CSOs urge government to improve food systems

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the Food Systems Transformation Civil Society Network have urged the government to improve Uganda's food systems for sustainable food supply nationwide.

At a recent three-day meeting in Entebbe, Food Rights Alliance Executive Director Agnes Kirabo emphasised existing gaps, stating, "Uganda is seen not to be on track... we are not collecting regular data, lack of coordination especially in the agri-food system that also still suffers from leadership."

The meeting aimed to deepen CSOs' understanding of food systems and align programming to amplify citizens' voices.

Ms Kirabo stressed the need for civil society to present alternatives and showcase best practices, saying, "We all know what the government has not been able to do... but we are not very strong on putting alternatives of how it should be done. We want to use this space to galvanize our power as civil society because we are a neglected power."

Oxfam's Edward Mwebaze highlighted the importance of quality, safe, and affordable food systems, noting, "There are many issues around food in this country... no proper mechanism for coordinating or enforcing standards. Government should ensure food systems are quality, safe, and affordable to ensure people access food."

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) consultant on food systems, Dr Peter Rukundo, advocated for collaborative efforts.

"We have diverse and nutritious indigenous foods, but we haven't fully exploited these systems. Our ability to avail food that is diverse and nutritious is higher compared to other countries, but the challenge has been we haven't exploited these systems well," he said.

Rukundo added, "We still see low production of some core crops, low productivity in core value chains, underutilized land and natural resources which will provide us with food. Whereas they're saying agro-industrialization is working, yes, but if it was working, we wouldn’t have three miles of land which are underutilized. We need to go beyond supporting main government entities to really support communities to produce food."

Commissioner National Food Systems Coordinator Committee (NFSCC), Edward Fredrick Walugembe, emphasised engaging all stakeholders.

"As we deepen awareness of food system transformation, we take up the transformation and using the whole of society. We will call upon very vibrant action tracks, which reflect the whole of society, and which look at the time of reference, advise us and implement," he said.

The CSOs hope the government will utilise the African Union Extraordinary Summit on the Ten-Year CAADP Strategy and Action Plan 2026-2035 in January next year to transform the food system and address hunger, malnutrition, and poverty in Uganda.