PDM tours: Museveni’s focus on smallholder farmers a game changer

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OPINION

By Rose Namayanja Nsereko

When President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni embarked on his Parish Development Model (PDM) zonal tours, choosing to visit smallholder farmers over large-scale agribusinesses, he wasn’t making a political detour. He was making a strategic intervention.

This decision, which has generated debate in some circles, to the extent that some of his critics are wondering how a head of state could visit a farmer with four pigs!

This is not only deliberate but also deeply rooted in Uganda’s development realities and the President’s long-standing vision of inclusive prosperity.

Heart of the nation’s economy

Over 70% of Ugandans are engaged in agriculture, and the majority of these are smallholder farmers.

They are not just the backbone of our food systems — they are the soul of rural Uganda.

Their farms, often less than two acres in size, produce most of the food consumed in our homes and markets. Yet, for decades, these farmers have remained on the fringes of the money economy — trapped in subsistence and denied access to capital, value chains and market systems. The Parish Development Model was conceived by the NRM precisely to address this disconnect.

It brings services, financing, training, and market access to the parish level — the smallest administrative unit. It seeks to transform the “wananchi” at the base of the pyramid.

President Museveni’s visits to these farmers signal that the focus of national transformation must begin at the grassroots, not the apex.

Lifting the 39%

The President has repeatedly referenced the statistic that 39% of households in Uganda are stuck in the subsistence economy.

These are not figures on a page — they are real people in real communities.

His tour of Greater Luwero last week, where he directly visited smallholder farmers like Ms Nalubowa Aida of Nsereko zone, East ward in Nakaseke town council, Ms Damali Nakayenga in Kikoma zone, Wobulenzi town council and Mrs Bayiga of Sekamuli in Bamunanika sub-county, not only allowed the President to engage directly with this population, evaluate the impact of government programmes and reinforce the urgent national call to commercialise agriculture, but also illuminated the role played by many like them in the economy of our country.

Rather than attending boardroom presentations or model farms that already enjoy visibility and viability, the President opts to connect with those who need his intervention the most. It is not about optics; but about impact.

Leadership that listens

True leadership is not about staying in ivory towers — it is about walking the journey with the people.

By stepping into banana plantations, piggery units and cassava gardens run by village level beneficiaries, the President is engaging in participatory governance. He is seeing, listening, learning and correcting in real time. This is why in all his tours, an interface with the zonal leaders from the area is a must so that they too can emulate him. This ground-level presence also enhances accountability. It deters the misuse of PDM funds, exposes implementation gaps and pressures local leaders into serving with integrity. Farmers who would never dream of accessing a State House function get a direct audience with the head of state in their own parish.

A message to the nation

President Museveni’s tours are symbolic. They send a powerful message: no Ugandan should be left behind. By prioritising smallholder farmers, he is declaring that development is not a privilege for the elite few — it is a right for every Ugandan, regardless of their income or location.

Large-scale farmers play an important role in Uganda’s agro economy, and the Government continues to support them through various frameworks such as the Agricultural Credit Facility and sector-specific tax incentives. But the transformation Uganda needs must start from the bottom up.

That is where the real potential lies — and that is where the President has chosen to plant the mustard seed of national prosperity.

The writer is the deputy secretary general National Resistance Movement