SG2000-Uganda recognized and awarded at the Uganda National Symposium on Agricultural Extension

April.4.2018

Uganda Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (UFAAS) with support from USAID and its Africa wide-umbrella body – the African Forum Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS) organized and conducted the first National Agricultural Extension Symposium on 12-15 March 2018 in Kampala, with the theme- enhancing agricultural extension capacity and quality: promoting gender responsive, nutrition sensitive and professional AEAS in Uganda. The 3-day event brought together Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (AEAS) actors from public sector, private sector organizations and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), Farmer Based Organizations, Community Based Organizations, Research and Educational institutions and Continental Network members (UFAAS, AFAAS) to deliberate on: What has worked, how to build what is working and how do we strengthen the enabling environment for integrating gender and nutrition within agriculture extension in Uganda.

The objectives of the Symposium included to explore and showcase successes, challenges, lessons learned in integrating gender responsive and nutrition sensitive approaches within extension service delivery; to build capacities of AEAS actors (individual and organizations) to better respond to male and female farmers’ needs for food, nutrition and income security; to sensitize participants about professionalization of AEAS for better performance and image of the sector; and to strengthen and widen the current gender and nutrition community of practice to facilitate networking, information and knowledge exchange among the AEAS.

Sasakawa Global 2000 Uganda (SG2000- Uganda) led by its Country Director, Dr. Roseline Nyamutale, and [SG -2000 Uganda] were among the delegates of the Symposium. The team represented by Mr. James Murangira, PHAP Theme Coordinator and Miss Oliver Nabiryo, CPE Program Officer, put up a poster exhibition and distributed extension materials to participants. From the Regional Office in Ethiopia, SAA Director for Postharvest and Agro-processing (PHAP), Eng. Leony Halos-Kim, presented SAA/SG2000 innovative and effective tools, approaches and technologies to improve women’s agricultural productivity and enhance household nutrition in a panel discussion. This was corroborated, in a parallel workshop session on Enhancing Postharvest Handling and Integrating Gender and Nutrition, with experience-sharing by PHAP Theme Coordinators, Mrs. Aberash Tsehay on gender dynamics in postharvest management in Ethiopia, and Mr. Murangira on promoting PHAP technologies in Uganda.

The symposium was highly interactive to promote better sharing of ideas and learning. The approaches used included plenary speakers; group and panel discussions; shift & share; World Café style presentations; poster sessions (for fellows); parallel skills building workshop sessions.

One of the highlights of the event was the recognition of the various actors in AEAS industry for their contributions to agricultural extension. SG2000-Uganda wasrecognized and awarded a plaque of appreciation for its’ great contribution to the promotion of agricultural extension services in Uganda.’ Dr. Nyamutale, CountryDirector, SG2000-Uganda dedicated the award to the founders of SAA and Nippon Foundation that has funded the program for over 30 years in Africa and 21 years in Uganda; to the Government of Japan and all partners, foremostly, the Uganda Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), and the farmers.

At the end of the event workshop, AEAS stakeholders shared successes, challenges and lessons learned and strategized on how best to integrate gender and nutrition in extension service delivery. In her closing address, Ms. Beatrice Byarugaba, Director, Agricultural Extension Services (AES), MAAIF, advocated to integrate gender and nutrition in agricultural extension involving many stakeholders working together to bring about positive change in rural farm families.

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