AGRICULTURE

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Agriculture is the backbone of Uganda’s economy and contributes up to 23.2% of the GDP and employs about 72% of the total labour force2. This percentage is much greater for Maracha district as it is estimated that over 90% of the population derive their livelihood, either directly or indirectly, from agricultural activities. It should be noted that Production related interventions impact directly on the livelihood of households unlike other activities that have indirect benefit to individual households. This emphasizes the significance of production and marketing to the population of Maracha District. In the agricultural 90% of Maracha natives engage in agriculture mainly practicing subsistence farming growing crops mainly for consumption. The food crops mainly grown include cassava, maize, beans, potatoes, rice, g. Nuts, and sorghum. The farming for commercialization is practiced on small scale and sold at the open marketing, most of the markets in the District. It’s the main source of employment in the District and food for the natives of the District.

The opportunities exist in use of irrigation farming due to the existence of streams in the district, relatively fertile soils, relatively good rains, the operation of youth livelihood programmes, cattle restocking by government employment opportunities, and food production and constraints exist in high cost of acquiring improved farm inputs such as hybrids seeds, animals, herbicides and veterinary drugs, low developments of value chain linkage hence farmers sell their produce in raw form and get low prices, destruction of crops by pest and diseases, heavy population causing land fragmentation hence hindering commercial farming.

The National Housing And Population Census 2014 census revealed 90.7% of households in Maracha district were defendant on subsistence farming as a main source of livelihood.

			Main source of livelihood			Households that received remittances
Constituency	Sub county	Total Households	Subsistence farming	Other sources	Percent depending on subsistence farming	Number	Percent
Maracha East	Maracha T/C	1,925	1,569	356	81.5	126	6.5
	Oleba	5,819	5,341	478	91.8	257	4.4
	Tara	2,599	2,506	93	96.4	51	2.0
	Yivu	4,887	4,593	294	94.0	207	4.2
	Nyadri	3,938	3,547	391	90.1	131	3.3
	Sub total	19,168	17,556	1,612	91.6	772	4.0
Maracha	Oluvu	6,164	5,601	563	90.9	289	4.7
	Oluffe	4,772	4,274	498	89.6	167	3.5
	Kijomoro	6,180	5,483	697	88.7	305	4.9
	Sub total	17,116	15,358	1,758	89.7	761	4.4
	District total	36,284	32,914	3,370	90.7	1,533	4.2

Major crops

Cassava, maize, beans, potatoes, rice, sorghum, tobacco, mangoes, oranges, avocadoes

Value added

Grinding of flour,

Major destination

Local markets and consumption

Proportion of population employed

90%

Presence of commercial farm

Production of fruits and fruit seedling, honey and fish, eyofea memorial farm, Opima, Asher and Alisiku Lawrence.

Other opportunities that exist in the sector

Maracha located in the border with DRC AND South Sudan

Use of irrigation to increase production

Fertile soil

Human capital

Major opportunities and constraints

Existence of streams, relatively fertile soils, relatively good rains,

Enough labour to be used if commercial farming.

Constraints

Heavy population causing land fragmentation, pest and diseases, lack of improved farm inputs, low prices for produce, unpredictable rainfall pattern. Lack of industries

NO	NAMES OF COMMERCIAL BUSINESS	SUBCOUNTY	ENTERPRISE TYPE	LEVEL
01	Alisiku Lawrence Enterprise Ltd	Kijomoro	Nursery operator(tree, fruits, vegetables and fruit growing)	Small-scale enterprise
02	KASI (Kololo Area Savings Initiative)	Tara	Cassava, beans, soya beans growing and bulking as collective marketing business	Medium scale enterprise
03	Kijomoro Mandaodisi Producer Coooperative			Medium scale enterprise
04	Yivu Veteran SACCO	Yivu	Cassava growing and processing	Medium scale enterpris
05	Kimiru Vegetable	Oluffe sun county	Soya beans growing and bulking for sell	Small-scale enterprise
06	Oluffe SMU Ssacco	Oluffe Sub county	Input distributor to farmers and bulking rice,soya,maise and cassava	Medium scale enterprise

07	Kamaka Producer Cooperative	Oluffe	Cassava, beans rice growing and bulking	Small-scale enterprise

08	Opima Asher	Kijomoro	Apiary farming	Small-scale e

09	Eyofea Memorial Farm	Kijomoro	Poultry farming	Small-scale enterprise
10	Oluvu Integrated Youth Company Ltd	Oluvu	Fruit growing,apiary,fish farming, nursery operators, and supplier of fingerlings	Small-scale
11	MADIFA (Maracha District Farmers Association)	Nyadri	Promote market linkages for farmers	Medium scale enterprise
12	Atoro Produce Buying And Selling (TUA)	Oluvu	Rice, groundnut buying, processing ,bulking for sell	Medium scale enterprise
13	Lega Community Cassava Farmers	Oluvu	Cassava, beans rice growing and bulking	Small-scale enterprise

14	Buti Delefino	Maracha town council	Fruit growing, nursery bed operator and coffee farmer	Small-scale enterprise