Kamuron, surrounded by her children, shows the maize she got after four hours of toiling in her garden

By Frederick Womakuyu

UNDER the scorching mid-day sun, 44-year-old Alice Kamuron, and her five children, sits on dry grass beside an empty granary, after a long day of labour. She reaches for a needle to mend her son’s torn short.

“We lost all our crops to drought and now I work for other people to get something to eat,” says Kamuron, who lives in Marambachi village in Bukwo district, eastern Uganda.

There was drought for six months last year that destroyed almost all the crops, leaving over 100,000 people on the verge of starvation.

According to Franklin Kitiyo, the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) coordinator, the drought hit the entire district, an area with two agricultural zones — the lower zone which often had moderate rainfall and the upper forested zone with maximum rainfall.

“In the lower zone, the farmers lost 100% of the crops while in the upper zone, they lost 50% of the crop. Overall, the farmers in the district lost over 75% of their crops to drought,” Kitiyo says.

He adds that the Office of the Prime Minister responded by donating beans and maize flour but it is already finished.

Man’s own handAlthough Kamuron blames God for the drought, experts point to environmental destruction.

Robert Mangusho, the district planner, says the high population is destroying the environment.

“The population of Bukwo has doubled from 70,000 people in 2002 to 140,000 people in 2010. This has brought trouble,” he adds.

Mangusho reveals that 100%of this population depends on firewood for cooking and commercial use.

“The rainfall cycle has been interrupted and water sources are drying up. If you move around, you will notice that all the trees are gone,” he notes.

Statistics from the 2008/2009 Bukwo District Environment Report indicate that over 80%of the trees and vegetation in the district have been cleared for cultivation, wood fuel and settlement.

“People are settling and cultivating in wetlands and hilltops. This has modified the rainfall pattern from wet to prolonged dry spells,” the report reveals.

In Kamuron’s compound, there is no tree and the little grass there is drying. She has cultivated everywhere including around the house. “I have never seen anything like this before.

The rain has always been enough in the previous seasons and we had good harvests. But that has changed,” Kamuron explains.

Drought changes BukwoFrancis Epido, the district agriculture officer, says Bukwo, which until 2009 was a maize basket for the rest of Uganda and neighbouring Kenya, is a ghost of its former self.

“Before the drought, farmers used to harvest over 40 100kg bags of maize per acre. On average, they own farms ranging from five to 100 acres,” he says. “People have now turned into casual labourers and beggars.”

Statistics from the Bukwo agriculture office indicate that in 2008, the district produced over 1.5 million metric tons of maize compared to only 700,000 metric tons in 2009.

Kamuron says sometimes she works for four hours on her farm only to get 1kg of maize, which she will eat with greens.

Her neighbour, 41-year-old Augustine Chesagit, lost over 20 acres of maize and beans. “I had prepared five granaries to store the harvest, but there is nothing,” Chesagit, a father of nine children, says.

He is finding difficulty feeding his children and says he cannot pay school fees this term. In the meantime, Chesagit has sent his children to Kenya to do manual work so they can survive, at least for a day.

Dashed hopes
Many farmers had borrowed money to finance which they had planned to pay back after the bumper harvests they were expecting. However, the banks are seizing their property, especially houses, in a desperate bid to claw back the loans.

Some of the farmers had to sell their land while others went into hiding in neighbouring Kenya.

Fifty-six-year-old Moses Chesang borrowed over sh5m from the bank. Unfortunately, his maize on 45 acres failed.

“The bank has seized my land and they have put a notice for sale. I requested them to give me another chance to cultivate this year in vain,” he says tearfully.

However, his immediate concern is how to survive the looming hunger.
“I have nothing to eat and very soon, my family may starve to death,” he says.
Kitiyo reveals that the crime rate in Bukwo is on the increase.

“The youth are breaking into people’s houses to steal food. The Police have recorded over 3,000 cases of food theft since the drought hit in May 2009. Violent crime will increase if nothing is done to salvage the situation.”

He also reveals that for the NAADS project, most of the farmers decided to grow maize, sweet potatoes vines and cassava cuttings but the drought destroyed everything.

What next for Bukwo?
Kitiyo says in the next three months, Bukwo will lose many people unless the Government and humanitarian agencies bring help immediately.

“We request NGOs to provide us with food and seeds to distribute to vulnerable farmers who lost everything,” he adds.

Kitiyo says NAADS Bukwo branch has set aside sh37m to buy over 5,000kg of beans and 5,000kg of maize to distribute to the affected farmers.

“But this will only happen if it rains. The sun is hitting hard and there is no sign it will rain,” Kitiyo says.

Kitiyo requests the Government to provide irrigation technology in case it does not rain.

Reuben Chelimo, the district chairman, says: “Over 50,000 children and adults are already starving. As schools open, many children will stay at home.”