Agriculture is the backbone of Uganda's economy, with nine out of ten Ugandans making a living out of it. Subsistence Farming A proud farmer in Uganda.

Agriculture is the backbone of Uganda's economy, with

nine out of ten Ugandans making a living out of it.

Subsistence Farming

A proud farmer in Uganda with her corn crop

The average farm size is 1.78 acres – Kabale region

Farms are very small

women are responsible for much of the farming

Bananas (plantains) are the main food crop

Here they have beans growing at ground level too

Southern Uganda is wetter and has more crop farming

Any extra crops can be taken to market to be sold.

If there is transport available to the market

A major economic activity in the northern area is livestock rearing, with an estimated population of about 215,000 cattle, 220,000 goats and sheep and about 3000 donkeys.

Northern Uganda is drier and has more animal farming

Ankole, long horn, cattle

Cattle raiders kill 140 in Uganda

The Karimajong tribe are cattle rustlers and are nomadic.

Small-scale coffee farmers in Uganda laying out their coffee beans to dry in front of their houses.

Uganda is one of the countries most dependent on cash crops

Coffee is grown at high altitudes

Tea and coffee are two of the main CASH CROPS

Most of these farmers depend upon their own work, the work of their families and the use of primitive tools.

They save their seeds from one year to the next, use little or no fertiliser and no chemicals to protect their crops from pests.

Most farmers are SUBSISTENCE FARMERS

The yield from the land of these farmers is generally very small and varies greatly from one year to the next.

Even when there is a good harvest it is difficult to store the surplus

or to take it to market to be sold, as roads and transport are usually poor or non-existent

So if one year is particularly bad and a harvest fails due to flooding or drought or such like,

then where does the farmer get the money from to buy new seed?

This means many of Uganda's people are caught in the poverty cycle. This cycle is very easy to fall into, it is increasingly difficult to break out of.

Education is really important – children can learn farming skills

or skills for other work

During the election campaigns, President Yoweri Museveni had promised that if he was re-elected he would offer free education to four children in every family.

Now that he has won state resources are not adequate to cover the costs.

It is really important that people get get cheap loans

For very small amounts

To invest in improving their farms

Or starting small businesses

This is the treasurer of a Credit Union

With her each of her loans, this woman bought more chickens to raise. She sells their eggs at market to earn extra income for her family.

Another successful entrepreneur. This Credit with Education participant opened a little restaurant in her house and serves lunch.

In densely populated Uganda, regional markets cater to as many as 10,000 people per day.

Markets provide access to such things as flour, rice, salt, etc.

Most Ugandans grow food and earn money on small farms.

Women grow most of the food crops while men spend more time growing crops to sell.

Export earnings from these cash crops are the mainstay of the economy, especially coffee, Uganda's main export.

But the dependence on a few primary commodities makes the economy vulnerable to international price changes.

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