Uganda national young farmers' association, Uganda

Project name: Inclusion of Youth in Agriculture for social-economic development

Project location: The project is located in Uganda across all regions namely: Central , Eastern , Western, Far East, Northern and West Nile.

Website: http://unyfa.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unyfa

Twitter: https://twitter.com/unyfa1

Project description:

Inclusion of youth in agriculture for social-economic development is the proposed project under the Uganda National Young Farmers Association (UNYFA) which intends to improve the livelihoods of youth in Uganda and progressively build a vibrant team of young farmers to fit into the National Farmers’ union (UNFFE).
UNYFA is being driven by the desire to have holistically transformed youth in agriculture for a sustainable economy since youth are envisaged to be energetic with a high propensity to engage in food production and excellent source of ideas & innovations suitable for the Agriculture sector development
UNYFA targets agricultural-based youths in rural areas, in schools/tertiary institutions and those youth out of school, across the six regions of Uganda namely: West Nile, Northern, Far-East, Eastern, Central and Western each with an average number of nine (9) districts.
The project will enhance the capacity of youth in agronomic and non-agronomic enterprises along the agricultural value chain, this will be done through UNYFA’s 5(five) development areas described below:

1. Professionalization: It is a social process by which any trade or occupation transforms itself into a true "profession of the highest integrity and competence.
2. Advocacy: UNYFA believes in being the mouth piece for young farmers to voice out their issues/ interests and mapping out the responsible people or organizations/ institutions in order to cause a desired positive change.
3. Capacity building (Education & Training): Education or training is another important thematic area that UNYFA will be engaged in to benefit its members.
4. Networking: Young farmers association needs to build relationships in order to survive, thrive, gain allies in advocacy, and fund raise and also to seek for recognition.
5. Services: Farmer organizations are judged by the nature and type of services they deliver to their members UNYFA provides tailor made services to its members e.g. Education/Training of trainers (TOT); Mentor-ship etc.

Goal and purpose of the project:

Goal: Inclusion & interest youth into Agriculture to create livelihood opportunities for social-economic development.

Purpose: To strengthen the capacity of young farmers' leaders to deliver effective, efficient and relevant tailor made services to members in all the districts of Uganda.

Motivation of the applicant / applicant team:

Uganda is endowed with significant natural resources, including ample fertile land, regular rainfall, and mineral deposits; it is thought that Uganda could feed the whole of Africa if it were commercially farmed (Aid and other dirty business by Giles Bolton). The economy of Uganda has great potential, and it appeared poised for rapid economic growth and development. Agricultural products supply nearly all of Uganda's foreign exchange earnings, with coffee alone, of which Uganda is Africa's second largest producer - after Ethiopia (Uganda Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development) accounting for about 27% of the country's exports in 2002. Exports of apparel, hides, skins, vanilla, vegetables, fruits, cut flowers, and fish are growing, and cotton, tea, and tobacco continue to be mainstays.
The agricultural sector is important to the Ugandan economy in that it employs approximately 69% of the population and contributes about 26% to the GDP in 2015. The sector has the potential to transform the economy of Uganda in general and that of specific sectors such as manufacturing and services. The government has increased allocations to the agricultural sector in the 2016/17 budget to UGX 832.42 billion representing a 65% increase. The main agricultural crops include coffee, grains, sugarcane, cotton and tea. The government identifies agriculture as a vital contributory growth sector capable of reducing poverty and stimulating economic growth. Developments going forward will focus on increasing production and productivity, improving household food security, increasing farmers’ income and increasing the value of exports.

Uganda has a young population that is growing at a rate of 3.2% p.a., 78% of this are below the age of 25 years with a high unemployment rate, who are the biggest consumers of food produced by an aging population as such; the society looks at the youth as a “liability”. The situation is exacerbated by the existence of the high number of semi-skilled and unskilled youth who have migrated from rural to urban centers for boda-boda ridding as a means of quenching their thirst for making quick money and thus leaving agriculture at the mercy of the elderly who are perpetually found of using the traditional and subsistence methods and need to feed them. The country’s urbanization rate is at 5.4% p.a. with net food buyers in the cities, it’s therefore imperative for us to empower the young people into agriculture sector that can provide food, increase their income and make rural areas habitable for them.

Use of prize money:

The prize money will be used as a boost fund in strengthening the capacity of UNYFA leaders across the country who are accountable for delivering effective, efficient and relevant tailor made services to young farmers across all regions of Uganda. This will be achieved through project specific objectives and respective activities such as conducting regular education-trainings , south-north exchange visits for exposure and experience sharing, organizing youth in agribusiness idea pitching competition and publication of articles about project in newspapers.