NAADS Mobilizes and Prepares Farmers for Season B 2020
As farmers prepare for the upcoming season, NAADS together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries and other partners has embarked on an exercise to mobilize and prepare farmers for the planting season.
The process follows the verification of the quality and quantity of agricultural inputs (seeds and seedlings) across the country in preparation for distribution as the planting season begins in August 2020. During the mobilization and preparation process, technical teams from NAADS and MAAIF visit districts across the country and meet with the relevant stakeholders including the leadership of the districts, the Production/agriculture officers, the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) officers and the farmers to assess their readiness to receive agricultural inputs in preparation for planting.
The teams ascertain the following during the process;
- Involvement of District teams in the Beneficiary selection & farmer preparation process
- Farmer preparedness for receipt of Livestock, Crop, Fish materials and value addition equipment
- Strategies to improve farmer preparedness for the different types of support
- Scale of production units used for the various commodities.
- Performance of the various inputs/ survival rates
- Compliance to input distribution guidelines.
- Records on distribution, Reports to the Executive Director.
- Participation of Farmer Organizations.
- Adherence to seasonal guidance by NAADS Secretariat.
- Commodities received (type, quantity &quality)
- Allocation of the materials per Sub-county.
- Access to extension services by farmers (type, frequency, records, demonstrations)
Input Distribution
In season B 2020 that begins August 2020, NAADS is set to supply the following planting materials
Food security: maize, beans, vegetables, cassava, Irish potatoes, sorghum, and sweet potatoes
Strategic Commodities: Pineapples, apples, mangoes, citrus (oranges) and tea
The Area Based Commodity Clusters (ABCC)
During the process, NAADS is creating awareness on the Area Based Commodity Clusters (ABCC) which is being implemented at the beginning of season B 2020.
Whereas the current support under the NAADS/OWC has stimulated the need to establish or expand agro-processing /value addition facilities in the different production areas, there is need to ensure sustainable value chain development and market linkages through the establishment of agro-processing /value addition facilities in line with the Government’s strategic direction for agro-industrialization. Thus the need for adopting a cluster approach for boosting production and productivity of the strategic commodities has become a strategic necessity.
The adoption of a cluster approach to the production of key commodities around industrial hubs will ease the delivery of services and development of the infrastructure thereby fostering the backward and forward linkages desired in agro-industrial development. It will also concentrate resources and avoid scattering of inputs and interventions to improve the impact and visibility of the program.
am in kamuli district how can i benefit in naads. I have afour acre plus land