By Wadulo Arnold Mark
Uganda still suffers from a heavy imbalance in the extension worker to farmer ratio thereby requiring urgent intervention across the stakeholder structures if agriculture is to contribute to the country’s $500 billion GDP target by 2040.
Recent reports record upwards of 1 extension farmer per 2,000 farmers in Uganda.
This gap has brought together several key stakeholders at The Silver Springs Hotel in Kampala to the 2026 National Agricultural Extension Week to harness the objectives set out by the National Agricultural Extension Policy, 2016.
Through this policy, government established a pluralistic, multi-stakeholder delivery system that allows private sector actors, NGOs, and civil society organizations to participate in providing agricultural extension services. This approach was intended to address critical gaps in labour and information access; however, significant challenges remain.
Public and private stakeholders have been cited as operating in silos, leading to fragmented service deliver. This has resulted in duplication of efforts, inefficiencies, and persistent gaps at both grassroots and higher coordination levels of the system.
Dr. Henry Opolot, Commissioner for Agricultural Extension and Skills Management at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, explains that there was a proposal to develop a National Agricultural Extension law and that it was once submitted to Cabinet, but the principles were later withdrawn. He attributes the delay partly to bureaucratic processes, including the incomplete harmonisation of operations under the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS).
While Carl Larsen from Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services emphasizes the need for deliberate resourcing agricultural advisory services.
“it does make the difference” he highlights, adding that it can impact the farmers livelihoods and productivity positively
The 2026 edition of the National Agricultural Extension Week will run from 20th to 24th April at Silver Springs Hotel in Bugolobi. The action points developed during this five-day conference are expected to guide stakeholders on short-, mid-, and long-term strategies for adoption within the sector as they advocate for the formulation and enactment of a dedicated law.
