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Field study Uganda 2005KABALE APPLES: BOOM OR BURST - a study to develop strategies to exploit market opportunities for apple farmers in Kabale, Uganda
Host Partner(s): NARO-Kachwekano Agricultural Research and Development Centre (ARDC) Other Partners: ICRAF Bugongi Topic: Apple cultivation in Kabale District Location: Kabale District in the Southwestern Highlands of Uganda ICRA Working Document Series number: 125 Background: Kabale District is a densely populated area with severe land degradation and low household incomes. The district lacks perennial cash crops. Local and national policies have selected temperate fruit growing as a strategy to commercialize farming and raise farm incomes. Kabale was declared an "apple district", and a grant was proposed for apple development to be spent over the coming 1.5 years on apple seedlings and farmer training. Several trials with apple trees have started already. Objectives: To establish the production potential of apples in Kabale District and to establish market opportunities for apples grown in Kabale District and Kigezi Region. Outputs: Team Members:
Reviewer: Dr Richard Hawkins (United Kingdom), ICRA professional associate ABSTRACT: This study was conducted by an inter-institutional group of research and development professionals from Kenya and Uganda, as part of a broader process of capacity building in Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D). Following the identification of apple production and marketing as a priority issue in the South Western Highlands of Uganda by NARO and the local government, the team spent 6 weeks reviewing stakeholder perceptions, and analysing the apple enterprise from the ecological, technical, economic and social perspectives, and developing a strategy that can contribute to apple becoming a significant cash crop in the South Western Highlands of Uganda. The apple industry is in its infancy in Uganda. Grafted seedlings and ungrafted rootstock (for in-situ grafting) have been distributed to small-holder farmers though a number of farmers’ groups. Major challenges currently facing the apple enterprise include the development of appropriate horticultural practices (grafting, defoliation, fertilization, pest and disease control), as well as availability and organization of financial and technical services. So far, few apples have been sold from local production; although current plans envisage a production considerably in excess of current consumption in Uganda. If apples from the South Western Highlands are to compete with imports of fresh fruit (mainly from S.Africa, Kenya) in the local markets (Kampala) or regionally (e.g. DR Congo), farmer organization, collective marketing and strong links to major outlets (e.g. supermarkets) will be essential. A number of agricultural enterprises have been tried and have failed in the past in this region of Uganda. As yet, the team found no shared and coherent vision of future apple production and marketing among the different stakeholders in the S.W.Highlands. If apples are to provide a significant means of livelihood for small-scale producers in this region, there is a need to coordinate stakeholders actions through some sort of industry steering committee or task force; it is hoped that the “monitoring group” established to liaise with the team conducting this study can develop into such a grouping. KEY WORDS: |
ICRA and ARD essentials:
ARD ICRA Strategy ARD Team Building ARD Learning Resources Current Partnerships Download the full report: FS report Uganda 2005 (pdf, 354K) See BBC article Fruit could curb Ugandan poverty on this subject, April 2007 |
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