An assessment of the national agricultural advisory services’ piggery project implementation in Buzaaya County, Kamuli District

Abstract

The lives of many Ugandans are characterized by lack of access to various amenities like health services, education services, shelter, food. Many measures have been undertaken by the government to tackle the situation through implementing development interventions to ensure better wellbeing of Ugandans through improving the incomes of the people, and transforming their livelihoods. An example of Such interventions is the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) piggery project. This study thus, aimed to assess the implementation of the NAADS piggery project in Buzaaya county, Kamuli district – Eastern Uganda and its set objectives. In light of the New Public Management (NPM) theory, the piggery project was implemented by NAADS through sharing authority (decentralization) at the district, subcounty and village levels of the local government of Uganda. The application of the NPM principles in this project implementation would assure efficiency and effectiveness, accountability and would assist the government through NAADS better performance and thereafter realize its set objectives of the project. Data was collected using the NAADS pig beneficiary questionnaire that was semi-structured in nature. It was written in English, Luganda and Lusoga languages. In total, thirty-two (32) pig beneficiaries were interviewed from one county (Buzaaya) and from 6 sub counties in the same county. Five (5) key informants were interviewed with the use of an interview guide to get information. There was also use of an observation checklist to get information to validate information given by the pig beneficiaries. The participants in the study were selected by purposive non-random sampling. The project beneficiaries reported various selection processes for the project including; selection by the subcounty extension worker, selection by application process. There was also evidence that some beneficiaries that kept the pigs until selling time reported improvements in wellbeing as a result of the project while others reported otherwise.