Public policy management : Uganda’s experience in agricultural extension policies

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?