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Contribution of Sorghum Production to Smallholder Farmers’ Welfare in Rubanda District, Uganda

Received: 9 May 2023     Accepted: 30 May 2023     Published: 20 June 2023
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Abstract

Sorghum is a cereal crop grown all over the world and the fifth most produced grain globally. In Uganda, smallholder farmers growing sorghum in Muko sub-county are relatively earning more profits than farmers growing other crops such as maize, sweet potatoes, and wheat. Despite that fact, sorghum producers face several challenges which include limited access to agricultural inputs, land scarcity, and limited access to credit institutions that would boost sorghum production in Rubanda District. The study assessed climate-smart agricultural practices adopted by smallholder sorghum producers in the study area. The study also evaluated the level of sorghum utilization among smallholder farmers and the contribution to household income. The study used simple random sampling techniques, to arrive at 60 smallholder farmers to participate in the study. The study revealed 88.3% of smallholder farmers’ households produced sorghum and 11.7% produced other crops from the sampled households. Smallholder farmers 41.7% reported growing Rukutu local sorghum variety followed by Magune 31.7%, Kyatanombe at 20%, and Buhuri at 13.3% respectively. In this study, farmers also reported the crop to enhance food security and household nutrition. Furthermore, 76.7% of smallholder farmers earned income from sorghum sales. Sorghum production has a potential to boost income gains from crop production as compared to maize and other cereal crops. Therefore, there is a need to form a smallholder farmers’ steering committee to oversee agricultural issues in Rubanda District. Establishment of the institutional framework, to provide the legal framework and the National Environmental Policy on sorghum production.

Published in International Journal of Agricultural Economics (Volume 8, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijae.20230803.13
Page(s) 98-101
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Agriculture, Africa, Crop, Income, Livelihood, Policy, Producers

References
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[2] H. A. Eicher-Miller, “A review of the food security, diet and health outcomes of food pantry clients and the potential for their improvement through food pantry interventions in the United States,” Physiol. Behav., vol. 220, p. 112871, 2020.
[3] K. M. Kakuru, F. Bagamba, and P. Okori, “Consumer preferences for the quality characteristics of sorghum grain in Eastern Uganda: A choice experiment approach,” African Crop Sci. J., vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 497–512, 2021.
[4] Y. Kassaye, G. Shao, X. Wang, E. Shifaw, and S. Wu, “Impact of climate change on the staple food crops yield in Ethiopia: implications for food security,” Theor. Appl. Climatol., vol. 145, no. 1–2, pp. 327–343, 2021.
[5] Dabija, M. E. Ciocan, A. Chetrariu, and G. G. Codină, “Maize and sorghum as raw materials for brewing, a review,” Appl. Sci., vol. 11, no. 7, p. 3139, 2021.
[6] P. Chavula, “Successes of Integrated Pest Management in Sorghum Production: A Review”.
[7] M. Nasidi, R. Agu, G. Walker, and Y. Deeni, “Sweet sorghum: agronomic practice for food, animal feed and fuel production in sub-saharan africa,” Sweet sorghum Charact. Cultiv. uses, 2019.
[8] T. Sirany, E. Tadele, H. Aregahegn, and D. Wale, “Economic Potentials and Use Dynamics of Sorghum Food System in Ethiopia: Its Implications to Resolve Food Deficit,” Adv. Agric., vol. 2022, 2022.
[9] C. W. Mundia, S. Secchi, K. Akamani, and G. Wang, “A regional comparison of factors affecting global sorghum production: The case of North America, Asia and Africa’s Sahel,” Sustainability, vol. 11, no. 7, p. 2135, 2019.
[10] C. Andiku et al., “Assessment of sorghum production constraints and farmer preferences for sorghum variety in Uganda: implications for nutritional quality breeding,” Acta Agric. Scand. Sect. B—Soil Plant Sci., vol. 71, no. 7, pp. 620–632, 2021.
[11] Y. Gautam, P. K. Singh, and O. P. Singh, “Economic Analysis of Sorghum Production Under Irrigated Condition in Maharashtra,” Trends Biosci., vol. 13, no. 9, pp. 542–548, 2020.
[12] G. Lubadde, J. Ebiyau, J. C. Aru, C. Andiku, J. A. Wandulu, and M. A. Ugen, “Sorghum production handbook for Uganda,” Natl. Semi Arid Resour. Res. Inst. Natl. Agric. Res. Organ. (NaSARRI-NARO), Uganda. Uganda, 2019.
[13] S. Chakrabarty et al., “Genetic and genomic diversity in the sorghum gene bank collection of Uganda,” BMC Plant Biol., vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 1–11, 2022.
[14] T. F. Teferra and J. M. Awika, “Sorghum as a healthy global food security crop: Opportunities and challenges,” Cereal Foods World, vol. 64, no. 5, pp. 1–8, 2019.
[15] S. O. Okeyo, S. N. Ndirangu, H. N. Isaboke, and L. K. Njeru, “Determinants of sorghum productivity among small-scale farmers in Siaya County, Kenya,” African J. Agric. Res., vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 722–731, 2020.
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  • APA Style

