@article{Adong:126774,
      recid = {126774},
      author = {Adong, Annet and Mwaura, Francis and Okoboi, Geofrey},
      title = {What determines membership to farmer groups in Uganda?  Evidence from the Uganda Census of Agriculture 2008/09},
      address = {2012},
      number = {1007-2016-79630},
      pages = {34},
      year = {2012},
      abstract = {Farmer groups have returned to the policy agenda of many  developing countries because of
their attractiveness as  facilitators and accelerators of technical and economic  change in rural
areas and as potential avenues for  mobilizing farmers around a common objective especially  in
the delivery of services and formulation of policies  that support agriculture development. In
Uganda, the  government and development agencies are targeting farmer  groups as the vehicle
for agricultural development in the  country. Despite this significance of farmer groups in  the
policy agenda little is known on the level of  membership and the factors influencing the
decision of  farmers to join these groups. Using the Uganda Census of  Agriculture 2008/9 data,
the study reveals that nationally,  membership to groups is low at 9 and 16 percent  amongst
individual farmers and agriculture households  respectively. Northern Uganda had the highest
level of  membership followed by Western Uganda. The Central region  had the least
membership. Farmer characteristics that  influenced membership to groups were found to be:
age,  gender, marital status, major activity and education  achievement. Distance to extension
services was a major  factor influencing membership to groups in addition to  distances to the to
all year gravel road for some regions.  To increase membership to farmer groups, government
and  development agencies need to provide more time and  resources to group formation with
targeting directed  towards illiterate farmers and those far away from  extension workers. The
use of the local language in  publicity materials is also important in ensuring  participation among
the illiterate. Overall, there is a  need for concerted efforts by all institutions supporting  groups
to ensure that groups’ approach succeeds in  improving access to agricultural technologies and
ensuring  that noticeable outcomes are achieved for them to attract  more farmers like the out
grower schemes in Ghana. Other  groups based factors including governance, capacity  in
knowledge, resources and sustainability should be  enhanced as it will motivate the more riskaverse
farmers to  join the groups.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/126774},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.126774},
}