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Karamoja, Teso face severe food insecurity, says report
Traders sell produce in Mbale Market in early February. Despite Uganda being regarded amongst the most food-secure nations, the country still imports food, including what's grown domestically on large scale.PHOTO/RACHEL MABALA
Mr QU Dongyu, the director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of United Nations, in an opinion titled, ‘It’s time to take bold action to save Africa from Covid-19 induced hunger,’ published in The East African newspaper of October 24 to 30, made a compelling case on the need to take swift action to improve food security and nutrition in the world, especially Africa.
He said: “According to the 2020 edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, Africa has the highest prevalence of under-nourishment [19.1 per cent]- more than twice the global average [8.9 percent] - and the fastest growth in the number of hungry people compared to other regions.”
The opinion was a herald of the 31st Session of FAO’s Regional Conference for Africa held virtually this week (October 26 to 28).
Mr Dongyu argued that with the targets of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 of Zero Hunger by 2030 and Africa Union’s commitment to ensure food security and nutrition by 2025 fast approaching, FAO members in Africa and partner organisations have to act with “urgency and extraordinary collaboration.”
Food security, as defined by the United Nations’ Committee on World Food Security means that all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life.
Uganda’s case
A review on food security and nutrition policies in Uganda by Caritas Uganda in July 2019 reveals that the percentage of the population facing severe food insecurity in Karamoja and Teso region increased from 11 per cent in October 2018 to 18 per cent in March 2019.
Caritas Uganda is a member of Caritas Internationalis Confederation, and targets to improve the economic status and well-being of rural poor guided by the social teaching and values of the Church.
The findings are currently being disseminated among the farmers and other stakeholders across the country.
A farmer in her matooke plantation in Kabwohe, Bushenyi District. The poor distribution of rainfall is affecting food production in many parts of the country.
The report notes that there was uneven progress in improving the food security situation and that expansion of commercial production of sugarcane and rice in Eastern Uganda is hampering food production and security in the region.
Additionally, poorly distributed and significantly below the average rainfall has also worsened the situation.
“In Southwestern Uganda, parts of central and eastern, a false start of season in late February/early March subsided into a long, severe dry spell lasting at least six weeks after farmers have had planted. The March-April poor rainfall performance interrupted seasonal agricultural activities,” the report reads in part.
The report adds that the food security situation in Uganda fluctuates depending on the season.
The assistant commissioner in-charge of food security and nutrition in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Alex Bambona, said food security is a key issue as farming seasons have changed.
“Currently more than 80 per cent of Ugandans are food secure except a few areas such as Karamoja and those that have been affected by floods like Kasese and Buliisa,” Mr Bambona said.
However, the minister of Agriculture, Mr Vincent Sempijja, said food security in Karamoja and Teso has improved.
Mr Sempijja said although there is plenty of food in many parts of the country, the challenge is on distributing it to those areas with scarcity.
“Many areas have access to food. We need to devise means of taking it to areas where it’s not enough,” he said.
The officials revealed that government is improving the road infrastructure and establishing storage facilities through public-private partnerships to ensure food security in the country.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) emphasises that nutrition is a critical part of health and development.
Better nutrition is related to improved infant, child and maternal health, stronger immune systems, safer pregnancy and childbirth, lower risk of non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease), and longevity.
For the body to stay healthy it needs various types of foods, including carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, proteins and minerals but the Caritas reports reveals that on average, four of every 10 Ugandans are unable to meet the required dietary intake.
However, Mr Bambona said the country is making progress as regards nutrition as stunting of children under five years reduced to 29 per cent in 2016 from 33 per cent in 2011.
“Government has carried out some interventions, I believe when the next Uganda Household and Demographic Survey is conducted, the percentage will be lower [than 29]. We have reduced Vitamin A deficiency, it is almost no longer a public health problem,” he said.
Mr Bambona, however, revealed that anemia remains high in children under five at 53 per cent.
Five years ago, government rolled out the multi-sectoral food security and nutrition project in 15 districts with high levels of malnutrition and low dietary diversity.
“The project is in the final year. It is for improving nutrition, and the multi-sectoral approach is proving to be successful. Our desire is to have it extended for more five years to cover more areas,” Mr Bambona said.
While the food security and nutrition policies report by Caritas highlights a number of programmes government has rolled out to address food insecurity, it states the implementation of laws and policies is still wanting.
“Implementation of policies, including the Uganda Food and Nutrition Policy [UFNP] that was developed specifically to promote the nutritional status of the people of Uganda is very minimal,” the report says.
UFNP (2003) has 12 focus areas each with a goal and strategies. These include food supply and accessibility; processing and preservation; storage, marketing and distribution; external food trade; aid, standards and quality. Others are nutrition; health; information education and communication; gender, food nutrition and surveillance, and research.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To stabilise food security, the Caritas report recommends government should address weather-related factors which affect the largest part of Uganda. This can be done by establishing an effective early warning system to guide farmers on how to respond to potential climatic change.
Additionally, Caritas says there is need to enhance food security through promoting local seed and indigenous food systems, besides increasing access to water for production.
The report also suggests promotion of household-level water harvesting and fast-tracking establishment of small-scale irrigation dams as an opportunity to increase access to water for agricultural production.
