August report

Although Uganda is considered to be generally self-sufficient in food supplies, food shortages still occur. Food insecurity at the aggregate national level is considered more of an issue of access and its utilization. Access-related food insecurity is widespread among the country’s nearly 1.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and some 200,000 refugees, among women and child headed households, orphans and families living with HIV/AIDS, and generally among the very poor. It is estimated that 35% of the Ugandan population live below the poverty line. Estimates based on household surveys suggest that 20% of the poor actually live below the food poverty line. This suggests that some 5 million people whose right to adequate food and to be free from hunger is denied. Among Uganda’s 4 regions, poverty is rampant in the civil-strife stricken North, where 2/3 of the population is poor. According to the Food and Nutrition Policy, the goal of Government in the area of food supply and accessibility is to ensure an adequate supply of, and access to, good quality food at all times for human consumption, income generation, agro-based industries, and local, regional and international markets. These are to be realized among others through strengthening the land planning services at the national, district and farm level to promote optimum land use; sensitizing stakeholders on the laws pertaining to water and soil conservation and the prevention of environmental degradation; designing and implementing sensitization programmes to popularise the production and use of under-exploited food crop and animal resources to widen the food base; promoting rain-water harvesting and conservation for agricultural production; developing water systems to promote crop, livestock and fish farming; strengthening the control of pests and diseases; and adopting gender-sensitive and energy-saving technologies. Under the MAAIF’s Agricultural Development Strategy and Investment Plan (2004/05- 2006/07), and on-going programmes and projects relating to food supply and accessibility, some of these areas are either being addressed or have been earmarked and resources to implement them proposed. These include institutional development, capacity development for irrigation, drainage, water harvesting and soil and water conservation, crop/livestock disease and pest control, agricultural advisory services, and developing supportive physical infrastructure. The projects to be implemented under this strategy will therefore be only those that can add value to already on-going projects and activities. The MAAIF will be the lead agency in close collaboration with Local Governments (LGs) and MOLG as well as Local Authority Association and Uganda Agricultural Council. The LGs will in turn ensure that they identify and maintain close collaboration with the NGOs/CBOs, projects, farmer groups and service providers. The IEC approach through sensitization, field days, farmer visits and field days will be an integral functions of the LGs. One has to acknowledge that a number of undertakings are underway or planned, and considering the priority investment areas have been identified from both the bottom-up and topdown consultation meetings. The overall objective of this strategy is therefore to improve conditions of food security and nutrition by encouraging appropriate and integrated farming systems technologies through research and technology development and transfer techniques. Focus will be on increasing productivity based on agro-ecological comparative advantage and producing food products of high nutritive value from the available varieties/breeds in collaboration with nutritionists, agro-processors and health sector professionals. Production of crop varieties and livestock breeds that have high nutritive value e.g. high protein maize, orangeStrategy 3: Increasing and Diversifying Food Supply Through Agro-ecological Zonal Farming Systems Based on Comparative Advantage Analysis 32 fleshed potatoes with high vitamin A content, will be emphasized. This will be complemented by selection and popularization of indigenous crops (vegetables, fruits, herbs, bush foods) for both home consumption and commercial production and processing. The target group under this strategy (Table 3) will be both the small-scale producers (who form 75%), the medium-scale (20%) and the commercial farmers (5%). The strategy for uplifting the subsistence farmers will be to demonstrate appropriate technologies, diversify product base, utilize IEC outlets, increase extension visits to reach at least 30% of farmers (up from 10%) by the end of the third year, and improve returns on labour through improved efficiency and higher wage rate based on productivity incentives. The strategy for uplifting the semi-commercial and commercial farmers will be to encourage formation of rural producer and marketing groups and linking them to financial services and input dealers. The focus of the strategy will be to promote food production based on comparative advantage considerations. High on the Agenda is the plan for post-war Northern Uganda (through the re-introduction of animal traction, mechanization and supply of improved planting materials/breeds), the semi arid Karamoja, south-western and montane zones, and the dry lands in lower parts of central and eastern Uganda (through irrigation and crop/livestock diversification) Emphasis will be on increasing productivity (by at least 50% of the current levels by end of first year) and diversifying production base by promoting foods that are both high yielding, highly nutritious (such as back yard gardening of fruits and vegetables), income-enhancing or costreducing and have both domestic and regional/international markets.