Of What Merit is Improved Inputs use in Uganda's Maize Productivity?

This paper used the Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) dataset of 2005/06 to examine the productivity of improved inputs used by smallholder maize farmers in Uganda. Yield and gross profit functions were estimated with the stochastic frontier model. Results revealed a significant effect improved inputs use on yield but not gross profit. Farmers who used commercial improved seed with fertiliser obtained superior yield but lower gross profit compared to farmers who planted recycled seed (of improved variety) without fertiliser. Furthermore, if the opportunity cost of own land and labour inputs in maize production were imputed, overall, farmers made economic losses. Based on the prevailing farmers’ production technology and market conditions, maize cultivation in the range of 2- 3 ha was found to give optimum profit while cultivation under 1 ha or above 4 ha led to economic losses. The key finding of this paper is that use of improved inputs by Ugandan farmers in maize cultivation yields sub-optimal profits due to higher marginal cost compared to marginal revenue from increased output associated with improved inputs use. And, overall, maize farming is of no economic benefit -other than for food.Improved inputs, productivity, Uganda, Food Security and Poverty, Q12, Q16,

Improved inputs use and productivity in Uganda’s maize sub-sector

This paper used the Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) data set of 2005/06 to examine the productivity of improved inputs used by smallholder maize farmers in Uganda. Yield and gross profit functions were estimated with the stochastic frontier model. Results revealed a significant effect improved inputs use on yield but not gross profit. Moreover, farmers who planted recycled seed (of improved variety) without fertilizer obtained lower yield but the highest gross profit. Furthermore, if the opportunity cost of own land and labour inputs in maize production were imputed, overall, farmers made economic losses. Based on the prevailing farmers’ production technology and market conditions, maize cultivation in the range of 2‐3 ha was found to give optimum profit while cultivation under 1 ha or above 4 ha led to economic losses. A major contribution of this paper is that maize cultivation in Uganda in 2005/06 and even at present was/may be of no economic consequence other than food, at household level.Maize farming, Fertilizers, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Land Economics/Use, Production Economics,

Economic viability of fertiliser use in Uganda's agriculture

We examine the viability of inorganic fertiliser use in Uganda, using the 2005/06 Uganda National Household Survey data. We also explore the farmers’ characteristics under which fertiliser use is more profitable. We find that inorganic fertiliser use is more profitable for only a few crops and less profitable or unprofitable for most crops, even when their yield is high. Furthermore, we find that farmer profit with fertiliser use increases with access to extension services and/or use of improved seeds. Thus, blanket promotion of fertiliser use, without a case-by-case consideration of fertiliser-crop profitability is likely to be counter-productive to the drive of increasing agricultural productivity and household income in Uganda. Hence, the drive to increase fertiliser use in Uganda can succeed only if farmers are widely sensitized not about the potential of fertiliser to increase yield but the crops on which fertiliser use is more profitable and the preconditions for its profitability.Fertiliser use; economic viability; Uganda

Willingness to pay for extension services in Uganda among farmers involved in crop and animal husbandry

Although the Ugandan government is determined to aid farmers increase agricultural productivity as an intervention on increasing food security and reducing poverty through extension services, resources constraints are dampening its efforts. Private extension services providers are being invited to take up information dissemination roles with queries on the availability and demand of the services among farmers to attract private sector and factors influencing the demand for extension services. Data collected by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) on national service delivery throughout the country in 2008 among 5363 and 3318 farmers involved in crops’ and animals’ husbandry was used to predict willingness to pay, amount farmers were willing to pay for extension services and factors that were to influence willingness to pay. It was established that about 35% and 40% of the farmers were willing to pay on average Ugandan shillings 3,400 (US$1.8) and 3,700 (US$ 2) per trip for extension services in crop and animal husbandry respectively. Key farmer’s attributes that influenced willingness to pay included sex, age, education level, regions of residence and preferred means to receive the services. The demand for extension and preferred price are low for private sectors engagement and the government should first educate the public on the importance of the services.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Economic and institutional efficiency of the National Agricultural Advisory Services’ Programme: The case of Iganga District,

