Response to a Problem Coffee was introduced in Acholi and Lango sub-regions in mid-Northern Ugand... more Response to a Problem Coffee was introduced in Acholi and Lango sub-regions in mid-Northern Uganda, by 1997, at first through pressure from political leaders, as an alternative perennial crop to the traditional cotton crop. This was an effort to fight poverty levels - aggravated by effects of a prolonged civil war in this sub-region. Cotton and other annual traditional food crops had little effect on poverty and introducing coffee, as alternative perennial crop was deemed very important to the region. Systematic coffee planting by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) first as a pilot (around 2001), and subsequently, has had a positive impact in the mid-North sub-region. To date, 16000 farmers in mid-Northern Uganda have planted 5,441 hectares. The current output in the sub-region is 154 metric tons; with a potential output estimated at 16,323 metric tons at peak and stable production level by 2017. The study identified districts with high potential for coffee production in the sub-region such as; Apac, Lira, Nwoya, and Oyam. Enablers UCDA through the elite clonal robusta coffee seedling distribution programme has been the lead agent of change in the transfer of coffee technology in the sub-region. This has been through working partnerships with about 132 low-cost-low- input private nursery operators. The nursery operators are key actors in the transfer of proven high performing elite clonal robusta seedlings to farmers in a cost effective way across 14 districts in the sub-region. This programme has had varied success across the sub-region with pronounced responses in only 5 districts (Lira, Nwoya, Oyam, Kole, and Apac) out of the 14 districts in the sub-region. Coffee Poverty Reduction Evidence The 2009/10 UNPS data reveal a significant household poverty reduction effect from coffee production; through incremental household consumption expenditure. Results further confirm that coffee producing households are associated with lesser poverty incidence compared to non-coffee producers. The interesting evid [...]
At the beginning of the 21st Century, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) introduced c... more At the beginning of the 21st Century, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) introduced coffee in the mid-North subregion. This marked the beginning of the sub-region’s transition from dependency on annual crops such as cotton to a perennial crop. While the long-term objective of UCDA was to find ways of sustaining the coffee sector amidst the coffee wilt disease in the traditional coffee growing regions, the opening up of coffee growing opportunities to enhance the incomes of agricultural households in a former war-ravaged Mid-North was a well-conceived strategy. Several studies have demonstrated that coffee sector remains key in Uganda’s poverty reductions efforts as well as pointing to the limited poverty reduction effects among those households who depended mainly on annual crops such as cotton. This policy brief draws from the research paper by Mbowa et al. (2014)1 focusing mainly on the prospects and challenges of the coffee sector in the mid-North of Uganda. There is ...
Response to a Problem Coffee was introduced in Acholi and Lango sub-regions in mid-Northern Ugand... more Response to a Problem Coffee was introduced in Acholi and Lango sub-regions in mid-Northern Uganda, by 1997, at first through pressure from political leaders, as an alternative perennial crop to the traditional cotton crop. This was an effort to fight poverty levels - aggravated by effects of a prolonged civil war in this sub-region. Cotton and other annual traditional food crops had little effect on poverty and introducing coffee, as alternative perennial crop was deemed very important to the region. Systematic coffee planting by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) first as a pilot (around 2001), and subsequently, has had a positive impact in the mid-North sub-region. To date, 16000 farmers in mid-Northern Uganda have planted 5,441 hectares. The current output in the sub-region is 154 metric tons; with a potential output estimated at 16,323 metric tons at peak and stable production level by 2017. The study identified districts with high potential for coffee production in...
Introduction: Uganda is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world, with the majorit... more Introduction: Uganda is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world, with the majority of the refugees having fled South Sudan. In the early 2000's the local government and refugee health systems were merged to create a more equal and integrated system for refugees and the host population. Our aim is to investigate whether mothers from the two groups experience the same access to and quality of maternal health services, and whether refugee- and host-community mothers perceive the maternal health services differently.Methods: In November–December 2019, we conducted a household survey of 1,004 Ugandan nationals and South Sudanese refugee mothers aged 15–49 in the West Nile region covering the districts of Arua, Yumbe, and Adjumani, and elicited information on access to maternal health care services, perceptions of the quality of services, and feelings of discrimination. The data was then analyzed using Ordinary Least Squares and logistic regression.Results: Our analyse...
