Small holder farmers are key part of Uganda’s food system

Food prices are rising at an alarming rate, driven by crises new and old and compounded by other factors such as the unpredictable climate, rising fuel prices and the effects of Covid-19. Without the right interventions, the situation will only get worse and, as is usually the case with shocks, the poorest will be hardest hit.

Among those who will suffer most are smallholder farmers who depend on farming as both a source of food and income for their families. About 64 percent of households involved in the subsistence economy are involved in subsistence agriculture. While we heavily depend on this sector for our food, the people producing it are also some of the most vulnerable. They include already disadvantaged groups such as women and people without formal education.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the poverty rate among households whose heads work in the agriculture sector is now 29 percent, up from 22 percent before Covid-19 and higher than the national poverty rate which stands at 20 percent. Rising food prices do not make the situation any better for farmers as any revenue is often swallowed up by middlemen or other costs such as transportation.

Besides, smallholder farmers do not always have the right knowledge and skills to produce quality food that can fetch a good price in the market. With low quality produce, they have limited bargaining power. Instead, high prices of food and other commodities mean that the little money they earn must be spent on survival.

For most smallholder farmers, their story is that of a vicious cycle of poverty that not only affects them but also their offspring – ensuring that they and their families remain in poverty for generations. To help break this cycle, in 2021 alone, the United Nations World Food Programme supported almost half a million Ugandan nationals, including more than 15,700 smallholder farmers who were trained on how to grow, store and handle food so that it is of good quality.

In addition to training smallholder farmers, the World Food Programme (WFP) is now buying most of the food required for our operations here in Uganda, from Uganda farmers. Currently, 80 percent of WFP Uganda’s food purchases are local. 

We also link smallholders to large-scale suppliers who sell to WFP, helping the market for farmers to become more sustainable.  Our local and regional procurement policies are intentional about ensuring equitable price transmission by enabling farmers from all walks of life to access markets and participate in the value chains

The National Development Plan III recognises that Uganda has the potential to become a food basket for East Africa.

However, this potential can only be achieved by addressing the barriers that stand in the way of smallholder farmers – the producers of most of our food. It starts with making farming attractive and giving farmers the right knowledge and skills to compete in the market and produce enough quality food.

Farmers must not just be left in the background as invisible producers of our food. It is important that resources are invested in linking them to diverse and bigger markets, in addition to inviting them to the table and ensuring their views are included while making policy decisions that affect them.

Investing in smallholder farmers, who are an essential and indispensable part of the food system, is a win-win for all of us. When the farmer produces quality food, we have better health and nutrition – as what hits our plates is healthy and safe.

Mr Abdirahman Meygag is the Uganda Country Representative of the United Nations World Food Programme