Jinja City, 29 September 2026 – The Senior Development Officer, Mr. Stephen Tumwine, has emphasised the importance of transforming agricultural extension services into market-oriented and business-focused services to support effective implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM) and accelerate Local Economic Development (LED) in the Busoga Sub-Region.
Speaking during the ongoing Training Workshop on Strengthening State and Non-State Actors’ Partnerships for Improved Agricultural Extension Services and Effective Implementation of PDM, Mr. Tumwine explained that Uganda’s agricultural transformation requires a shift from subsistence production to commercially oriented farming. He noted that while PDM provides a framework for transforming households into productive and income-generating economic units, agricultural extension must go beyond production advice and address the entire value chain, including what to produce, how much to produce, where and when to sell, quality standards, value addition, access to finance, market information, collective marketing and linkages to buyers and processors.
Mr. Tumwine explained that a market-oriented extension system helps farmers identify profitable enterprises, understand market demand and prices, select appropriate technologies, improve productivity and quality, meet market standards, reduce post-harvest losses, undertake value addition, develop business plans and access financial services. He emphasised the need to move away from the approach of “produce first, look for a market later” towards identifying the market, planning production, producing, adding value, aggregating and marketing before reinvesting in the enterprise. He further noted that market-oriented extension can support PDM at parish level through enterprise identification, technical guidance, farmer mobilisation, production scheduling, quality improvement, post-harvest handling, market information, linkages to buyers and financial institutions, and monitoring of PDM enterprises.
The Senior Development Officer further highlighted the strong relationship between agricultural extension, PDM and LED, noting that PDM provides households, parish structures, financing and enterprise development, while extension provides knowledge, technology, skills, market information and business support, with LED providing local economic planning, investment, value chains, private-sector linkages, employment and opportunities to expand local revenue. He identified key economic opportunities in Busoga, including sugarcane, cassava, rice, maize, coffee, fruits and vegetables, livestock, poultry, fisheries and aquaculture, oilseeds, food processing, agro-input businesses, agricultural transport and logistics.
Mr. Tumwine stressed that the challenge is not only to increase production but to develop competitive, profitable and market-linked value chains. He called for stronger collaboration among Local Governments, extension workers, farmers, the private sector, financial institutions, processors, researchers and development partners, noting that no single institution can provide all the services required for commercially oriented agriculture. Under the partnership approach, Government and Local Governments have roles in coordination, standards, regulation and public extension services, while the private sector can contribute markets, technology, finance, inputs, processing and investment, with farmers participating in production, aggregation and enterprise development.
He called on Local Governments to strengthen collaboration between Production, Commercial and Local Economic Development functions, develop local value-chain profiles, establish market information systems, promote farmer aggregation, link PDM enterprises to private buyers, promote agro-processing and engage financial institutions, agro-input dealers, processors, researchers and development partners. He also recommended strengthening the capacity of extension officers in business development, market intelligence and value-chain development, while using LED structures and platforms to coordinate local economic actors and investment opportunities.
Mr. Tumwine concluded by calling for a shift from extension services that focus mainly on teaching farmers how to produce to services that enable farmers to produce profitably, access markets, add value, create jobs and build sustainable local economies. He emphasised that PDM should not end with production, beneficiaries should be supported to access profitable and reliable markets, and State–Non-State partnerships should be deliberately strengthened to provide the markets, finance, processing, technology and investment required for sustainable agricultural and local economic transformation.