Uganda adopted several containment measures to address Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Since the... more Uganda adopted several containment measures to address Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Uganda has instituted two lockdowns—in March 2020 and June 2021, characterized by restrictions on public transport and a dusk to dawn curfew. The second wave has had more devastating public health consequences, with the number of recorded cases more than doubling during the two months of May and June 2021. Specifically, the number of reported cases increased from 50,721 at the beginning of May 2021 and reached 100,288 at the beginning of July 2021. In tandem, the COVID-19 related deaths increased more than six-fold from 350 at the beginning of May 2021 to more than 2100 by July 2021. The only viable hope of containing the pandemic is through massive vaccination of the population. However, due to the limited global availability of vaccines, a small proportion of Ugandans, like many other African countries, have received at least one COVID-19 jab. The nu...
This brief uses the 2016/17 Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) and the World Development Ind... more This brief uses the 2016/17 Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) and the World Development Indicators (WDI) to show the extent of health insurance coverage for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart diseases among others. Results indicate that: (i) NDCs affect people of all socio-economic groups; (ii) more Ugandans suffering from NCDs are willing to pay for health insurance, but very few are holders of insurance policies in this regard; (iii) other diseases like malaria are more easily insured compared to NCDs, an indication that the providers of health insurance services are not keen to insure sufferers of NCDs; (iv) there are regional differences in health insurance coverage as well as prevalence of NCDs, with the burden of NCDs more intense in the Bukedi, Busoga and Teso sub-regions, whereas NCDs are least prevalent in Kigezi and Ankole sub-regionsand (v) NCDs are likely to erode gains in poverty reduction at household level, because i...
Uganda is the second largest contributor of total malaria cases in East and Southern Africa. Dome... more Uganda is the second largest contributor of total malaria cases in East and Southern Africa. Domestically, the burden of malaria is enormous and persistent (high morbidity, mortality, and economic loss). Among other strategies, the government has proposed large-scale Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) intervention as a major component of current malaria control efforts, and recently, the political leadership voiced solidarity towards fighting malaria through the "Mass Action Against Malaria" campaign. This paper was motivated by the paucity of evidence on requisite financial resources to fund country-wide and phased IRS implementation. Additionally, given that the economy is highly resource constrained and is faced with innumerable competing development priorities and needs, it is imperative to explore low-cost options for IRS implementation. Therefore, this paper was aimed at analysing the costs of the country-wide roll out of IRS under different IRS delivery models, the cost...
This brief explains the challenges limiting use of improved rice seed in three Eastern Uganda maj... more This brief explains the challenges limiting use of improved rice seed in three Eastern Uganda major rice growing districts. Insufficient supply of improved seed is a core constraint to intensification in rice production. There are only four rice seed producers in the three study districts, which renders rice seed to be the hardest input to access by farmers compared to fertilizer, herbicides, and fungicides. Rice seed inaccessibility is further compounded by producers having contractual obligations with external seed companies. The volume of seed required by farmers exceeds the supply capabilities of the four seed producers, creating a gap in the rice seed supply chain. Furthermore, the seed producers rarely multiply the varieties grown by farmers, but rather those demanded by seed companies outside the region. The estimated seed supply gap is about 90 percent of what farmers would require. Therefore, in order to meet local farmer's requirement for improved rice seed, at least 4...
Substantial progress has been made towards the 90–90–90 global targets; however, the pace at whic... more Substantial progress has been made towards the 90–90–90 global targets; however, the pace at which new infections are declining remains undesirable to meet the UNAIDS 2020 global targets of below 500,000 new infections annually. We discussed the possibility of continued HIV incidence amidst remarkable scores in the 90–90–90 global targets. A game theory simulation was used to explain micro-level sexual interactions in situations of imperfect information on each partner’s HIV status. A non-cooperative sex game tree was constructed following the Harsanyi transformation in two scenarios; scenario one: a player assigns higher subjective probability that the partner is HIV negative; and in scenario two: a player assigns higher subjective probability that the partner is HIV positive. Subjective expected utilities were computed using hypothetical payoffs. Accepting unprotected sex is a pure strategy for both players in scenario 1. Player2 is likely to acquire HIV/AIDS. Accepting protected ...
