LAND FRAGMENTATION AND POOR DEMOCRATIZATION LEAD CAUSE OF HUNGER IN UGANDA.

What is causing hunger in Uganda? And which part of Uganda is affected most?

 

 

President Museveni has on several occasions urged Ugandans and political leaders to sensitize the people against land fragmentation saying the practice, rampant among the predominantly agriculture dependent communities threatens food security and is a source of poverty.

The biggest challenge facing Ugandan agriculture today is land fragmentation associated with the traditional inheritance practices and polygamy. Land fragmentation is more like a curse that can bind people into poverty. Land is a long-term capital asset but most people in Uganda don't understand this fact.

When they break up land into smaller pieces, they sell those small plots. But there is nothing more dangerous than abruptly earning huge sums of money but lack financial literacy skills.

Those who sell inherited land will end up being poor again despite earning millions. it's because in most cases they lack literacy on how to utilize capital and manage resources.

Also, lack of democratization of markets is one of the driving factors. In Uganda most of farming supplies like equipment, and fertilizers come from outside of the country like Ukraine, German, China etc. So, access to agro-inputs is problematic for an average person surviving on less than $1. If farming supplies are made cheaper so the average poor person can afford them, then it would help in offsetting the problem. But because those who control the global markets dictate the rules, the world's poor can't alleviate themselves.

Now, what is the most sustainable way to solve hunger crisis in Uganda? People's short-sighted interpretation of the problem at hand makes them think Museveni can be Uganda's savior because he heads the country and gives out brown envelopes. Uganda's hunger and poverty can't be dealt with using short-term approaches.

Long-lasting sustainable approach is the the right way to solve the hunger crisis and poverty. When you resort to donating a few kilograms of rice and posho to a suffering family in Karamoja, you're basically offering a short-term solution. And these people will keep begging for food.

But when you broadly understand the dynamics that affect these people not to have sufficient food, it will help you to devise the right strategy so the affected population can learn to deal with the problem by themselves.

Pursuing political democratization is also one way of dealing with the problem. Democracy helps to establish accountable governments that care about their own people.

 

Democratizing the third World can ensure that public resources are efficiently allocated to crucial sectors like Agriculture which can help to increase food production.

 

Lack of caring leaders is a serious problem in Uganda. Most leaders in Uganda ie Member of Parliament, Councilors, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries et al care about themselves. They will leave their people to starve to death while spend public funds on their personal needs and families.