Agricultural Technology and Agribusiness Advisory Services Programme

The ATAAS Programme was designed to build on the accomplishments of the IFAD-cofinanced National Agricultural Advisory Services Programme (NAADS). Its objective is to increase the agricultural productivity and incomes of participating households by improving the performance of agricultural research and advisory services. At the same time, it seeks to enhance environmental sustainability and resilience to climate risks and land degradation.

 

The programme aims at promoting public-private partnerships in service delivery and agribusiness development, and at strengthening the institutional capacity of the National Agricultural Research Organization and the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries. It also builds the organizational capacity of poor people, develops human and social assets, and supports economic activities.

 

ATAAS encourages private-sector operators to play a greater role in agricultural development and poverty alleviation, which is in line with IFAD's Private-Sector Development and Partnership Strategy. Furthermore, consistent with the IFAD climate change strategy, the programme is introducing technologies for sustainable land management to help farmers cope with risks associated with climate change.

 

In terms of development innovations, the ATAAS Programme will continue to promote the provision of advisory services on a demand-driven basis – with direct linkages to private-sector operators – as well as introduce and scale up sustainable land management practices to prevent or arrest the degradation of agricultural landscapes.

 

An estimated 20 per cent of Uganda's farmers have benefited from the advisory services provided under NAADS. The ATAAS Programme aims to expand outreach to 40-50 per cent of Ugandan farmers, or about 1.7 million households. It is supervised by the World Bank on behalf of IFAD.