Response to a Problem Coffee was introduced in Acholi and Lango sub-regions in mid-Northern Ugand... more Response to a Problem Coffee was introduced in Acholi and Lango sub-regions in mid-Northern Uganda, by 1997, at first through pressure from political leaders, as an alternative perennial crop to the traditional cotton crop. This was an effort to fight poverty levels - aggravated by effects of a prolonged civil war in this sub-region. Cotton and other annual traditional food crops had little effect on poverty and introducing coffee, as alternative perennial crop was deemed very important to the region. Systematic coffee planting by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) first as a pilot (around 2001), and subsequently, has had a positive impact in the mid-North sub-region. To date, 16000 farmers in mid-Northern Uganda have planted 5,441 hectares. The current output in the sub-region is 154 metric tons; with a potential output estimated at 16,323 metric tons at peak and stable production level by 2017. The study identified districts with high potential for coffee production in the sub-region such as; Apac, Lira, Nwoya, and Oyam. Enablers UCDA through the elite clonal robusta coffee seedling distribution programme has been the lead agent of change in the transfer of coffee technology in the sub-region. This has been through working partnerships with about 132 low-cost-low- input private nursery operators. The nursery operators are key actors in the transfer of proven high performing elite clonal robusta seedlings to farmers in a cost effective way across 14 districts in the sub-region. This programme has had varied success across the sub-region with pronounced responses in only 5 districts (Lira, Nwoya, Oyam, Kole, and Apac) out of the 14 districts in the sub-region. Coffee Poverty Reduction Evidence The 2009/10 UNPS data reveal a significant household poverty reduction effect from coffee production; through incremental household consumption expenditure. Results further confirm that coffee producing households are associated with lesser poverty incidence compared to non-coffee producers. The interesting evid [...]
At the beginning of the 21st Century, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) introduced c... more At the beginning of the 21st Century, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) introduced coffee in the mid-North subregion. This marked the beginning of the sub-region’s transition from dependency on annual crops such as cotton to a perennial crop. While the long-term objective of UCDA was to find ways of sustaining the coffee sector amidst the coffee wilt disease in the traditional coffee growing regions, the opening up of coffee growing opportunities to enhance the incomes of agricultural households in a former war-ravaged Mid-North was a well-conceived strategy. Several studies have demonstrated that coffee sector remains key in Uganda’s poverty reductions efforts as well as pointing to the limited poverty reduction effects among those households who depended mainly on annual crops such as cotton. This policy brief draws from the research paper by Mbowa et al. (2014)1 focusing mainly on the prospects and challenges of the coffee sector in the mid-North of Uganda. There is ...
Response to a Problem Coffee was introduced in Acholi and Lango sub-regions in mid-Northern Ugand... more Response to a Problem Coffee was introduced in Acholi and Lango sub-regions in mid-Northern Uganda, by 1997, at first through pressure from political leaders, as an alternative perennial crop to the traditional cotton crop. This was an effort to fight poverty levels - aggravated by effects of a prolonged civil war in this sub-region. Cotton and other annual traditional food crops had little effect on poverty and introducing coffee, as alternative perennial crop was deemed very important to the region. Systematic coffee planting by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) first as a pilot (around 2001), and subsequently, has had a positive impact in the mid-North sub-region. To date, 16000 farmers in mid-Northern Uganda have planted 5,441 hectares. The current output in the sub-region is 154 metric tons; with a potential output estimated at 16,323 metric tons at peak and stable production level by 2017. The study identified districts with high potential for coffee production in...
Introduction: Uganda is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world, with the majorit... more Introduction: Uganda is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world, with the majority of the refugees having fled South Sudan. In the early 2000's the local government and refugee health systems were merged to create a more equal and integrated system for refugees and the host population. Our aim is to investigate whether mothers from the two groups experience the same access to and quality of maternal health services, and whether refugee- and host-community mothers perceive the maternal health services differently.Methods: In November–December 2019, we conducted a household survey of 1,004 Ugandan nationals and South Sudanese refugee mothers aged 15–49 in the West Nile region covering the districts of Arua, Yumbe, and Adjumani, and elicited information on access to maternal health care services, perceptions of the quality of services, and feelings of discrimination. The data was then analyzed using Ordinary Least Squares and logistic regression.Results: Our analyse...