    Petros Chavula, Benson Turyasingura. (2023). Contribution of Sorghum Production to Smallholder Farmers’ Welfare in Rubanda District, Uganda. International Journal of Agricultural Economics, 8(3), 98-101. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijae.20230803.13

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    ACS Style

    Petros Chavula; Benson Turyasingura. Contribution of Sorghum Production to Smallholder Farmers’ Welfare in Rubanda District, Uganda. Int. J. Agric. Econ. 2023, 8(3), 98-101. doi: 10.11648/j.ijae.20230803.13

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    AMA Style

    Petros Chavula, Benson Turyasingura. Contribution of Sorghum Production to Smallholder Farmers’ Welfare in Rubanda District, Uganda. Int J Agric Econ. 2023;8(3):98-101. doi: 10.11648/j.ijae.20230803.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijae.20230803.13,
      author = {Petros Chavula and Benson Turyasingura},
      title = {Contribution of Sorghum Production to Smallholder Farmers’ Welfare in Rubanda District, Uganda},
      journal = {International Journal of Agricultural Economics},
      volume = {8},
      number = {3},
      pages = {98-101},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijae.20230803.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijae.20230803.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijae.20230803.13},
      abstract = {Sorghum is a cereal crop grown all over the world and the fifth most produced grain globally. In Uganda, smallholder farmers growing sorghum in Muko sub-county are relatively earning more profits than farmers growing other crops such as maize, sweet potatoes, and wheat. Despite that fact, sorghum producers face several challenges which include limited access to agricultural inputs, land scarcity, and limited access to credit institutions that would boost sorghum production in Rubanda District. The study assessed climate-smart agricultural practices adopted by smallholder sorghum producers in the study area. The study also evaluated the level of sorghum utilization among smallholder farmers and the contribution to household income. The study used simple random sampling techniques, to arrive at 60 smallholder farmers to participate in the study. The study revealed 88.3% of smallholder farmers’ households produced sorghum and 11.7% produced other crops from the sampled households. Smallholder farmers 41.7% reported growing Rukutu local sorghum variety followed by Magune 31.7%, Kyatanombe at 20%, and Buhuri at 13.3% respectively. In this study, farmers also reported the crop to enhance food security and household nutrition. Furthermore, 76.7% of smallholder farmers earned income from sorghum sales. Sorghum production has a potential to boost income gains from crop production as compared to maize and other cereal crops. Therefore, there is a need to form a smallholder farmers’ steering committee to oversee agricultural issues in Rubanda District. Establishment of the institutional framework, to provide the legal framework and the National Environmental Policy on sorghum production.},
     year = {2023}
    }
    

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    AU  - Petros Chavula
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    JO  - International Journal of Agricultural Economics
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    AB  - Sorghum is a cereal crop grown all over the world and the fifth most produced grain globally. In Uganda, smallholder farmers growing sorghum in Muko sub-county are relatively earning more profits than farmers growing other crops such as maize, sweet potatoes, and wheat. Despite that fact, sorghum producers face several challenges which include limited access to agricultural inputs, land scarcity, and limited access to credit institutions that would boost sorghum production in Rubanda District. The study assessed climate-smart agricultural practices adopted by smallholder sorghum producers in the study area. The study also evaluated the level of sorghum utilization among smallholder farmers and the contribution to household income. The study used simple random sampling techniques, to arrive at 60 smallholder farmers to participate in the study. The study revealed 88.3% of smallholder farmers’ households produced sorghum and 11.7% produced other crops from the sampled households. Smallholder farmers 41.7% reported growing Rukutu local sorghum variety followed by Magune 31.7%, Kyatanombe at 20%, and Buhuri at 13.3% respectively. In this study, farmers also reported the crop to enhance food security and household nutrition. Furthermore, 76.7% of smallholder farmers earned income from sorghum sales. Sorghum production has a potential to boost income gains from crop production as compared to maize and other cereal crops. Therefore, there is a need to form a smallholder farmers’ steering committee to oversee agricultural issues in Rubanda District. Establishment of the institutional framework, to provide the legal framework and the National Environmental Policy on sorghum production.
    VL  - 8
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Author Information
  • Africa Center of Excellency for Climate Smart Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Haramaya University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

  • Africa Center of Excellency for Climate Smart Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Haramaya University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

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