Uganda National Household Survey III

The Uganda National Household Survey III (UNHS 2005/2006), the third round of a series implemented by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), is a Priority Survey supported by the World Bank. It covers a wide range of topics including socio-demographic and economic characteristics of the population with a focus on agriculture.

Household surveys have provided valuable information for the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP) and other development frameworks in Uganda. Monitoring the performance of the plan and outcome of these interventions is critical to the whole evaluation of the progress made and challenges that require remedies. Over the years, household surveys have mainly aimed at addressing data gaps and demands that characterized the pre-UBOS era. To a large extent, these have been addressed through the provision of baseline information on a number of indicators. However, there are still data gaps in the agriculture sector which is a key component of the country's economy and a key determinant of the performance of our economy. Reliable data has eluded this important sector of the economy and current efforts to provide up-to-date baseline data have not yielded any success. Given the importance of agricultural sector in the national economy, an agricultural module alongside the socioeconomic module was proposed as a core module for the planned Uganda National Household Survey 2005/06.

The last time an agricultural module was undertaken as a module was in the UNHS 1999/2000. From that survey, a number of lessons were learned which now require careful considerations. A strategic decision will have to be made to decide on how to record frequently harvested crops like Bananas (Matooke), cassava and Sweet potatoes. In addition, estimates of areas were based on both the respondent's and interviewers estimate. This time round, area estimate will be measured using the Geographical Positioning System (GPS). Hence additional GPS Units have been procured to cater for all the interviewers. In addition, the experiences gained from the Pilot Census of Agriculture (PCA) would be an important resource in the preparation and design phase of the survey instruments. It should also be noted that with the exception of a few indicators, previous household surveys have provided baseline information without regular monitoring of the same indicators over time. Important government programmes need to be monitored regularly to guide policy makers and other users of the information. This calls for an inclusion of some indicators that have baseline data so that trends could be built to guide/inform future decisions.

Information on UNHS 2002/2003 (round two) can be found here.