East African Business Week

Kampala, Uganda--The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has advised government and other stake holders to increase investment in agriculture as a solution to food insecurity in the country.
"Poor consumers should be assisted with cash vouchers and producers helped with inputs such as fertilizers and seeds to assure food supplies," the Communications Officer of FAO, Rachel Nandelenga advised.  Nandelenga was speaking during the World Food Day sensitization workshop in preparation for the world food day scheduled for October 16 in Arua (northern Uganda). Nandelenga explained that investment in infrastructure, marketing systems, extension and communication services can increase food supply and improve the functioning of local agricultural markets resulting in less volatile prices.
"The level of net investments required is around $83 billion a year to help millions of people escape poverty and help restore long term stability to agricultural markets," Nandelenga added.
Nandelenga refereed to the high population growth in the country compounded to the erratic metrological phenomena produced by global warming and climate change that hurt food security.
"Continued under funding of agriculture by rich and poor countries alike is the main cause of the problems of food security that we face today," she noted.
The Principal Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Mr. Paul Muzaale said that there is need to install storage structures and policies to regulate food security measures responsibly.
"Farmers have responded to increase in food production but their efforts are constrained by the ability to store the food for seasons of scarcity," Muzaale said.
Muzaale said that people living on less than $1 per day may need to skip a meal when food prices continue to rise. "Maize price increased by 74% while that of rice almost tripled climbing a whole 166% during the last 18 months," he added.
FAO Food Security Programme Officer Stella Sengendo said that food distribution is the biggest challenge because when other parts of the country had enough food, the 54 districts in the cattle corridor were battling with food insecurity.
"Karamoja region is characterized by poor rainfall distribution with frequent hazards that have eroded the productive assets and traditional coping capacities to support livelihoods," Sengendo said.