FAO country office, working closely with government and partners, is making strong progress in mainstreaming an agrifood systems approach in Uganda. Key initiatives include more integrated and cross-sectoral programming aligned with national priorities, active engagement in multistakeholder platforms and systems-based analysis and policy support. The recent review of the Uganda Country Programme found that practical entry points – such as South-South cooperation, Farmer Field Schools, value chain and digital innovation play an important role in helping translate systems thinking into action.

Technical guidance and knowledge sharing from FAO’s regional and headquarters offices have been instrumental in applying the FAO food systems framework and building government engagement in global and regional dialogue.

Early outcomes include improved coordination, stronger dialogue and better market access. However fragmented implementation, rigid project frameworks, and limited coordination across initiatives are a constraint to systemic change. Stronger internal coordination and embedding systems thinking in day-to-day programming is needed to institutionalise the approach. 

FAO’s ‘Integrated Country Approach for boosting decent jobs for youth in Uganda’s agrifood system’ project has supported more than 3 800 young people through training, mentorship and access to finance. The project promotes youth-led entrepreneurship and digital inclusion through initiatives such as Youth Inspiring Youth in Agriculture and platforms like the African Youth Agripreneurs. It has also worked with partners to develop Uganda’s national youth employment strategy, with its associated database and action plan.

This project is part of a broader FAO portfolio supporting youth employment in Uganda, including green economy integration, technological capacity-building and improved access to rural services. The recent review of FAO’s Country Programme recognised the important role FAO plays as a convenor and technical partner for youth employment in agrifood systems.

While FAO’s youth-focused interventions show promising contributions to skills development, networks and empowerment, the review noted that evidence of sustained enterprise growth and longer-term employment impacts remains limited. Structural barriers – such as access to land and finance – persist and inconsistent monitoring of inclusion outcomes constrain learning. Moving forward, stronger project monitoring frameworks can help better measure effectiveness and support adaptive management.

Across Uganda, FAO is addressing gender priorities through practical, field-level interventions. 51% of projects in the 2018–2024 Country Programme Framework had gender equality as a principal objective. Initiatives include generating gender-sensitive data to better recognize women’s roles and needs, promoting women’s participation in planning and leadership, addressing gender-specific barriers to accessing resources and supporting women’s engagement with digital agrifood technologies. Together, these actions help ensure that women are not only included but empowered as agents of change in resilient agrifood systems.

Uganda is Africa’s largest refugee-hosting country, providing protection to over 1.7 million refugees. FAO’s work in this context is grounded in Uganda’s progressive refugee policy framework—including the 2006 Refugee Act, the 2010 Refugee Regulations and the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework—which promotes inclusion, self-reliance and support to host communities.

FAO’s support has been though direct national interventions and its emergency portfolio. Refugee needs have also been addressed as a cross-cutting priority across the country programme. Interventions focus on strengthening food security, agricultural livelihoods and environmental sustainability, ensuring that both refugees and host populations benefit from localized, durable solutions. This approach recognizes the regional dynamics of displacement and the importance of resilience-building for long-term development.