Busoga sugarcane boom fuels food security crisis under watch

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OPINION

By Karim Nanyiri

Gone are the days when the Busoga sub-region was a national food basket. Across much of the sub-region, a quiet but profound transformation has taken place. Fields that once produced cassava, maize, beans, sweet potatoes, groundnuts, simsim, bananas, mangoes, and oranges, among other food and cash crops, now stretch endlessly with sugarcane. What was initially embraced as an opportunity for quick income has, for many households, become a source of hardship, food insecurity, and deepening poverty.

That over the past few years, thousands of smallholder farmers in Busoga have leased out their land, often for periods of four years and beyond, to sugarcane growers and millers is not incorrect anecdotal evidence. The lump-sum payments received at the start of these agreements may appear attractive, especially to families facing immediate financial pressures such as school fees, medical bills, or debts. However, the reality on the ground tells a troubling story. In many cases, the money is spent within a year, leaving families landless, income-poor, and dependent on expensive food purchases for the remainder of the lease period.

Traditionally, Busoga had hitherto relied on inter-cropping and mixed farming systems that ensured household food security even in difficult seasons. The abandonment of these practices has not only severely reduced local food production but also worsened wretchedness among numerous households in the sub-region. Today, many families buy food daily, often at prices beyond their means. As food costs rise, nutrition suffers, with vulnerable groups such as children, expectant mothers, and the elderly most affected by diseases such as marasmus and kwashiorkor, gestational diabetes, and dementia, respectively.

The problem is not sugarcane itself. As a cash crop, sugarcane has the potential to contribute to rural incomes and regional development. The challenge lies in unchecked replacement of food crops, weak regulation of land-leasing arrangements, the Government’s lack of price regulation for sugarcane, and limited financial literacy among farmers. Smallholders frequently enter contracts without adequate information, safeguards, or long-term planning. Once the land is leased, they lose control over their most important asset, the ability to produce food.

This growing dependence on a single cash crop exposes the region to serious risks. Any disruption, be it from delayed payments, fluctuating sugar prices, climate shocks, or disputes with growers, can plunge entire communities into crisis. Additionally, the continued decline in food production undermines national efforts to achieve food security and nutrition for all Ugandans.

What can be done?

First, there is an urgent need for balanced land-use planning. Farmers should be encouraged and supported to reserve part of their land for food crops, even when growing sugarcane. Second, government agencies, civil society organisations, and cultural institutions should strengthen farmer education on financial management so that lease proceeds are invested sustainably rather than consumed quickly. Third, local governments should work with communities to develop bylaws regulating long-term land leasing, particularly where it threatens household food security.

Additionally, promoting alternative income-generating activities, such as livestock rearing, horticulture, and agro-processing, can reduce reliance on sugarcane. Sugar companies, too, ought to be part of the solution by adopting more responsible out-grower and leasing practices that do not leave communities worse off than they got them.

Busoga’s future should not be one where fertile land produces sugar while families struggle to afford a meal. Development must be measured not only by cash income, but also by households’ ability to feed themselves with dignity. Restoring the balance between cash crops and food production is not just an agricultural issue; it is a matter of political, social, and economic justice.

The writer is a teacher and PhD fellow