Promoting organic agriculture in Uganda

A farmer organisation can successfully be involved in lobbying and advocacy at the local level. But such successes require often the winning over of dedicated supporters. In spite of the obvious limitations, grassroots’ lobbying and advocacy activities do matter because under Uganda’s decentralised service delivery system, local governments are responsible for the delivery of agricultural extension services. Experiences in other organic areas like western Uganda indicate that the grassroots-organized lobbying and advocacy policy process have been effective in changing the perception of local government technical staff and policy makers. Increasingly, local government technical staff are cooperating with development NGOs promoting organic agriculture when planning agricultural interventions and in delivering extension services.