Food Crisis in Uganda

Size:
236,040 km²
Agricultural Land:
142,620 km²
Population: 37.6 million
Rural Population:
31.7 million
Average Age:
15

The Problem

Food Insecurity and Nutrition

• Observed both seasonal/regional food insecurity
• Malnutrition
• Different factor affect calorie intake

How bad is it?

• In 2005, 6% of households were food insecure, 21% were moderately food insecure
• Global Hunger index score* of 16.7, which is considered "serious" but not "alarming"
• Share in agriculture in GDP decrease
• * calculated annually by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
• ..

Things to Consider

• High costs and poor availability of fruits, vegetables, and animal protein, especially in rural areas.
• Food crops accounted for approximately half of agricultural GDP as of 2003, followed by cash crops at 17% livestock at 16%
• Pastorialism and Permanent crops
• Cereal yields: 2028.6 kg per hectare in 2012

Examining Multiple Causes

Seasonal Cropping

Seasonal Cropping

• Ugandans are fairly market dependent, they are the main source of food calories for households.
• So food insecurity comes into play if prices rise dramatically.

Price movement of staple crops

• Small farmers will often sell right after harvest.
• During "lean seasons" markets are not well supplied so prices are high.
• Same time that households are most dependent on the markets because they've sold their goods to make money/survive.
• Seasonal dry spells and flooding also changing supply.
• .

Rain and Water Resources

The Water Dilemma

• a heavy reliance on rain‐fed agriculture
• food insecurity emanates from both inadequate rainfall and excessive rainfall
• This problem is worsening as of late (climate change.)

The Water Dilemma

• prolonged dry spells during 2012-2013.
• cause of declines in production, and thus, a spike in food prices.

Government Inputs

Infrastructure and food insecurity

• Research pointing to weak purchasing power, high transportation costs and poor distribution infrastructure as a hindrance for trade.
• Land locked country, so air, rail and water travel needs to improve.

Fetilizer

• Fertilizer and pesticiside use has been non existent up to this point.
• Highest soil nutrient depletion rates but lowest rates of annual inorganic fertilizer application
• 1.8kg per hectare in 2012
• Reasons for not using: too expensive, lack of knowledge, limited access, and skepticism.

Untitled Slide

The Bottom Line:

Uganda's agricultural sector relies too heavily on "external forces."

Solutions

Solutions

• Empower the smallholders.
• Investment in more improved farming systems for higher yields
• Access to credit to purchase inputs!
• Intesive farming: fertilizers and pesticides
• Irrigation
• Effective policies: a number seem to have been put in place but have yet to make notable improvements.
• ...easier said than done, I know

Debbie Downing

• Government effectiveness potentially grim
• Museveni
• "In his 2011 manifesto, President Museveni promised to salvage the sector in order to promote household incomes, but the promise is yet to be fulfilled."-The Observer, Uganda.

Sources

• http://www.agecon.purdue.edu/staff/shively/uganda_review.pdf
• http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ena/wfp256989.pdf
• http://observer.ug/features-sp-2084439083/57-feature/33814--will-the-new-po...
• The World DataBank
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (fao.org)