After the first two phases produced impressive results, including a quadrupling of rice production per hectare, Uganda is contributing nearly $10 million to the most recent phase of a South-South Cooperation project focused on crop and animal production with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Chinese government.
The Ugandan government is contributing $9 623 703 through a Unilateral Trust Fund, one of the largest donations of its kind from a beneficiary country under the initiative (UTF).
This is in addition to the $2 389 138 that China provided under the FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme Trust Fund for Phase III of the project.
The Uganda UTF will be utilized to assist the overall implementation of Phase III of the project, as per an agreement reached in Kampala by FAO Representative Antonio Querido and Uganda’s Finance Minister Matia Kasaijia.
It will concentrate on four areas: 1) the creation of an integrated technology transfer base; 2) the creation of high yielding rice and foxtail millet schemes; 3) the support of livestock enhancement programs; and 4) the creation of the aquaculture value chain.
The contribution from the Uganda Trust Fund to Phase III of the SSC project “marks a strong endorsement of the significant impact it has already had and a resounding vote of confidence in its potential for continuing improvements to the lives and livelihoods of Ugandan farmers and those who depend on them,” said Querido.
At least 9 600 farmers will directly benefit from the assistance, at least 30% of them will be women. Additionally, 200 technical personnel in China and Uganda will receive training.
Phases I and II of China’s technical aid to Uganda have already produced notable outcomes that have addressed the nation’s persistent problems with low agricultural output.
While milk output climbed from 2 to 7 litres per cow per day in other study locations, rice yield per hectare increased by a factor of four in one project region. High-quality, inexpensive fish feed practices have enhanced aquaculture production while training more than 3000 Ugandan farmers and 80 government employees.
The collaboration’s core mechanism is knowledge transfer.
47 Chinese experts and technicians were sent to Uganda as part of the FAO-China SSC Programme’s first two phases over the course of a two-year period, where they worked to advance the production of rice, foxtail millet, maize, grapes, apples, and cherry tomatoes as well as the reproduction of goats, pigs, sheep, and fish. Mechanization, agroprocessing, and value addition were also major topics of the projects.
The Program specifically targeted female agriculturists, helping to raise income and enhance employment, nutrition, and way of life for thousands of farmers in Uganda through study tours to China for high-level agricultural authorities and technicians from Uganda.
The Governments of China and Uganda and FAO worked together to split the costs of phases I and II.
While the government of Uganda offered in-kind contributions, such as lodging, transportation, medical services, and health insurance for the Chinese employees, the government of China contributed financial and technical resources.
In addition to project management and oversight, FAO offered technical support and backstopping.
The FAO-China SSC Programme was launched in 2009 with a contribution of USD 30 million from China. Two additional USD 50 million promises were made in the years 2014 and 2020, respectively.
More than 100 000 direct beneficiaries and several hundred thousand indirect beneficiaries at the grassroots level in rural areas have benefited from the Program’s implementation of 25 national, regional, interregional, and global programs to boost agricultural development and food security.
Chinese experts deployed in host nations have transferred useful and adaptable technologies by offering training and demonstrations based on local need.
The function of FAO in triangular and south-south cooperation
In many nations, the South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) program successfully implemented by FAO has boosted food security, particularly through improvements in agricultural productivity, food crop diversification, small animal and fish production, and rural incomes.
$435 million has been spent on SSTC programs and activities during the previous 20 years.