Agriculture
Technical Areas
Agriculture
Agriculture remains one of the most powerful tools for ending extreme poverty, boosting shared prosperity, and feeding a projected global population of 9.7 billion by 2050. For the 80% of the world’s poor who live in rural areas and rely heavily on farming, the sector is central to livelihoods, nutrition, and climate resilience. However, agriculture today faces mounting challenges ranging from land degradation and climate change to market volatility and weak rural infrastructure. At Bodmando, we support agriculture as a driver of inclusive development and community transformation.
Technical Areas
Global and Regional Context of Agriculture
Globally, agriculture contributes around 4% of GDP but employs over 27% of the global workforce, with even higher rates in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The sector is under increasing stress from changing weather patterns, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and insecure land tenure systems.
In Africa, over 60% of the population is employed in agriculture, yet yields remain low due to limited mechanization, poor access to finance, and minimal research uptake. Climate variability continues to threaten productivity and livelihoods.
Uganda, like many African countries, has agriculture as the backbone of its economy—employing over 70% of the population. Yet, rural farmers face persistent challenges such as poor infrastructure, lack of extension services, and weak linkages to markets.
Global initiatives such as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the United Nations Food Systems Summit aim to promote sustainable, climate-resilient, and equitable food systems.
Technical Areas
Agriculture Challenges & Opportunities
The agricultural sector faces numerous challenges that threaten food security and sustainable development. Climate change is intensifying droughts, floods, and pest outbreaks, all of which negatively impact crop yields. Smallholder farmers who are responsible for over 80% of food production in many developing countries often lack access to quality inputs, financial credit, and stable markets. Gender inequalities, particularly in land ownership and decision-making, continue to marginalize women farmers. Meanwhile, youth are increasingly disengaged from agriculture due to its perceived lack of profitability and modernization. Additionally, weak agricultural data systems limit the ability of policymakers and investors to make informed, evidence-based decisions.
Despite these challenges, several emerging opportunities are reshaping the agricultural landscape. Digital agriculture and agri-tech innovations are transforming value chains by enabling precision farming, real-time data analysis, and improved market access. Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is offering strategies for adaptation, mitigation, and resilience-building in the face of climate variability. Growing investments in agricultural research and extension services are helping to close knowledge gaps and drive innovation. Furthermore, public-private partnerships are fostering inclusive agribusiness ecosystems and strengthening farmer cooperatives. Sustainable approaches like agroecology are also gaining momentum as viable alternatives to intensive, resource-heavy farming systems.
Technical Areas
Recommendations
- Facilitate cross-border partnerships and the sharing of technical expertise to address health service gaps collectively.
- Strengthen accountability mechanisms and leadership capacity at all levels of the health system.
- Support reforms that are grounded in local realities, with scalable, data-informed interventions.
- Encourage the development of regional centers of excellence and referral systems that optimize resource use.
- Prioritize continuous professional development and equitable distribution of health workers.
- Use technology to enhance data collection, service delivery, and cross-border communication.
Technical Areas
Sustainable Development Goals and Agriculture
Agriculture is central to achieving SDG 2: Zero Hunger, which aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. It also intersects with SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). Bodmando’s work in agriculture aligns with these global goals by fostering resilient, inclusive, and sustainable agricultural systems that improve livelihoods and food systems at scale.
FAO
The future of agriculture lies not only in growing more food, but in growing it sustainably, inclusively, and wisely
Technical Areas
Bodmando’s Expertise in Agriculture:
- We design and implement Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) frameworks tailored to agriculture and food security programs, using participatory tools to ensure inclusion and learning.
- We conduct in-depth program and impact evaluations that help refine interventions, increase accountability, and inform scale-up strategies.
- Through capacity strengthening initiatives, we equip agricultural institutions, farmer organizations, and youth groups with skills in project management, data use, and adaptive planning.
- Our integrated approach promotes sustainable practices, agroecology, and climate-smart innovations that enhance productivity while protecting ecosystems and empowering marginalized groups.
Technical Areas
References
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). (2023). The State of Food and Agriculture 2023. https://www.fao.org/publications
- World Bank. (2023). Agriculture and Food. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture
- African Union Commission. (2021). Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). https://au.int/en/caadp
- Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS). (2022). Statistical Abstract. https://www.ubos.org
- United Nations. (2021). UN Food Systems Summit Briefs. https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit
