Challenges affecting Chapter five of Uganda Vision 2040

LEGAL

Joan Akiiza

KAMPALA - The Government under its private public producer partnership is seeking to expand oil palm plantations on Buvuma island due to its climatic and suitable conditions for oil palm production.

Uganda subscribes to the Sustainable Development Goals and was one of the first countries to develop its 2015/16 - 2019/20 National development plan in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG'S).

One of the targets for SDG No.2 on Zero hunger is ensuring sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and productionthat help maintain ecosystems.

The National Food security assessment report of 2017 indicated that 10.9 million Ugandans were suffering from a food crisis by January 2017.

In order to achieve food security, there has to be food availability, food access, utilisation and stability.

With growing of oil palm that is not edible until processed, how will it be possible for the country to attain this with the reported cases of food insecurity in the country with examples of districts where people were dying as a result of acute food crisis?

The Government should encourage people to improve the production of food crops and grow them on a larger scale than cash crops.

According to the ministry of water and environment, Uganda loses 100,000 hectares of forests every year.

In Chapter five of the Uganda Vison 2040, Uganda commits to take urgent measures to protect the environment and natural resources and ensure their future sustainability.

However, 3,500 hectares of private forest were reported by one local daily in August 2017 to be earmarked for oil palm growing in Buvuma due to the scarcity of farmland in the area but one wonders how such a target of Vision 2040 will be achieved, if such forest loss continues to occur at an alarming rate all in the need to promote Economic development against conservation of nature.

What mitigation measures have been put in place by NEMA that has approved the Environmental and social impact assessment for the project and has NEMA monitored compliance of these in the already existing project area of Kalangala. This would act as a yardstick in monitoring compliance in the new project area.

Worse more most of the communities are not used to the sums of money offered to them as compensation and when this is offered majority spend it and are not able to purchase land to settle elsewhere with their families.

This pauses danger as there are high risks of forest encroachment by the community members, buffer zone encroachment as these will be the only alternativesthey have to grow food.

The Government should consider resettlement of communities to other areas where they can continue to grow food and improve their livelihoods less of that achievement of SDG No.2 and Chapter 5 of vision 2040 in totality will remain mere theory.

The writer is a legal and advocacy officer at NAPE-Friends of the Earth Uganda.