Bulindi ZARDI hosted a planning meeting organised by the Parish Development Model (PDM) secretariat from 5th to 6th March 2024 to devise strategies for implementing pillar one of the PDM during the stabilisation phase in the Bunyoro region.
To ensure holistic planning and implementation, the meeting brought together key actors including District Production and Marketing Officers, researchers, financial institutions, agriculture insurance providers, agro-input dealers and agro-processors, among others. The PDM, which was launched in 2022, aligns with the broader objective of the Ugandan Government of improving incomes and welfare of the local people through closer service delivery.
The focus of pillar one of the PDM is agricultural value-chain development, covering production, storage, processing and marketing. In his keynote address, Dr. Sylvester Dickson Baguma, the Director of Bulindi ZARDI, stated that NARO has poised itself to sustain productivity and production levels through advanced science and innovation.
He highlighted that this includes genetic improvement, development and deployment of improved technologies for agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and forestry. Dr. Baguma further hinted that NARO plans to bridge the research-extension gap through multi-stakeholder innovation platforms. This approach involves engaging all players along the commodity value chain and training farmers on priority enterprises.
All critical implementation aspects of PDM such as selection of priority enterprises, stakeholder mapping, financing, risk mitigation, storage and market access were addressed. A guide for enterprise selection was drafted emphasising profitability, marketability, financial outlay, and risks. To mitigate risks like drought, floods, and yield losses, Mr. Wadada Michael of the Uganda Agriculture Insurance Scheme said that they have specific insurance products tailored for the PDM, including loan insurance and enterprise insurance covering crops, livestock and aquaculture sub-sectors. Additionally, participants voiced concern over post-harvest management among the smallholder farmers.
The Ag. Executive Director of the Grain Council of Uganda, Mr. Henry Musisi, offered strategic solutions including competitive grain purchasing, affordable processing and storage services. Lastly, participants were trained on data collection and utilisation within the Parish Development Management Information System (PDMIS) to inform decision-making.