This paper examines the technical and institutional efficiency of the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) programme implementation in Iganga district. The Cost Effective Analysis (CEA) and stochastic frontier analysis methods were used to examine technical efficiency while expenditure tracking and FGD methods were applied to assess institutional efficiency. The analysis demonstrates that NAADS interventions have not had a significant impact on the output, productivity and income of the farmers in Iganga district. Moreover, NAADS programme faces implementation weaknesses such as nepotism that affects the selection of beneficiaries as well as enterprises, to the extent that some farmers are apathetic about the success or failure of NAADS Programme. Other observed weaknesses in NAADS implementation include late disbursement of funds, very low counterpart funding by the local government and the farmers, and poor monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the programme. Based on the results, we suggest a major review of the implementation process of NAADS programme in general and Iganga district NAADS in particular.NAADS, Expenditure tracking, EPRC, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Land Economics/Use, Livestock Production/Industries,

Economic viability of fertiliser use in Uganda's agriculture

We examine the viability of inorganic fertiliser use in Uganda, using the 2005/06 Uganda National Household Survey data. We also explore the farmers’ characteristics under which fertiliser use is more profitable. We find that inorganic fertiliser use is more profitable for only a few crops and less profitable or unprofitable for most crops, even when their yield is high. Furthermore, we find that farmer profit with fertiliser use increases with access to extension services and/or use of improved seeds. Thus, blanket promotion of fertiliser use, without a case-by-case consideration of fertiliser-crop profitability is likely to be counter-productive to the drive of increasing agricultural productivity and household income in Uganda. Hence, the drive to increase fertiliser use in Uganda can succeed only if farmers are widely sensitized not about the potential of fertiliser to increase yield but the crops on which fertiliser use is more profitable and the preconditions for its profitability

Economic viability of fertiliser use in Uganda's agriculture

We examine the viability of inorganic fertiliser use in Uganda, using the 2005/06 Uganda National Household Survey data. We also explore the farmers’ characteristics under which fertiliser use is more profitable. We find that inorganic fertiliser use is more profitable for only a few crops and less profitable or unprofitable for most crops, even when their yield is high. Furthermore, we find that farmer profit with fertiliser use increases with access to extension services and/or use of improved seeds. Thus, blanket promotion of fertiliser use, without a case-by-case consideration of fertiliser-crop profitability is likely to be counter-productive to the drive of increasing agricultural productivity and household income in Uganda. Hence, the drive to increase fertiliser use in Uganda can succeed only if farmers are widely sensitized not about the potential of fertiliser to increase yield but the crops on which fertiliser use is more profitable and the preconditions for its profitability

Durability of non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based first-line ART regimens after 7 years of treatment in rural Uganda: A prospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT: Most antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs in resource-limited settings have historically used non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based regimens with limited access to routine viral load (VL) testing. We examined the long-term success of these regimens in rural Uganda among participants with 1 measured suppressed VL.We conducted a prospective cohort study of participants who had been on NNRTI-based first-line regimens for ≥4 years and had a VL <1000 copies/mL at enrollment in Jinja, Uganda. We collected clinical and behavioral data every 6 months and measured VL again after 3 years. We quantified factors associated with virologic failure (VF) (VL ≥ 1000 copies/mL) using Wilcoxon Rank Sum, chi-square, and Fisher's Exact Tests.We enrolled 503 participants; 75.9% were female, the median age was 45 years, and the median duration of time on ART was 6.8 years (IQR = 6.0-7.6 years). Sixty-nine percent of participants were receiving nevirapine, lamivudine, and zidovudine regimens; 22.5% were receiving efavirenz, lamivudine, and zidovudine; and 8.6% were receiving other regimens. Of the 479 with complete follow-up data, 12 (2.5%) had VL ≥ 1000 copies/mL. VF was inversely associated with reporting never missing pills (41.7% of VFs vs 72.8% non-VFs, P = .034). There were differences in distribution of the previous ART regimens (P = .005), but no clear associations with specific regimens. There was no association between having a VL of 50 to 999 copies/mL at enrollment and later VF (P = .160).Incidence of VF among individuals receiving ART for nearly 7 years was very low in the subsequent 3 years. NNRTI-based regimens appear to be very durable among those with good initial adherence