Stephen in Pader, credits Geofrey Onen

Stephen K. Nyakahuma

Uganda- a brief profile

Uganda, ranks among the poorest countries in the world. Uganda’s Human Development Index stands at 0.514 placing the country at 157 out of 182 countries (UNDP Report 2009). The country depends mainly on agriculture for its domestic food supply and also as a source of foreign exchange. The majority of her citizens are poor peasants (about 80%) who live in rural areas and depend mainly on subsistence agriculture. Uganda has great potential for increased agricultural output (because of  fertile soils, water, and climate). However, her resources have been underutilized and sometimes misused by irresponsible and reckless leaders in the past. Therefore, the country’s progress toward sustainable food security in rural areas has been greatly hampered by political turmoil, strife, violence and other natural impediments. After ending the insurgency in the north of  the country, the government can now concentrate on investing in development projects especially in the war affected areas. Unfortunately, there are still many obstacles which hinder progress toward sustainable national food security.

The news that I had been selected for an internship on a Student for Development program in Uganda was both exciting and welcome. Since immigrating to Canada in 2001, I had not had a chance to visit Uganda. I am grateful to the University of  Toronto, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and Canadian International Development Agency for availing me this great opportunity. My travels inside Uganda and my work experiences in the country completely transformed my understanding of third world development issues to a new level.

My arrival in Uganda coincided with the prevailing food security crisis in the country. The Daily Monitor news paper reported that 35 people had died in the north of the country of starvation (Daily Monitor, Kampala,  July 08, 2009). Accordingly, I selected the theme “food security” for my internship in Uganda.

Stephen meeting with AUPWAE staff at their offce incredits Geofrey Onen Ntinda

Upon arrival in Uganda, I was  received and hosted by AUPWAE (the Association of Uganda Professional Women and the Environment). AUPWAE promotes Uganda’s professional women through training and mentor ship. The success of my work upcountry was largely due to AUPWAE’s invaluable help. AUPWAE members of staff were willing and ever ready to help me whenever necessary. Also in addition to AUPWAE’s assistance, the willingness and cooperation of the local people made my work in the country a lot easier than I had imagined. Further, my familiarity with the country was advantageous in many respects. All interviews and focus group discussions were conducted in a purposeful and timely manner.

In order to gather data for my study, I traveled to sub counties in Pader, Iganga and Kasese. I conducted interviews, and group discussions and spot on observations at the grassroots level (rural households). Participants in the interviews were open and frank particularly in the cases where men’s views clashed with women’s or vice versa. Grassroots level investigation revealed the fact that rural peasant farmers did not benefit a great deal from development programs. The poor state of food security at the household level was a manifestation of  rural neglect.

Stephen with Geofrey Onen in Pader. Credit Pader extention staff

Pader district (North Uganda)
Pader in Northern Uganda was my first upcountry stop. I was filled with both anxiety and anticipation on visiting this war torn region. Pader had just emerged from 21 years of insurgency and peace had just been restored (kabiza.com/War-Northern-Uganda-LRA.htm). I arrived in Pader feeling stomach ache (probably out of anxiety) which turned out to be diahorea. Luckily I had some Imodium tablets which stopped the diahorea pretty fast.
The war caused extensive  damage and devastation to the north and has left the social and economic fabric of the entire region in a condition of disrepair. During the conflict thousands of people were forced to leave their homes and live in Internally Displaced Peoples’ Camps under very poor and miserable conditions. The displaced people depended on food aid donated by International Food Agencies. Further, land covering about 20% of Uganda’s arable land was laid to waste due to the ongoing conflict. However, now the situation had returned to normal as many peasants had began to leave the camps and move to their homes and farms.

Under the newly established peace, life was slowly

Stephen posing with school children in Pader. credits, Geofrey Onen

returning to normal. Subsistence agriculture had also resumed. However, output was inadequate and many people were going with less food than their dietary needs demanded. Low output has been largely influenced by climate change, lack of markets, lack of good roads, and a lack of seeds, fertilizers, and agricultural extension services. In 2009 the situation in Pader reached such a crisis level that aid agencies were forced to reinstate food aid which had been withdrawn earlier on. Lack of a well developed infrastructure still poses serious challenges to agricultural production, food marketing and distribution. In Pader, I learned that due to poor roads and scarce markets food from other regions (where it is plentiful) cannot easily be accessed. For example, during rainy seasons most rural roads in Pader became impassable especially after flooding. Consequently, the transportation of food from one place to another became almost impossible during the wet season. Thus infrastructure development and improvement could positively impact on food security.

Crop failure in many parts of Uganda has been attributable to climate change. For example in 2008, many crops were destroyed in Pader due to heavy rainfall. Again in 2009,  prolonged drought caused equally extensive crop damage. It was therefore noted that environmental changes do pose serious challenges to peasant farmers who are handicapped by the lack of knowledge and the means to deal with such challenges.

Markert scene in Pader on a market day, credits, Stephen

Drawing water from a bore hole in Pader. credits, Geofrey Onen

In Pader I learned  that certain social norms and customs have a great impact on food security as well. Patriarchy for example was still very strong in this part of the country. Though women generally did more work in food production and housekeeping, decision making remained a man’s prerogative. At harvest time, some men forced their wives to go away so that they (the men) can sell the food produce to get money. The wife returns at the beginning of the next planting season only to start over again from scratch. The imbalance of power between men and women often results into household misunderstanding and fights which most times impact negatively on household food security. Couples who share some powers tend to cooperate and are therefore more productive than those who don’t. Their households are less prone to food insecurity.

