Harriet Najjemba

The study traces the history of food production practices in Buganda and their transformation since the nineteenth century. It shows the role of indigenous agricultural practices in food production and how these were developed over generations from people’s interaction with their environment. As colonial administration took root at the turn of the twentieth century, colonial officials introduced Western agricultural practices mainly to promote cash cropping. Drawing on archival records and oral interviews, the study shows that colonial authorities did not emphasize incorporation of Western agricultural practices in food crop production. Indeed, over the course of the twentieth century, farmers in Buganda continued to use traditional agricultural practices in seed, water, soil, weed, pest and post-harvest management. It also reveals that a century since European introduction of Western agricultural practices in Uganda, their integration into food production has been slow.