Abstract:
A major challenge developmental states face, is formulating policies which survive
the test of time and remain relevant in organising and directing public business. The
absence of sustainable policies has resulted in ineffective management of public
resources and services. There are obvious problems associated with the absence
of sustainable policies, but studies on public policy necessitate the examination of
multifaceted challenges facing the policy management process. Notwithstanding the
available literature on general problems concerning policy management in Uganda,
this article utilises the experiences of the agriculture extension policy management
processes to explore the possibilities of developing sustainable agricultural policies.
The agriculture sector in Uganda has had successive policy regimes and a number
of issues can be raised regarding the sustainability of agricultural policies. This
article argues that the sustainability of regulatory policies for agriculture requires
appropriate harmonisation of political and technical expectations of those policies.
Such policies will be effective and have a profound local impact. Through the
literature review and interviews with donors and government officials, this article
discusses the initiatives/processes undertaken by politicians and technocrats aimed
at sustainable extension policies. The major questions are what is the politics
underlying National Agriculture Advisory Services? How does politics shape the
policy directions and implementation?
