How to improve PDM to get the most out of it

The Parish Development Model (PDM) is a government of Uganda strategy for organising and delivering public and private sector interventions for wealth creation and employment generation at the parish level, as the lowest economic planning unit. It is a model for the socio-economic transformation of smallholder farmers by moving them from non-monetary subsistence to a money economy. 

The Parish Development Model (PDM) is currently being implemented across the country and is supported by the Local Government Act 1997, which designates a parish as one of the planning units for government. The model was developed in line with the National Development Plan III (NDPIII), the NRM 2021–2026 manifesto, and the Sustainable Development Goals—no poverty (SDG 1) and zero hunger (SDG 2). According to the 2019/2020 Uganda National Household Survey report, 39% of Ugandan households (approximately 16 million people) are in the subsistence economy. The targeted subsistence households are characteristic of low-income earning, limited access to land, subsistence food production for home consumption, and dependency on handouts in some cases.

The majority of household heads can barely afford to earn more than UGX 7,000 (1.9 USD) per day, which is the international poverty line level. In response to the challenges associated with the subsistence economy, the PDM is targeting the parish (in a rural setting) and the ward (in a city or urban setting) as the lowest reference units for planning, budgeting, and delivering public services. The PDM is hinged on seven core pillars: production, storage, processing, and marketing; infrastructure and economic services; financial inclusion; social services; mindset change and cross-cutting issues; Parish Based Management Information System and community data; and governance and administration. As it stands, the PDM is beneficial in targeting service delivery at the parish level, which might deepen the decentralisation process and increase accountability at local levels by enabling closer supervision by the local communities.

The model is advancing priority commodities in a parish that include coffee, cotton, cocoa, cassava, tea, vegetable oils (including oil palm), maize, rice, sugar cane, fish, diary, beef, bananas, beans, avocado, shea nuts, cashew nuts, and macadamia, which are currently leading national enterprises in production and marketing. The recruitment of parish chiefs provides support for the local planning agenda.  Presently, the model has political support, with various leaders supporting it. Farmers are able to access loans through the Parish Revolving Fund (PRF) at a very low annual interest rate of 6%, as opposed to microfinance banks, commercial banks, or money lenders that have interest rates higher than 18%. 

The PDM aims at creating a database for every parish that provides government-quality information that could lead to a well-thought-out response or intervention. The PDM enterprise groups are commendable since their delegates (chairperson, secretary, and treasurer) participate in the election of the PDM SACCO leaders in a general meeting. The participatory approach to wealth ranking, in which the village identifies and vets the poor among the poor, also enables transparency. 

However, there is less evidence of usage of data in the PDM, and this could affect implementation and its success following past experiences from other programs such as the Poverty Eradication Action Plan and Modernization of Agriculture, among others. There is limited evidence of the full involvement of technical expertise in the planning process during PDM implementation. To oversee efficient service delivery, Uganda’s parliament must approve a legal instrument with a well-established structure. 

The model is silent on modalities for the use of funds, collateral, and implications for defaulters. It is also not clear on the use of a business case plan or seasonal farm land use plan to aid crop or livestock management. There is also a need to be keen on environmental protection and conservation since the environment is central to achieving a sustainable economy. The model should encourage the functionality of the PDM enterprise groups as the lowest platforms for farmers to often meet and discuss challenges and share good knowledge and experience.

The model needs to consider financing enterprise-specific projects instead of disbursing cash directly to beneficiaries, as it can easily be diverted; conduct quarterly reviews among beneficiaries; prioritise cutting-edge knowledge sharing and capacity development so that household heads make decisions based on up-to-date information. There is also a need to identify parishes that are progressing so that lessons can be shared. Measures that ease access to funds need to be explored as well, since banks are not easily accessible.

With most villages far from agro-input shops, the model should emphatically prioritise e-voucher systems to link farmers to the right input suppliers. Otherwise, the Parish Development Model is likely to be very impactful when all stakeholders realise the need to utilise the resources well for the intended purposes, backed by the existence of dependable legal support systems, rules of law, and well-organised community monitoring systems that ensure transparency and accountability.

Dr Musinguzi is a lecturer of Soil Science and Land Management at Makerere University

musipato7@gmail.com

Other contributors include: Mr Donald Kayuza and Mr. Babyenda Peter 

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