Publications

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2025: CELEBRATING WOMEN IN THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR IN UGANDA

AgroRef Uganda prides in focusing on key pillars of equity, equality, fairness, justice and rule of law in the agriculture sector and the cooperatives in particular. Our work is hinged on a Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) as both a call to action to the duty bearers but also a practice internally for our organisation and all other organisation we work with. It is our duty and responsibility to aspire but also inspire these principles in our daily work and generally all farmers and cooperators. That is why one of our key program areas focuses on Human Rights and Justice. AGROREF Uganda therefore takes this opportunity to wish all women in Uganda and across the global but more especially women engaged in agriculture, our small-holder farmers, a happy Women’s Day

MEMORANDA ON THE CONTRACT FARMING BILL

In a notice to the public titled, “The Contract Farming Bill, 2023”, the office of the clerk to parliament invited the public including civil society organisations (CSO) to submit memoranda or appear before the Committee of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) on the proposed Bill. As an organization that works for/with smallholder farmers, agricultural cooperatives, and other farmer-led and focused formations, Agriculture Reform Hub Uganda (AGROREF) hid this call and therefore wish to submit a written memoranda on the subject matter to the office of clerk to parliament with views and proposals on the Contract farming bill.

BRIEF ON THE HISTORY OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES (COP) AND ITS RELEVANCE TO THE GLOBAL SOUTH

Battered by the scourge of endless droughts, flooded plains and disrupted livelihoods of hundreds of millions back home, the African delegation to the United Nations climate change conference, the COP29, arrived in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a powerful message, calling for nothing less than climate justice and financial accountability from the world’s wealthiest nations. The African Group of Negotiators (AGN) proposed a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) of $1.3 trillion per year by 2030. Led by AGN chairperson Ali Mohamed, who is also Kenya’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, Africa’s demands have in the last four days underscored the inequity of a crisis its people largely did not create, but one they are severely bearing the brunt of (Mutiga, M. 2023, November 17).

STATEMENT ON THE BULAMBULI LANDSLIDE TRAGEDY

Agriculture Reform Hub Uganda (AGROREF), through our work with farmers in Bulambuli
District, is deeply saddened by this catastrophe. We have partnered with local farmers in the
region through the District Farmers Advocacy Platform, advocating for sustainable farming
practices, disaster preparedness, and community resilience. We are familiar with the many
challenges that farmers in Bulambuli face, including soil erosion and the precarious living
conditions in landslide-prone areas. This disaster serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability
of the people in this region, particularly those who live in mountainous areas that are prone
to heavy rainfall and landslides.

AGRICULTURE REFORM HUB UGANDA (AGROREF) STATEMENT ON WORLD AIDS DAY

As we commemorate World AIDS Day under the international theme, Take the Rights Path:
My Health, My Right”, Agriculture Reform Hub Uganda (AGROREF) stands in solidarity with
all those affected by HIV/AIDS, and we reflect on the profound impact of this epidemic on
vulnerable communities, particularly small-holder farmers in Uganda. Small-scale agriculture
is the backbone of Uganda’s economy, with over 80% of the population engaged in farming.
However, small-holder farmers are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, facing unique
challenges that exacerbate their vulnerability to the disease.

AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

Agriculture Reform Hub Uganda (AGROREF) in partnership with Uganda Human Rights
Commission (UHRC) and other partners prepared and organised for the commemoration of
the International Human Rights Day 2024 in a series of meetings. The commemorations started
with a press conference that took place on the 4th Dec.2024 held at the head office of UHRC
and climaxed with a high-level dialogue held at Golf Course Hotel on 10th December 2024.

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