A theoretical analysis of public expenditure on education and agriculture sector growth nexus: Case of Uganda

Abstract

Uganda’s economic development prospect is intertwined with agriculture sector growth.
The country has 80% of the land, which is arable, but only 35% is being cultivated majorly
using subsistence suboptimal methods. On the other hand, the country’s population age
structure is a paradox of its own. Census data indicates that close to 63% of the total
population is below the age of 24 years and 50% below the age of 15 years. It is therefore
imperative that the education expenditure as a proxy for human capital development should
underpin policy and public investment choices. At the sector level, growth and prosperity
are positively correlated to a reduction in rural poverty that is still a characteristic of rural
households. This paper seeks to deepen the theoretical understanding of agriculture and
education nexus and the low transformation of the agriculture sector in Uganda.