Uganda

KEY FACTS

• Population: 27 million

• GDP per capita: US$ 366

• Population below poverty line: 40%

• Labour force by occupation: agriculture 82%, industry 5%, services 13%

• Total land area: 236 040 sq km, bordering Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, and Tanzania

• Total arable land: 26%

• Life expectancy: male: 51 years; female: 52.4 years

• Literacy rate: 79.5%; female: 60.4%

• Human Development Index: 144/177

(Source: UN; World Bank; CIA Factbook)

FAO IN UGANDA

In the agriculture sector, FAO made significant progress in assisting the neediest farming households in Uganda in 2005. Some 300 000 IDP households benefited from basic agricultural inputs in the first cropping season. Furthermore, improved coordination by FAO and participation by all partners, including government counterparts, at both the district and national level, resulted in better planning and timely interventions.

Background

The year 2005 started on an optimistic note due to a number of positive indicators that pointed to a possible peaceful resolution of the 18-year conflict in northern Uganda. Military action and tentative peace talks have not, however, halted massacres and mutilations perpetrated by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) against civilians in the north. The violence has displaced almost 2 million people and tens of thousands have been killed or kidnapped over the course of nearly two decades.

Acholiland, as well as parts of bordering districts in the south, harbour approximately 1.7 million IDPs who live in squalid conditions in over 200 overcrowded camps, relying largely on external assistance for survival. At the same time, due to increased security in other parts within the same areas, approximately 400 000 IDPs are returning to their villages. Congestion in IDP camps contributes to poor water and sanitation, human rights abuses including gender-based violence, and disease outbreaks. Both remaining and returning IDPs are in dire need of assistance to improve their livelihoods, efforts that include the strengthening of beneficiary and national institutional capacities.

Uganda also hosts approximately 240 000 refugees, the bulk of whom are Southern Sudanese. The caseload also includes Rwandan and Congolese. LRA is also operating inside Southern Sudan. In combination with continuous inter-tribal/militia fighting, this makes Sudanese refugees cautious about returning.

The semi-arid, sub-region of Karamoja is also in need of assistance. This is the least developed area in Uganda and has, by far, the worst social indicators of any region. Development and poverty in the sub-region are strongly influenced by recurrent drought and endemic insecurity.

Needs analysis: Food security and agriculture sectors

Access to land due to insecurity remains the main constraint to agriculture in Uganda. This situation is exacerbated by the climatic hazards of a rain-fed production system, characterized by intensive cultivation and over-exploitation of natural resources. The situation has worsened for former pastoralist now living in camps with little skills and slow adoption of modern agricultural techniques.

Returning IDPs are presently supported with packages of food aid, agricultural inputs, improved seeds and training. In several IDP camps, as well as in return areas, farmer groups have been established and mechanisms put in place to market agricultural products. Projects for vulnerable groups are initiated to support income-generating activities, for example poultry keeping and animal rearing.

In light of the possible reduction of food aid distributions in 2006, further seed distributions are required to provide food security for the most vulnerable households, for whom access to seed rather than land is a limiting factor.

Conflict and cattle rustling have reduced the livestock population in northern and north-eastern Uganda. With the gradual return of IDPs there is an urgent need to support the livestock sector and to provide draft animal power to increase acreage under cultivation and reduce human drudgery. This coupled with fisheries projects would provide food and cash income alternatives to crop cultivation while supplementing protein intake especially for HIV/AIDS-affected households. The provision of training and equipment on issues such as post harvest handling, soil fertility, environmental conservation (wood cutting and charcoal burning), pest and disease management, as well as vegetable production and consumption for children are all equally vital to improving livelihoods.

As FAO continues to demonstrate in Uganda and the region, assistance to large vulnerable populations calls for effective coordination at national and district levels, as well as adequate needs assessment and technical assistance, in addition to food security information and surveillance systems.

PROPOSALS

FAO RELIEF AND REHABILITATION ASSISTANCE
Funding required: US$ 4 614 000

Issues addressed: Environmental degradation. Over-cultivation/poor soil fertility. Safety of women and children.

Objectives: Replenish the depleted wood resources in and around IDP camps and reduce the risk of abduction of women and children.

Activities: Support to environmental conservation systems through improved fallow, biomass transfer, boundary tree planting, community forestry, trees dispersion on cropland, provision of energy-saving cooking stoves, as well a sensitization/training of beneficiaries.

Beneficiaries: 12 000 IDPs and host communities households in Acholi and Lango regions.

Implementing partners: NGOs, local authorities/district environmental and forestry officers, Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries (MAAIF).

Duration: January 2006 - December 2006.

Funds requested: US$ 335 000.

Issues addressed: Over the past 15 years, most of the IDPs have not had adequate access to agricultural extension services. Farmers urgently need tailored training to improve their crop management skills.

Objectives: Provide the capacity to farmers to make rational crop management decisions and to increase knowledge about vegetable production amongst younger generations.

Activities: FAO will strengthen capacity building by establishing Farmer Field Schools (FFS). When adequate experience on the FFS concept has been acquired, further interventions will include Junior Field and Life Schools especially targeted to orphaned youths.

Beneficiaries: 3 000 IDPs and resettled households (120 groups) and 6 500 pupils from 10 secondary schools located within five camps and two resettled communities in Acholi and Teso regions.

Implementing partners: OPM, MAAIF, NGOs, UN agencies and district/local authorities.

Duration: January 2006 - December 2006.

Funds requested: US$ 224 000.

Issues addressed: Low protein intake for the displaced population in the north is directly related to a huge decrease in livestock population.

