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Uganda turns to farmers to ensure its food security
Each farming household, like this farmer’s, is expected to receive $50 for crop-based commodities. Photo/FILE
Posted Monday, February 7 2011 at 00:00
Uganda has launched an ambitious food security strategy that will see all farmers access planting and stocking materials beginning this crop season.
The strategy, contained in the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) Implementation Guidelines, is expected to bring farmers back to the production of staple food crops.
Agriculturalists said farmers in the country have been moving away from the production of staple food crops that are now the country’s food security crops like millet, sorghum, sweet potatoes, or cassava to more commercially valuable crops like rice and maize.
Each farming household is expected to receive $50 for crop-based commodities.
The crops include cassava cuttings, sweet potato vines, Irish potato, seed crops like maize, beans, sorghum, millet.
It is estimated that the seeds will be be sufficient for at least one acre. Each farming household will also receive three hoes.
Livestock will include pigs, goats and poultry, although, the number of beneficiaries may be smaller due to the higher costs of the stocks.
The strategy comes at a time the Food and Agricultural Organisation is warning of volatile food prices in its January 2011 report.
Worrying forecast
Price stability will depend on production prospects for 2011 crop year but the rising price of cereals like wheat, rice and maize in international markets is worrying.
While the food prices have fallen since 2008, they remain well above pre-2007 levels and the trend continued steadily upwards in 2009/2010.
FAO warned that countries should strengthen the resilience of small-scale farmers to future shocks and improve food and nutrition security over the long term.
According to the report several countries have unfavourable prospects for current crops due to insufficient rainfall going by the 2011 forecast.
This could affect the crop production and exacerbate the current food insecurity.
Twenty African countries including Kenya and Uganda are in crises that require external food assistance, while Burundi, Comoros, Eritrea and the Democratic Republic of Congo face chronic hunger.
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