FOOD SECURITY
AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
Methods of Land Acquisition for farming

Communal Ownership of land accounts for over 98% of land acquisition in the District for farming and other agro business. Women do not own land but they get access to farm lands through their relatives, husbands and land owners. Below is the percentage of land ownership.

Trend in Major Crops Production

The Major food crops produced in the District are Millet, Maize Sorghum, rice, sweet potatoes and groundnuts. Performance in the major crops have improved over years. Millet increased from 6,940 metric tonnes in 2010 to 7,645 in 2013. Maize increased from 2,610 metric tonnes to 17,850 metric tonnes in 2013. Also rice increased from 3,072 in 2010 to 9,052 metric tonnes in 2013. Groundnuts also faired wells from 1,250 in 2010 fell to 918 in 2011 and further fell to 725 in 2012 and increased to 3,652 in 2013. That implies that groundnuts have pick up in 2013 and measures would be taken to further increase the crop yields in the District. Soya beans did not perform well as can be seen in the table below. Below is the table showing the annual performance of food crops in metric tonnes.

Storage Facilities

Storage of food in the District is mostly done in silos, jut sacks, bans and kitchens. Improved silos contribute to 70% of the storage in the district. The table below shows the types of storage and the percentage.

Livestock Census Figures 2010 – 2013

The major livestock found in the District are cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry. Poultry population is highest. Followed by sheep, goats, cattle, pigs and donkeys respectively.

Major Pests and Diseases and their Prevalent Rates

Major pest and diseases affecting agriculture in the District are Newcastle, anthrax, Pest De Petits ruminant and foot rot. Others are Bulb rot for onions, onion purple blotch and army worm which normally come every three years. The table below shows the severity and the period it affect farm 

Inputs Distribution

The main farm inputs in the District are fertilizers, seed, and agro chemicals. The Government subsidised them at the following rates as shown below in the table.

Fertilizer Subsidy

In 2013 the District was given a quota of about 61,000 bags of all types of fertilizer. With passbooks made available to farmers to purchase. The main dealers of fertilizer in the District are Nontaaba and PAS.  Below is the table showing the update of fertilizer received in 2013.

Staffing  

The Agric Department has a total of 17 workers ranging from senior staff to laborers. The Department has no labores and security officer. They have only 9 drivers  supporting staff and 6 senior staff. Which woefully inadequate. Below is a table showing the staff strength of the Agric Department as at december 2013.

Challenges of the Sector

The Agric department are faced with numerous challenges among others are as follows:

• Fragmented land
• High cost of monitoring and supervision
• Old and weak motor-bikes
• Limited staff strength (AEAS)
• Insufficient and irregular release of funds to run the office and undertake field activities
• Lack of office accommodation
• Infertile soils
• High cost of farm inputs

Recommendation

• Sensitizing farmers on MOFA programmes
• Provision of credit to farmers on time
• Provide credit to more enterprising farmers
• Form viable FBOs
• Improve market access
• Enhance collaboration with DA and other partners