Let us make Uganda a national, international food basket this year
UGANDA has been hit and tormented by famine in the last year so much that some areas sought to be declared disaster areas! Even we begin the new year, some areas have not improved and are still living on humanitarian assistance.
UGANDA has been hit and tormented by famine in the last year so much that some areas sought to be declared disaster areas! Even we begin the new year, some areas have not improved and are still living on humanitarian assistance.
Ugandans, especially those in the famine-stricken areas need to learn a tough lesson from last year and strive to change their fortunes this year.
Lucky enough the climatic change has changed the rainfall pattern here so much that we currently have heavy rains. We cannot deny and avoid the negative impact of the global climatic change but where and when there is an opportunity, let us use it optimally to plant large shambas of fast- growing but drought- resistant food crops to alleviate famine.
Uganda being the ‘pearl of Africa’ naturally endowed with resources like fertile soil, fresh water and lash vegetation, it has been a big shame for Uganda to seek foreign food aid yet we can offer military aid to other countries! I believe this year there will be no excuse for famine given the current rains in most parts of the country and relative peace in the formerly war- ravaged northern region. We are talking of sovereignty and independence in the face of donors’ threats to cut aid to the country.
Our ‘sovereignty’ cannot be sustained when we are begging for food from donors and humanitarian agencies who sometimes attach strings to their assistance.
This is why the minister for disaster preparedness Tarsis Kabwegyere once blamed famine on laziness and drunkenness as a way of awakening the affected community to work harder to come out of the ‘danger zone’. The Basoga have a saying that “awabi wetoolwa namanhi†meaning that you have to put in much effort to overcome a bad situation. This should apply to all Ugandans in 2010.
Let us work towards making Uganda a regional and international food basket in 2010 in a bid to achieve the millennium development goal of eliminating famine and hunger. There is no reason why we should beg for food.
Ugandans, especially those in the famine-stricken areas need to learn a tough lesson from last year and strive to change their fortunes this year.
Lucky enough the climatic change has changed the rainfall pattern here so much that we currently have heavy rains. We cannot deny and avoid the negative impact of the global climatic change but where and when there is an opportunity, let us use it optimally to plant large shambas of fast- growing but drought- resistant food crops to alleviate famine.
Uganda being the ‘pearl of Africa’ naturally endowed with resources like fertile soil, fresh water and lash vegetation, it has been a big shame for Uganda to seek foreign food aid yet we can offer military aid to other countries! I believe this year there will be no excuse for famine given the current rains in most parts of the country and relative peace in the formerly war- ravaged northern region. We are talking of sovereignty and independence in the face of donors’ threats to cut aid to the country.
Our ‘sovereignty’ cannot be sustained when we are begging for food from donors and humanitarian agencies who sometimes attach strings to their assistance.
This is why the minister for disaster preparedness Tarsis Kabwegyere once blamed famine on laziness and drunkenness as a way of awakening the affected community to work harder to come out of the ‘danger zone’. The Basoga have a saying that “awabi wetoolwa namanhi†meaning that you have to put in much effort to overcome a bad situation. This should apply to all Ugandans in 2010.
Let us work towards making Uganda a regional and international food basket in 2010 in a bid to achieve the millennium development goal of eliminating famine and hunger. There is no reason why we should beg for food.