food production toward becoming an integral component of poverty-reduction strategies.
Rethinking the measurement of food security: from first principles to best practice
D Headey, O Ecker - Food Security, 2013
While food security measurement has been substantially expanded in recent decades, there persists significant dissatisfaction with existing measurement systems, especially in the wake of the ongoing food and financial crises. In this paper we first set out a list of criteria that an ideal food security measurement system should satisfy. In addition to standard issues of cross-sectional validity, our criteria include inter-temporal validity (the ability to gauge trends and shocks), and nutritional relevance. Using a mixture of literature review and fresh empirical analysis, we then benchmark four types of indicators (calories, poverty, dietary diversity and subjective indicators) against these criteria as a means of systematically identifying their relative strengths and weaknesses, and comparing overall performance. We conclude that, overall, dietary diversity indicators are the best performing class of indicators: they are powerful predictors of economic status and malnutrition (both stunting and wasting), sensitive to shocks, and relatively cheap to measure.
KF Austin - Population and Environment, 2013
Malaria rates remain high across many less-developed regions, including Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of Latin America. Although case studies find elevated malaria rates in locales with increased levels of environmental degradation, the current body of comparative environmental research lacks investigation of infectious disease trends. This study draws upon world-system theorizing to consider agricultural export flows and resulting alterations to the natural environment in poor nations as key causes of malaria prevalence. Additionally, relationships among world-system position, economic development, and socio-health characteristics are examined alongside the environmental predictors using structural equation modeling for data on 99 less-developed nations. The findings emphasize that deforestation and biodiversity loss associated with primary sector export flows are key drivers of malaria rates, alongside notable influences of basic health and social services. The results suggest that environmental and social conditions greatly shape malaria transmission in poor societies.
Uganda loses $899m to malnutrition
The East African
Uganda loses up to $899 million due to malnutrition every year, a new report shows. Over 975,000 children under the age of five are experiencing cases of anaemia, acute diarrhoea syndrome, acute respiratory infection, and in some cases fever due to poor nutrition, says a Cost of Hunger in Africa report, adding that malnutrition in children under five is one of the top 10 causes of morbidity and mortality after malaria, respiratory tract infections and diarrhoeal diseases in the country. “For every additional case of child illness, both the health systems and families are faced with an additional economic cost to the country,” says the report.
Lethal maize disease spreads into Uganda
The East African
A deadly maize disease that was first reported in Kenya and Tanzania has spread to Uganda, raising food security concerns. The Ministry of Agriculture warned that Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) had been reported in some districts in eastern Uganda, particularly Busia and Tororo. The disease, scientists say, can cause up to 100 per cent crop loss. It is suspected to be spread by beetles, thrips and leaf hoppers.
Uganda Steps Closer to Creating Science Ministry
SciDev.net
Uganda's parliament has passed a bill paving the way for the creation of a science ministry, which will spearhead and harmonise the development of science, technology and innovation (ST&I). The bill is now waiting for President Museveni's assent to become law, and he is widely expected to approve it. The country is the last in the East African Community to create a dedicated science ministry. Science has been fragmented across several Ugandan ministries and organisations - some of which have been neglecting it, according to observers. The new ministry will supervise, monitor and coordinate research and innovation under a single roof.
Tanzania sets sights on GM crops
The Citizen Daily
The government of Tanzania is in the process of putting up a policy that will allow agricultural scientists to conduct trials on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the fields. The deputy permanent secretary, ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, Eng Mbogo Futakamba, says scientists have already conducted research on improved crops but have not been able to apply the procedure in the fields due to the existing law. He says the strict Liabilities Act under the Environmental Management Act, 2004, does not allow the application and therefore requires amending. “The country does not have a policy as we are still in the primary stage of putting it in place to allow the use of GMOs by researchers in the fields,” he said.
Urban agriculture increases food security for poor people in Africa
Population Reference Bureau
Urban agriculture is helping poor people cope with food scarcity and hunger. Growing crops or raising livestock in backyards or on undeveloped plots of land improves food sources and offers many urban poor a viable income. And this type of agriculture is also being practiced in new ways in an increasing variety of locations, and often by the poorest of the poor. Urban agriculture improves food security by providing healthy and plentiful substitutes for purchased food, especially for poor households. Households that practice urban agriculture are also more likely to have access to a wider variety of nutritious foods such as vegetables and animal products. In Kampala, Uganda, urban agriculture has been linked with improved nutritional status in children
Agricultural and food policy research
Note that if you experience any trouble in downloading any of these research documents, you can contact us by return e-mail for assistance. We can offer no guarantees that we will be able to provide the document, but we may have other avenues to pursue to assist you.
EL Ampaire, CL Machethe, E Birachi – African Journal of Agricultural Research, 2013
The study investigates the factors influencing the effectiveness of second-tier rural producer organizations (RPOs) in linking their members to output markets in Uganda. The percentage of farmers who sold some of their produce through the RPO was used as a proxy for effectiveness. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis indicated that RPO effectiveness was positively related to the size of a RPO and democratic leadership. On the other hand, the proportion of RPO leaders with leadership training, enforcement of internal control practices, bulking distance and size of executive committee had a significant negative effect on the effectiveness of such organizations.
Affordable nutrient solutions for improved food security as evidenced by crop trials
M van der Velde, L See, L You, J Balkovič, S Fritz, N Khabaraov, M Obersteiner, & S Wood. - PLOS ONE, 2013
The continuing depletion of nutrients from agricultural soils in Sub-Saharan African is accompanied by a lack of substantial progress in crop yield improvement. In this paper we investigate yield gaps for corn under two scenarios: a micro-dosing scenario with marginal increases in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) of 10 kg ha−1 and a larger yet still conservative scenario with proposed N and P applications of 80 and 20 kg ha−1 respectively. Two critical findings emerged from the analysis. The first is the degree to which P limits increases in corn yields. For example, under a micro-dosing scenario, in Africa, the addition of small amounts of N alone resulted in mean yield increases of 8% while the addition of only P increased mean yields by 26%, with implications for designing better balanced fertilizer distribution schemes. The second finding was the relatively large amount of yield increase possible for a small, yet affordable amount of fertilizer application. Using African and South American fertilizer prices we show that the level of investment needed to achieve these results is cons
