COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE NAADS PROGRAMME IN BUFUMBO SUB-COUNTY, MBALE DISTRICT, UGANDA.

Abstract

The study was community participation and sustainability of the NAADS programme in Bufumbo Sub-county Mbale District. The study was intended to establish the effect of community participation on sustainability of the NAADS programme and recommend strategies that would involve the community in the programme so as to cause improvement on sustainability in Bufumbo Sub-County. This was in view of the fact that despite the well laid down procedures of Community participation in the NAADS programme the rate of adaption rates is very low. The study used a cross sectional design using quantitative and qualitative approach and employed both qualitative and quantitative methods of Data collection that enabled them to collect a large quantity of data. The Data collection methods used included Questionnaires, face to face interviews and Focus group discussions. Findings showed the majority respondents (51.2 %) disagreed that farmers /community members were invited for planning and are not involved in decision making and (58.8%) agreed that community was involved in the selection of NAADS beneficiaries which leads to sustainability while majority of the respondents (53.7% disagreed that community participates in formulation of M& E work plans and that community does not take part in M& E. Community participation in planning has been under implementation for a long time but the level of farmer participation in decision making is still low which will lead to enhanced sustainability of the NAADS programme. It’s therefore concluded that community participation in Programme M& E if ignored would cause failure to the NAADS programme. It’s therefore recommended that community participation be improved and deep rooted so as to cause sustainability of the programme and increased beneficiary participation in NAADS programme implementation at lower levels which will make the programme more bottom up as originally designed in the NAADS master document (2000). It is finally recommended that M&E of the NAADS be accorded adequate resources and time to cause sustainability.