Government of Uganda and its development partners are targeting farmer groups as the vehicle for agricultural development because of the potential role they could play in promoting value addition, market and credit access. However there is limited empirical evidence on what drives membership to these groups. Using the Uganda Census of Agriculture 2008/9 data, this study reveals low levels of membership both at individual and household levels, with marked differences in regional participation. The key policy variables found to influence participation in farmer group included education attainment, distance to extension service and quality of road infrastructure. Thus, increasing membership to farmer groups requires government and its development partners to target more resources towards less educated farmers and those who live far from extension workers. The use of the local language in publicity materials is also important in ensuring participation among the illiterate and the less educated. Overall, there is a need for concerted efforts by all institutions supporting groups to ensure that existing groups have improved access to agricultural technologies and noticeable outcomes are achieved so as to attract more farmers.

Urban growth, coupled with increasing vegetable demand, has led to the utilization of lowlands in Cameroon for agricultural production. This study investigates the factors influencing the farming practices and the prevalence of diseases in vegetable producers through a cross-sectional survey of 130 farmers. Using logistic regression models, we found a positive association between education level and farm size with the overall quantity of fertilizer, both organic and mineral, used. Pesticide usage was positively associated with the number of years a farm had been cultivated, but it was negatively associated with land ownership. However, the number of years that farms had been cultivated was negatively associated with mineral fertilizer applications. In general, the prevalence of waterborne diseases was linked to the education level, while malaria prevalence was linked to the gender of the farmers. The location of cultivated areas significantly influenced the likelihood of reporting malaria and headaches. Despite the associated health risks, vegetable production is necessary for farmers’ livelihoods in the lowlands of Yaoundé. Therefore, policymakers should provide measures to optimize the benefits of urban agriculture, including training in safe farming techniques to minimize the associated health risks.

Using UNHS 2005/6 and 2009/10 data, we examined various cropping and land allocations patterns practiced by farming households in Uganda, and their implications on government plan of prioritizing some crops for expansion and zoning. On average, households were observed to cultivate 1.7 ha despite having ownership right to 1.58 ha. A decrease in total cultivated area across all the twelve sub-regions was observed between 2005 and 2009. Over time, only the proportions of land allocation to sweet potato and bean are increasing. Fractional multinomial logit model estimates showed that significant factors that influence share of land allocated to crops include household location within sub-regions, size of cultivated land, distance to output markets and education levels of household head. Efforts to commercialize agriculture through prioritized expansion and zoning of certain crops should also target breaking the current culture of diversified cropping patterns on small sizes of land.

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