Objectives: Improve protein intake and generate alternative sources of income.

Activities: 84 community owned fish and breeder ponds will be established through the provision of improved fish fry, feeds (cereals and cotton seed cakes), harvesting material (nets and harpers) and digging equipment (pick axes, shovels and wheelbarrows), along with comprehensive training and sensitization programs.

Beneficiaries: 1 600 IDP households (84 groups) having limited or no access to land (including female/child-headed households, and HIV/AIDS affected households) in five pilot camps located in Acholi and Lango regions.

Implementing partners: OPM, MAAIF, NGOs, district/local authorities and NAADS.

Duration: January 2006 - December 2006.

Funds requested: US$ 263 000.

Issues addressed: Lack of productive assets. Poor nutrition. Low incomes.

Objectives: Increase quality, yields and acreage for staple and marketable food production and reduce storage losses while promoting food processing activities to increase the level of food and economic security.

Activities: Provision of locally-adapted, improved, short- and medium-maturing planting materials and farming hand tools to IDP households with safe land access. A number of pilot seed fair and voucher interventions will take place for smaller target groups, allowing beneficiaries to acquire crops and varieties of their choice while enhancing crop biodiversity and injecting cash into the ailing local economy.

Beneficiaries: 90 000 IDPs, resettled/resettling and drought affected households (including women/child headed households and HIV affected persons) in the north and north-east.

Implementing partners: OPM, MAAIF, UN agencies, NGOs, district/local authorities, NARO and NAADS.

Duration: January 2006 - December 2006.

Funds requested: US$2 121 000.

Issues addressed: Animal husbandry as an economic activity has been drastically reduced due to displacement in northern Uganda.

Objectives: Promote draft animal power and animal husbandry, improve protein intake and generate alternative sources of income.

Activities: Provision of ox-carts, ox-ploughs, poultry, piglets and small ruminants. FAO will train farmers and their animals in ox-ploughing and ox-carting techniques in order to enable them to open more land for agricultural production and to facilitate farm transport (easing the workload for women). Farmers will therefore gain access to a greater number of market places and improved selling prices.

Beneficiaries: 7 000 Returnees in Teso and Lango regions and 3 000 IDP households in Acholi region (including women/child headed households and HIV affected persons).

Implementing partners: OPM, MAAIF, NGOs, district/local authorities and NAADS.

Duration: January 2006 - December 2006.

Funds requested: US$ 298 000.

Issues addressed: Gaps in food security information and coordination, as well as institutional weaknesses, especially at the district level.

Objectives: Strengthening emergency food security coordination, food security early warning, needs assessment and impact monitoring and evaluation.

Activities: FAO provides an important coordination role in the field of food security in Uganda, ensuring partners’ adherence to common objectives and avoiding gaps and duplication, thus optimizing the use of the resources made available by donors and promoting coherence between humanitarian action and government policies. Proposed activities under this project include (i) further capacity building efforts in assessment methodologies, including inter-agency, joint-assessment activities; (ii) food security analysis, including training and dissemination in collection and analysis of satellite imageries/data/reports (using Dynamic Atlas software); (iii) food security monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, including impact monitoring of agricultural input interventions; and (iv) the strengthening of Food Security Committees at district and eventually regional levels.

Beneficiaries: Conflict-affected population groups in West Nile, Acholi, Lango, Teso and Karamoja regions, OPM and MAAIF at central/provincial levels, NGOs, UN Agencies and donors.

Implementing partners: OPM, MAAIF, WFP, NGOs, district and local authorities.

Duration: January 2006 - December 2006.

Funds requested: US$ 497 000.

Issues addressed: Lack of income-generating activities for vulnerable groups.

Objectives: To provide agricultural support to refugee families in promotion of self-reliance and Development Assistance in Refugee hosting areas and for families planning to repatriate.

Activities: FAO, together with UNHCR, will support the target population through the promotion of integrated agricultural and livestock activities, thereby creating additional income sources. These activities will form part of existing multipurpose projects carried out by UNHCR. FAO will provide improved staple cash crop planting materials as well as livestock. Concepts in natural resource management will be promoted. These activities will be addressed through training and awareness building in an effort to transfer the technology to the conditions prevailing at refugees’ places of origin while, together with Ugandans, learning the importance of environmentally-friendly farming practices.

Beneficiaries: 34 000 refugees/refugee hosting households in West Nile region.

Implementing partners: UNHCR, OPM, MAAIF, NGOs, GTZ, district/local authorities, NARO and NAADS.

Duration: January 2006 - December 2006.

Funds requested: US$ 793 000.

Issues addressed: Lack of income-generating activities for vulnerable groups.

Objectives: Promotion of agricultural income-generating activities.

Activities: FAO, in collaboration with IOM, will support the activities of multi-purpose Income Generating Activities (IGA) groups (each composed of 20 people) previously established by IOM. The project will integrate the provision of ox-ploughs and oxen along with improved, locally-adapted planting materials (crop seeds, tree seedlings, cassava and sweet potato cuttings) and basic farming hand tools. Extensive training sessions on animal traction and modern cropping techniques will be combined together with the delivery of inputs to each of the IGAs. The latter will also be in charge of establishing and maintaining demonstration plots.

Beneficiaries: 640 people (32 IGA groups) including returnees, ex-combatants/formerly abducted children (child soldiers), child mothers and orphans as well as school drop-outs, and the host communities in conflict-affected areas in northern and eastern regions.

Implementing partners: IOM, OPM, MAAIF, NGOs, district/local authorities, NARO and NAADS.

Duration: January 2006 - December 2006.

Funds requested: US$ 83 000.