Agricultural statistics in Uganda

Abstract

This is a report of a study of the agricultural statistics in Uganda. The complexity of agricultural development and nature of agriculture itself demands a wealth of statistics not only for planning but also for implementation purposes. The range of policy instruments relevant to agriculture is very largeo For example, the range of policy instruments affecting the availability and use of resourc,es, land, settlement, irrigation, population, availability and efficiency of markets and so on is very considereable. Moreover there is quite a differentiation of agricultural regions within a nation. The Group Farm Scheme, Cooperatives, Training Programmes, Crop Spraying Programmes, Pricing Policies, Ranching developments, Export Production drives etc., give an idea about the different decisions to be made. For any decision making, whether in provate or in public sector, the need for statistics is therefore great.

The Report describes different statistics available, their coverage, and adequacy for planning. The attempt has also been made to indicate their appropriate uses in planning work. The report points out clearly that there is a reasonable amount of information available on Environment, Population, Trade and on Harketing. Collection of Agricultural Production data have been systematically carried out by the Food and Agricultural Organization (F.A.O.), and have established a bench mark for the future census surveys. Reliability of the Acreage, Trade and Population data is quite good. Perhaps, reliability of Livestock data is equally good. More information needs to be collected on farm management data. Data on labout inputs, on agricultural productivity, and on subsistence food crops are badly lacking. At the end of the study, gaps in the knowledge has been pointed out. It is hoped that the recommendation given will help to provide an answer to the development of statistics in Uganda as well as in other developing countries. In the future, more data would be needed for comprehensive model planning and perhaps, this study can serve as groundwork. It is also hoped that this report will provide interesting reading on various aspects of statistics.