“Uganda is facing an increase in food crisis by almost 20 percent. These numbers have been growing since 2016 and we are at the peak,” in part read the concept note of figures from last year.
In a panel discussion held at Golf Course Hotel on Friday, the panelists agreed that there is need for work on the emerging food crisis in the country where many people are dying due to lack of food.
“Our food systems are not only failing the environment but also income. Therefore, as we speak about these issues, we are speaking about human rights. The government has the right to enjoy and benefit from the economic,” Mr. Kabanda David– Executive Directive CEFROHT said in his presentation.
The numbers in the increase are in tandem with the Ugandan Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) which indicated that the prevalence of undernourishment increased from 24.1 percent in 2006 to 41 percent in 2018. According to the UBOS report, a total of 6.2 million representing 14.7% of the country’s estimated 42 million people are in extreme poverty. Approximately 46% of Uganda’s soils are degraded and 10% is much degraded. This is because of the conventional agricultural practices based on high input-high output technique using hybrid seeds of high-yielding variety and abundant irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticides.
In Uganda, over 80% of the population is employed in agriculture. The majority of the people in rural areas own land. However, many families cannot efficiently farm their land because they lack the seeds to plant. As a result, such families suffer from shortage of food and agricultural products for sale, especially during the dry seasons.
Ms Rehema Namaganda the country coordinator for Fian Uganda said that Ugandan farmers need to improve their farming methods if they want to increase their food productivity.
“ It is disgusting that it is only Uganda where you find people dying of hunger and yet they call themselves the food basket for the region and yet they don’t have the basket. We need to fight against this problem,” she said.
A statement released by CEFRORT and other development partners yesterday indicated that Agroecology, which is the application of ecological principles to agricultural systems and practices, seeks to improve food yields for balanced nutrition, enhance healthy ecosystems and build on ancestral knowledge and customs. Agroecology integrates ecological and social concepts in the design and management of agricultural production and food systems while optimising interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment hence addressing the social aspects of a sustainable and fair food system.
“Many studies have shown that agroecology has the potential of sustainably increasing food sovereignty while conserving biodiversity and respecting indigenous farmers’ knowledge and innovations. However, food production and supply chains have intensified, becoming industrialized and globalized, with people eating more purchased, processed and packaged food. Large-scale production has led to the use of a narrow range of high-yielding food crops and animal varieties, which has contributed to a reduction in agro-biodiversity. In addition, harmful chemicals used in food production are known to cause cancer,” the statement indicated.
In May this year, a sudden hunger tragedy swept through the country especially the Karamoja sub-region killing at least 2000 people. Despite their slow response to the crisis, the interventions themselves killed people because the food was contaminated.
Mr Kabanda said yesterday that, “Agroecology helps enhance the food security of small-scale farmers through improved yields and livelihoods, but also to decrease risk for human health and the environment by promoting sustainable agriculture. But despite the role that Agroecology can play in sustaining diverse ecosystems, their contribution is mostly ignored, neglected or actively undermined by government, businesses and corporations. Agroecology has shown to be much more productive per hectare than industrial, agribusiness monoculture. It, therefore, has great potential for contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
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BY GLORIA ANN
