THERE IS NEED FOR MINDSET CHANGE FOR FARMERS IF THEY ARE TO ENGAGE IN COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE, WHICH WILL SPUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, A NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY SERVICES (NAADS)

Dr. Francis Byekwaso, planning manager at NAADS secretariat pointed out that countries such as Japan, South Korea and China have transformed their economies as a result of mindset change of its people.
“The biggest challenge we have as a country is of leaders and farmers who don’t want to change their mindset into new methods of agriculture,” Byekwaso said
“We need to see changes in agriculture and MPs and agricultural leaders should be at the forefront to transform agriculture,” he stated.
He informed an audience that it was for this reason government set up a national farmers leadership centre for mindset transformation.

Better seeds
He said farmers need to change their thinking from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture.
Byekwaso said government is working on a system of seed production to ensure that poor farmers as well as farmers associations have access to improved seeds.
The NAADS official was addressing farmers, researchers and members of civil society during a national dialogue on financing agricultural extension services in Uganda at Hotel Africana in Kampala.
The dialogue was organized by Civil Society Advocacy Group.
The planning manager urged civil society organizations to devise practical ways of improving agricultural extension services rather than dwelling on theory.
“There is a tendency of focusing on theory instead of pursuing practical strategies,” he said.
Sophie Nampewo, a research officer at ACODE stressed the need for integrating traditional extension services with NAADS programme to minimize resource and service duplication.