Iganga (East Uganda)

Village in Iganga credit Stephen K N

Stephen poses with women focus group in Iganga. credit extention field staff

From Pader, my next stop was Iganga in Eastern Uganda where I expected to find better prospects for food security. Unfortunately, this region too had food shortages and most families did not have sufficient amounts of food  for their needs. Here as elsewhere in the country,  poverty was quite pronounced and contributed significantly to poor productivity in spite of the fact that Iganga is generally a fertile region.

Poverty restricts peasant capacity to increase productivity. He/she has very limited access to capital, farm inputs like seeds, fertilizers and also lacks the technical know-how. Furthermore, the land which is a crucial input factor in agricultural production has become scarce all over the country. Population growth (on a fixed land area) has led to overcrowding and high population densities leaving less area for agricultural development.

Farmers in Iganga return from a local market Stephen Nyakahuma

Off-farm activities for alternate cash generation are also quite limited in rural areas. Where available, there are limited to charcoal burning, fire wood selling and timber trading. However, with the increased environmental activism against deforestation, such cash generating activities are likely to decrease  rather than increase – further plunging the peasant into poverty.

On my third day of stay at an Iganga hotel, the manager requested me to pay my bill for the entire period of my stay. He confided in me that if I did not help, the power would be turned off because he had delayed to pay the power bill. Understanding his situation, I obliged. However, my generosity worked against me. I was left with insufficient funds for my own upkeep. Instinctively, I improvised a budget meal which consisted simply of roasted corn and bottled water. This wonder meal spared the student of “food security” from starvation. This was my first hard lesson on the importance of food planning and storage as a means to ensure sustainable food security.

Kasese – Western Uganda.

A goat rests in its shed in Kasese. credits. Stephen Nyakahuma

The last part of my travel took me to Kasese in the west where AUPWAE had an ongoing women goat project. I however decided to spend nights in Fort Portal and travel to Kasese in the day. My daily commuting to and from Kasese enabled me to talk with numerous people and share their ideas on food security quite freely. It was a great and an enriching experience for me to hear views of ordinary people. My report highlights some of these insights.

Kasese district lies on the equator and at the foot of  the Rwenzori mountain (also known as the Mountains of the Moon). Kasese is mostly dry throughout the year with occasional rainfall. So water accessibility poses a huge challenge to  farmers in the district. Most peasant farmers are poor, with little or no education at all and mostly depend on subsistence farming as their main economic activity. To a lesser extent agricultural productivity is affected by the lack of inputs such as machinery, new technology and land. Therefore water availability and accessibility (for both crop irrigation and human consumption) is critical for improving and sustaining food security not only in Kasese but also in other parts (especially the dry ones) of  the country.

Kasese women focus group. credits Stephen K N

In this regard, irrigation farming has been both encouraged and recommended. Mubuku Irrigation scheme is a government run project which produces crops throughout the year using irrigation is a good example. Other areas in Uganda stressed by drought conditions such as Karamoja could emulate what is done at Mubuku irrigation scheme. Irrigation appears to hold promise for improving food security in areas seriously affected by dry conditions. Thus private investment and NGO contribution in irrigation schemes is most likely to benefit farmers and therefore improve food security.

Farmers in Kasese have benefited enormously from services provided by NGOs working in the district. In addition to extension services, and training, farmers have been given drought resistant seeds by various NGOs working in the district. Also, farmers have been advised by field workers to harvest and store rain water. Women farmers have taken advantage of this technique and can now grow vegetables which are irrigated using  harvested rain water. Vegetables not only supplement the family diet but also they  also fetch  cash income.

The goat project in Bugoye under the support and supervision of AUPWAE is an excellent example of achievement through women collective effort. The project provides goats to selected women groups who raise the goats and through a rotational process provide goat kids to other members of the group. The women groups benefit by selling adult goats and their milk (often at a profit).

Women groups promote the building of social capital. Women learn the benefits of trust, cooperation, business organization, accountability and responsibility. Working together in groups under a shared vision and purpose, women therefore promote and foment social cohesion. Social cohesion further cements group values and work ethics thus ensuring both the progress and success for the group. In support of the women cause, a goat project proposal was written.

The journey back to Kampala via Mbarara was not fun. I almost lost all my belongings and study materials when my case was loaded into a taxi heading for Fort Portal. The case was recovered before it was too late. In Mbarara, I fell into a thief trap; my cell phone and money (Uganda Shillings 13,000) were stolen. I suppose these are some of the negative experiences a traveler meets when he/she runs out of  luck.

When I arrived in Kampala, I was feeling very sick and tired. The doctor confirmed I had malaria and allergic bronchitis (perhaps due to the dust in Pader where I did a lot of riding on a motorbike provided by Aupwae). I received treatment for both ailments and I soon got better. Unfortunately, there was not much time for me to explore Kampala as my time to leave was almost up. At this time Kampala city was plunged into chaos by riots bringing nearly all activity to an abrupt stop. I had to run and leave some of my work I had taken for photocopying at business bureau when these riots broke out. The sight of cars covered with tree leaves and the youth staging road blocks made one think that another coup in Uganda was in progress. In spite the chaos, I managed to capture a few pictures and some video clips which will remind me of those chaotic scenes in Kampala which crowned my otherwise enjoyable and memorable three-month internship stay in Uganda.

Back in Toronto. My first attempt at a public engagement turned out to be a total  flop. Only three people turned up out of an expected audience of sixty people! It cost me time and patience before I held another but successful public engagement  activity at the University of  Toronto.

Returning after being away for three months was like starting a race late. I was therefore behind nearly all my scheduled activities for  fall. I started classes almost three weeks late. My Osap application had been rejected and I was unable to communication while  I was still in Kampala. Finally my application was approved at the end of January after I filed an appeal. Doing the courses without texts was not  an easy  challenge, nonetheless I scrapped through the  ordeal intact.  After this tough going, I learned one good lesson at least – that experience is always a good teacher though not necessarily the best one.

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