| Overview : DEADLINE: 27 May 2015 The agriculture sector in Uganda is characterized by a large number of smallholder producers, where over 80% of farmers operate on plots between 1 and 5 acres. The sector contributes to over 20% of GDP and employs over 70 % of the population. However, over the past decade, the sector’s growth has been below the target of 6% set by the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP). Government of Uganda’s Agriculture Development Strategy and Investment Plan 2010/2015 (DSIP) emphasizes the need to transform the agriculture sector from small-scale production/subsistence agriculture to commercialization, listing 17 priority commodities. The Support for Development of Inclusive Markets in Agriculture and Trade (DIMAT) project aims to contribute to the transformation of the agriculture sector from small-scale production/subsistence agriculture to commercialized production in line with DSIP’s Programme 2 on “Market Access and Value Addition.” The project, which begun in the last quarter of 2011 and ends in June 2015, is intended to improve the competitiveness of markets in selected commodities, namely, cassava, rice and beans, enhancing the participation of low-income smallholder farmers as producers, consumers, employers and employees in the selected value chain. Its objectives is to enable the poorest and most vulnerable segment of the population to actively participate in agricultural value chains so as to increase their income, improve livelihood and build resilience at the household and community level. More specifically, the project is expected to achieve the following outputs: - 20 business linkages established and operationalized
- Capacity of small holder producer groups and Business Support Associations (BSAs) strengthened
- Innovative pro-poor business concepts developed and operationalized
- MSME’s access to productive assets (finance, inputs, market information and technology) increased
The total project budget is USD 2.6 million funded by UNDP’s core resources. Its implementing partner is Enterprise Uganda and the Responsible Parties are Kilimo Trust, Eastern Private Sector Development Center (EPSEDEC), Acholi Private Sector Development Company Limited (APSEDEC), and Private Sector Development and Consultancy Centre (PRICON). The project has been carrying out activities in Northern, Eastern, Western and Central Uganda. | 
