This document summarizes the current status and future needs of livestock production in Uganda. It notes that livestock accounts for 53% of Uganda's agricultural assets and 30% of agricultural GDP. The major livestock systems in Uganda include intensive, semi-intensive, and extensive grazing depending on the region. Key obstacles to production are poor animal breeds, inadequate feeding and forages, animal diseases, and lack of infrastructure. Future needs include developing drought-resistant forages, improving animal nutrition through feed formulations, using biotechnology for vaccines and disease control, adopting DNA technologies for breeding, and strengthening market linkages.

1. Global livestock production challenges:
Current status, future needs,
production obstacles in Africa—The
Uganda example
1Okedi, L., 2Baguma, Y., 1Kabirizi, J. M. and 1Kungu,
J.M.
1National Livestock Resources Research Institute, P.O. Box 96, Tororo, Uganda;
2National Agricultural Research Organization Secretariat, P. O. Box 295, Entebbe, Uganda
Presented at JAM Conference, 2015

2. Presentation outline
 African Animal Agriculture
 Facts about Uganda
 Current status of livestock production in Uganda
 Importance of Livestock
 Livestock productions Systems
 Production obstacles
 Future needs: the role of science and technology
 Acknowledgements

3. African Animal Agriculture
Africa is endowed with abundant natural
resources, including about 60% of the world’s
arable land, some of it still virgin land. These
resources, if effectively and efficiently harnessed,
could drive agriculture transformation.
About 80% of the population is rural and mostly
engage in small-scale agriculture.
Livestock accounts for 53% of the agricultural
capital stock and contribute 30% to agricultural
GDP

4. African Animal Agriculture
Predicted that demand for livestock products will
increase substantially over the next 25 years.
There exits a yield gaps to meet the increasing
demand

5. Facts about Uganda
 Uganda is also known as a “Pearl of Africa”
 Landlocked country in East Africa
 Total land area is about 241,040 sq. km (6.8
million ha, is under cultivation and 18% inland
water and swamp).
 Population: Just over 30 million people
 Climate: tropical; with two dry seasons
 Average daily temperatures rarely exceed 29
Celsius.
 The entire country lies above 900m above sea

6. Map of UgandaMap of Africa showing
location of Uganda

7. Current status of livestock production in
Uganda
 Livestock agriculture is currently among the most
rapidly developing industries in Uganda.
 The livestock sector contributes about 18% to the
overall agricultural Gross Domestic Product.
 Uganda has about 15 million cattle, 12.5 million
goats, 4 million sheep, 3.6 million pigs and 42
million chickens.
 A total of 5 million households in Uganda own
livestock (UBOS, 2008).
.

8. Importance of Livestock in Uganda
– food security, nutrition,
– employment, income
• Milk and meat
Enhancing value
addition skills
Dorper sheep Value added
dairy products

9. Importance of Livestock (cont.)
 Manure – low cost soil fertility
improvement
 Living ‘tractors’ for ploughing
and transport
 Living banking system with
high multiplier interest –
though with risk
 Forages provide incomes from
direct sale of forage
 Important risk reduction
strategy for vulnerable
communities
Forage for sale

10. Livestock productions Systems
Zone Crop/livestock
integration
Major
Livestock
systems
Major livestock
outputs
Humid Pure crop Intensive,
semi-intensive
Peri-urban milk
Subhumid Crop-livestock Intensive,
semi-intensive
Meat, milk, power
Highland Well integrated
crop-livestock
Intensive, and
semi-intensive
Power, meat, milk
Semiarid Livestock-crop Extensive
grazing,
Ranching
Milk, power
Arid Pure livestock Pastoralism Milk, meat

11. Livestock Production obstacles
Breeds and breeding
Feeds and feeding
Forage seeds and planting materials
Livestock production system is prone to climate
change, conflicts
Animal health and diseases
Land degradation and climate change

12. Livestock Production Constraints (cont.)
Weak linkages among actors
Market and marketing information
Policy and regulations
Inadequate investment in research
Land tenure policies
Gender issues
Poor infrastructure

13. Future needs
Livestock nutrition
Develop crop residue conservation, processing and
utilization technologies to ensure adequate feed
supply throughout the year
Reduce the risks of aflatoxins
Development and evaluation of forages tolerant to
drought and major diseases
The application of probiotics to manipulate rumen
microbes to improve feed utilization
Establish a robust regional livestock research
system

14. Future needs (cont.)
Livestock nutrition (cont.)
Rehabilitation of degraded grazing lands, through
termite control, and innovative soil fertility
management practices
Water harvesting and conservation practices and
use of cover plants especially Pistia sp in cleaning
surface runoff water for use in animal production
(cleaning and drinking water).
Development of forage based ration formulations
for livestock
Strengthen forage seed (systems) industry

15. Future needs (cont.)
Livestock health
Use of biotechnology, such as genetic
engineering to produce biologic and therapeutic
agents including vaccines and drugs
Livestock breeding
DNA technologies and Livestock breeding
Sexed Semen
Embryo transfer

16. Future needs (cont.)
Marketing
 Use of mobile telephone messages, and other
electronic media to disseminate market information
 Strengthening relationships among various chain
actors;
 Product differentiation to create niche markets and
linking of poor livestock keepers to expanding
urban markets
 Identify best options for dissemination of livestock
technologies for increased adoption

17. Acknowledgements
Government of Uganda
National Agricultural Research Organization
Development partners

18. 18