Agencies urged to consider growing food for refugees

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As refugee numbers in Uganda increase amid declining funding towards the country's refugee effort, humanitarian agencies have been urged to consider growing food over providing rations.

Local government state minister, Victoria Rusoke Busingye, says there is a lot of free land in several parts of the country, which can be appropriated for this.

"It is important that we invest to multiply than to give donations," Busingye said.

She was speaking during the meeting of the Local Development Partners Group on the National Partnership Forum at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel on February 5, 2025. The event, which brought together government officials and development partners to a round table discussion, was presided over by Premier, Robinah Nabbanja.

The slashing of monthly food assistance

Busingye's call came after Disaster Preparedness Minister, Hilary Onek, revealed during the event that the World Food Programme has significantly reduced funding, slashing monthly food assistance to the refugees from $6 (about sh22,000) per person per month to $3 (about sh11,000). This has reduced the food security of the refugees and the ability to afford three meals a day, occasioning malnutrition, especially among women and children.

"The idea of planning, according to research, would be to start growing good. There was a lot of land in Arua, owned by clans and families, which would be utilised to actively grow maize, beans and, in three months, you would have a lot of food, " she said.

"Equally in Kitagwenda, Kamwenge and Kyegegwa districts, there is still a lot of land belonging to individuals who were willing to have it cultivated to get a lot of food for refugees."

She said refugees could be enlisted to partake in the production processes, including weeding and harvesting.

She said some funds could be used to procure machines for milling the grain to provide food, adding that this would be a less costly option for buying food.

According to UNHCR, only 47% of its required funding in 2024 was secured, raising just 35% of the $858m needed for both humanitarian and development initiatives.

Uganda is Africa’s largest refugee-hosting country and one of the top globally. It is currently hosting 1.7 million refugees and asylum seekers from 34 countries, including DR Congo and South Sudan.