Development and the Environment: Overview of the Development Planning Process in Agricultural Sector, in Uganda

Abstract

The social component of the environment associated mostly with human activities has significantly imposed a threat to the only life-support systems of the earth. Uganda made adjustments in its planning process to prioritize environment conservation. However, in the recent past years, mostly between 2013 and 2017, the country stretched its resources to increase agricultural production, both livestock and crops. The objective of this study was to establish and document the development and the environment conservation strategies at global and regional levels with an overview on the development planning process in agricultural sector, in Uganda. The results showed that the sustainable development plans with participatory approach at international, regional, national and local or community levels are the best methods to cope with and reduce the negative impacts of man’s activities on the environment. The understanding of the complexes of the environment is very important to ensure the relationship between the social, economic and environmental protection for a sustainable development. The results also indicated that in Uganda, the agriculture industry made consistent efforts to increase agricultural production by 431,161 hectares and livestock heads by 7,878,000 (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and poultry) between 2013 and 2017. This increased agricultural greenhouse gas emission due to the use of synthetic fertilizers, burning of the cleared grasses, and use of manures applied to boost soil fertility and the reduction in the trees that sequester CO2. This study recommended that the agricultural sector should opt for sustainable agriculture by adopting practices like use of multipurpose crops that can offer environmental services like binding soil particles together to control erosion as well as yielding more food products. Dual-purpose livestock breeds should be adopted to avoid immense numbers that serve different purposes that will probably lead to increased GHG emissions.

Communicating climate change adaptation strategies: climate-smart agriculture information dissemination pathways among smallholder potato farmers in Gilgil Sub-County, Kenya

“…Climate change increases the inabilities of smallholder farmers to meet their present and future needs by threatening agriculture on which they solely depend for their livelihoods ( Derbile et al., 2021 ; Lipper et al., 2014 ). It reduces their resilience and copying potential by destructing agricultural food systems ( Ingutia, 2021 ; Waaswa and Satognon, 2020 ). CSAP is an integrated and interdisciplinary approach tailored towards transforming and repositioning agricultural and food systems to promote growth and development while cushioning food security against climate change ( Chandra et al., 2016 , 2018 ).…”

Use of GreenSeeker and CM-100 as manual tools for nitrogen management and yield prediction in irrigated potato (Solanum tuberosum) production

“…This is due to nutrient depletion with inappropriate replenishment as a result of continuous production. This can not only cause economic loses to the farmers by stifling crop growth but also pollute the environment (Waaswa and Satognon, 2020). To replenish the depleted N and ensure a vigorous growth of the crop, the smallholder potato farmers of Kenya apply 80% of the total required N at planting in form of diammonium ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE phosphate.…”

Performance of apical rooted cuttings of potato grown in Mollic Andosols under different nitrogen fertilization and irrigation regimes

“…The requirement of these factors by potato depends on the cropping system. Innovative potato production systems involve N and irrigation optimization to reduce the underground water pollution by N leaching as well as the environmental impact ( Waaswa and Satognon, 2020 ). The effects of both factors were often indicated in literature with dissimilar conclusions and recommendations as the optimum N rates differ across potato cultivars, soil types, climate and environmental contidtions ( Bélanger et al., 2000 ; Getie et al., 2015 ; Setu and Mitiku, 2020 ).…”