What is NAADS

The National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) is a new program of the government of Uganda put in place to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of agricultural extension service. It is a semi-autonomous body formed under NAADS Act of June 2001 with a mandate to develop a demand driven, farmer-led agricultural service delivery system targeting the poor subsistence farmers, with emphasis to women, youth and people with disabilities. Its development goal is to enhance rural livelihoods by increasing agricultural productivity and profitability in a sustainable manner.

NAADS is working in pursuit of the national development framework of Poverty Eradication Agenda, which is guided by the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP). NAADS overall supervision is vested in the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF). The programme was officially launched in March 2002.

NAADS is one of the seven components under the Plan for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA), the planning framework of the government for the transformation of subsistence agriculture to market oriented for commercial production. NAADS programme aims to redress past shortcomings in the provision of the agricultural extension services through far reaching reforms and innovative approaches in service delivery.

The original design of NAADS was defined in five components. The emerging lesson and experiences in implementation three and half year down the road have necessitated to redefine the components at NAADS Midterm Review. NAADS programme is now run under six new components within which its anticipated outputs are defined.

It is a 25-year programme, with an initial phase of 7 years. The first 2 years are for trailblazing to permit testing of programme approaches and concepts leading to a refinement of the programme design. NAADS programmme has five components within which its outputs are defined.

Implementation of NAADS programme started in July 2001 in the six trailblazing districts of Arua, Kabale, Kibale, Mukono, Soroti and Tororo, operating in only four sub-counties in each district. The trailblazing districts and sub-counties were chosen according to the criteria designed to reflect variety with respect to nature of local agricultural economy and agro-ecological zones as well as compliance with Local Government Development Programme (LGDP).

Since the completion of the trail-blazing phase in 2002, NAADS has continued to expand to new districts, and within the existing districts to new sub-counties. NAADS to-date is being implemented in 79 districts and 710 Sub-counties . The expansion to new districts and sub-counties is through either direct entry or harmonization with on-going programmes that have extension related components. In the Financial Year 2002/2003, the programme expanded to an additional 10 new districts of Bushenyi, Busia, Iganga, Kabarole, Kapchorwa, Kitgum, Lira, Luwero, Mbarara and Wakiso. In the Financial Year 2003 / 2004, the programme expanded to an additional 5 new districts of Hoima, Kamuli, Mbale, Nakapiripirit and Rakai, while in the Financial Year 2004 / 2005, the programme expanded to an additional 8 new districts of Apac, Bugiri, kanungu, Kumi, Masaka, Moyo, Rukungiri, and Yumbe. In the current Financial Year 2005/ 2006 the has expanded to the districs od Kotido, Gulu, Nebbi, Kaberamaido, Mubende, Ssembabule, Kasese and Ntungamo. The programme is evisaged to continue expanding gradually and systematically until all the districts in the country are covered within the first 7 years of implementation.