Uganda adopted several containment measures to address Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Since the... more Uganda adopted several containment measures to address Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Uganda has instituted two lockdowns—in March 2020 and June 2021, characterized by restrictions on public transport and a dusk to dawn curfew. The second wave has had more devastating public health consequences, with the number of recorded cases more than doubling during the two months of May and June 2021. Specifically, the number of reported cases increased from 50,721 at the beginning of May 2021 and reached 100,288 at the beginning of July 2021. In tandem, the COVID-19 related deaths increased more than six-fold from 350 at the beginning of May 2021 to more than 2100 by July 2021. The only viable hope of containing the pandemic is through massive vaccination of the population. However, due to the limited global availability of vaccines, a small proportion of Ugandans, like many other African countries, have received at least one COVID-19 jab. The nu...
This brief uses the 2016/17 Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) and the World Development Ind... more This brief uses the 2016/17 Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) and the World Development Indicators (WDI) to show the extent of health insurance coverage for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart diseases among others. Results indicate that: (i) NDCs affect people of all socio-economic groups; (ii) more Ugandans suffering from NCDs are willing to pay for health insurance, but very few are holders of insurance policies in this regard; (iii) other diseases like malaria are more easily insured compared to NCDs, an indication that the providers of health insurance services are not keen to insure sufferers of NCDs; (iv) there are regional differences in health insurance coverage as well as prevalence of NCDs, with the burden of NCDs more intense in the Bukedi, Busoga and Teso sub-regions, whereas NCDs are least prevalent in Kigezi and Ankole sub-regionsand (v) NCDs are likely to erode gains in poverty reduction at household level, because i...
Uganda is the second largest contributor of total malaria cases in East and Southern Africa. Dome... more Uganda is the second largest contributor of total malaria cases in East and Southern Africa. Domestically, the burden of malaria is enormous and persistent (high morbidity, mortality, and economic loss). Among other strategies, the government has proposed large-scale Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) intervention as a major component of current malaria control efforts, and recently, the political leadership voiced solidarity towards fighting malaria through the "Mass Action Against Malaria" campaign. This paper was motivated by the paucity of evidence on requisite financial resources to fund country-wide and phased IRS implementation. Additionally, given that the economy is highly resource constrained and is faced with innumerable competing development priorities and needs, it is imperative to explore low-cost options for IRS implementation. Therefore, this paper was aimed at analysing the costs of the country-wide roll out of IRS under different IRS delivery models, the cost...
This brief explains the challenges limiting use of improved rice seed in three Eastern Uganda maj... more This brief explains the challenges limiting use of improved rice seed in three Eastern Uganda major rice growing districts. Insufficient supply of improved seed is a core constraint to intensification in rice production. There are only four rice seed producers in the three study districts, which renders rice seed to be the hardest input to access by farmers compared to fertilizer, herbicides, and fungicides. Rice seed inaccessibility is further compounded by producers having contractual obligations with external seed companies. The volume of seed required by farmers exceeds the supply capabilities of the four seed producers, creating a gap in the rice seed supply chain. Furthermore, the seed producers rarely multiply the varieties grown by farmers, but rather those demanded by seed companies outside the region. The estimated seed supply gap is about 90 percent of what farmers would require. Therefore, in order to meet local farmer's requirement for improved rice seed, at least 4...
Substantial progress has been made towards the 90–90–90 global targets; however, the pace at whic... more Substantial progress has been made towards the 90–90–90 global targets; however, the pace at which new infections are declining remains undesirable to meet the UNAIDS 2020 global targets of below 500,000 new infections annually. We discussed the possibility of continued HIV incidence amidst remarkable scores in the 90–90–90 global targets. A game theory simulation was used to explain micro-level sexual interactions in situations of imperfect information on each partner’s HIV status. A non-cooperative sex game tree was constructed following the Harsanyi transformation in two scenarios; scenario one: a player assigns higher subjective probability that the partner is HIV negative; and in scenario two: a player assigns higher subjective probability that the partner is HIV positive. Subjective expected utilities were computed using hypothetical payoffs. Accepting unprotected sex is a pure strategy for both players in scenario 1. Player2 is likely to acquire HIV/AIDS. Accepting protected ...
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