ISSN 2348-1218 (print) International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovations ISSN 2348-1226 (online) Vol. 8, Issue 4, pp: (43-52), Month: October - December 2020, Available at: www.researchpublish.com
DECONSTRUCTING LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE POLITICAL FARMER IN MIDWESTERN UGANDA Dr. David Mwesigwa Senior lecturer Discipline of Public Administration and Management Faculty of management sciences Lira university – Uganda
Abstract: Extant provisions of Uganda’s local economic development seek to promote a rural development strategy through diverse sector initiatives built in the structures of local governments as grassroots units. Since its recommendation, by the Joint Annual review of decentralisation in 2006 as well as the pilot initiatives conducted by Family Development Support Initiatives, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and Kasese District Local Government, local governments continue to be supportive of LED promotion activities. All indicators point to a not-so-pleasant situation occasioned by dearth pf progressive farmers except political farmers. The data collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire indicates that the political farmer has an upper hand over a majority in the country, which is one of the contributory factors to both inequities in the agricultural sector as well as frustrating the vision behind LED strategy. The puzzle, since the adoption of LED, is the failure of the government to beat inequity, which is structural in nature, in a way frustrates the political farmer from becoming successful due to resources they have access to rather than through diligence. While there are requisite policy provisions that mandate local governments to ascertain the active poor before selecting beneficiaries for direct interventions such youth livelihood programme, a number of local governments have failed to uphold transparency. Using a case study approach, this study argues that the failure of local governments to be transparent aggravates the prevailing LED crisis in Uganda. The study concludes that policy implementation where the political farmer prevails will relegate LED to an imaginary strategy of poverty reduction. Keywords: Political farmer, Local Economic Development, farming.
1.
INTRODUCTION
A number of local governments in Uganda are witnessing a rise in the number of political farmers. This wave has been useful, to the government, as one of the essential strategies during countrywide political campaigns which are aimed to enhance prosperity using the agricultural sector. Thus far, the subject of political farmers and or political farming can be traced from the sporadic rise of young millions and billions who declare earning their fortune from successful agricultural enterprises such as dairy farms, coffee farms, fruit farms, poultry farms, to mention just a few. This is marked by spreading out of every urban area along with urban populations which are interspersed with infrastructures such as shopping malls, residential apartments, fuel stations, etc. Given that the spreading out was spotlighted in the country‟s liberalisation programme, the focus is not put to the evolving middle class instead it is put to seeking every potential form of investment in which citizens can participate. The Uganda investment policy seeks to reassure both local investors and
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