Uganda, a landlocked country in East Africa, is renowned for its natural beauty, diversified cultures, and huge agricultural potential. The country’s natural resource base is believed to be among the richest and most diverse in Africa. Boasting fertile soil, 64.5% of the country’s land area is suitable for agriculture and 27% is cultivable and it has reasonably plentiful water resources for cultivation. The nation’s agricultural industry is booming and becoming increasingly focused on the market.
However, despite its potential for agricultural productivity, food insecurity remains a significant issue in Uganda, with a large proportion of the population facing challenges in accessing and affording adequate and nutritious food. While over the years development aid has contributed to improving this state of affairs, from the second half of 2023 when the Anti-Homosexuality Act was enacted, Uganda has recorded a significant reduction in development funding.
Poverty among main reasons for factors driving food insecurity
According to the World Food Programme, Uganda has one of the highest rates of chronic malnutrition in the world, with approximately 29% of children under the age of 5 suffering from stunted growth as a result of malnutrition. Hunger is considered to be a major problem in the country where there is a high prevalence of food insecurity, evidenced by a score of 25.2 on the 2023 Global Hunger Index (GHI). The country ranks 95th out of the 125 nations that have sufficient data to calculate a score on the GHI.
Food insecurity in Uganda is largely caused by poverty, according to Agnes Kalibata, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.
“Many people in Uganda struggle to afford enough food to meet their nutritional needs because a sizable section of the population lives below the poverty line”.
According to socio-economic updates on Uganda by UNDP, 28% of Ugandans are estimated to be impoverished which directly affects their ability to obtain sufficient food. In addition to causing food insecurity, poverty also contributes to other issues including poor access to sanitary facilities and clean water which can have an impact on people’s general health and nutrition both individually and collectively.
See also: Why has poverty and income inequality in Uganda remained so high?
However, Uganda’s national poverty rate has decreased by more than half over the last three decades, from 56% in 1992/1993 to 21.4% in 2019/2020. This was primarily due to improved agricultural incomes for low-income households and improved regional markets following the end of the conflict in Northern Uganda according to Uganda Bureau of Statistics, 2020. But, despite this progress, Uganda remains among the world’s poorest nations with 12.3 million people (30.1% of the population) living below the $1.77 per person per day federal poverty threshold in 2019/2020 according to another Uganda Bureau of Statistics report.
Climate change, displacement, violence
Climate change is another element that is adding to Uganda’s food insecurity. The nation is extremely susceptible to the effects of climate change which include altered rainfall patterns, increased temperatures, and extreme weather events. Food shortages and crop failures can result from the direct effects of these factors on agricultural output.
Furthermore, food insecurity in Uganda is significantly influenced by displacement and violence. Long-lasting wars and instability have plagued the East African region, displacing people from neighboring countries and disrupting their way of life.
Data from UNHCR shows that over 1.5 million refugees have found shelter in Uganda, the largest host country in Africa. The majority of refugees (57%) are from South Sudan while others are from Somalia (3%), Burundi (3%), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (32%).
According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, there are over 4,800 internally displaced people in Uganda, many of whom struggle to find enough food and nourishment. Aside from the conflicts, disruptions to the supply chain can have a lasting impact on the food security of the affected communities.
Shrinking development aid
Over the years, Uganda has largely relied on development aid to fight food insecurity and improve the productivity and efficiency of its farming sector, according to Dr. Calestous Juma, a well-known Kenyan Professor of International Development and Technology at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
He described the contribution of the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization as “crucial” in supporting nutrition and food security programs as well as acknowledging the United States Agency for International Development which has provided funding for programs to improve the resilience of communities in Uganda to natural disasters and other shocks that can disrupt food production and access. However, the adoption of the Anti-Homosexuality Act in 2023 has also hit the agricultural sector with donors being reluctant to invest in the country.
Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Matia Kasaija, told DevelopmentAid that in 2024-2025 the government expected Shs857.876 billion (over US$225 million) in development funding with the total amount reaching Shs1.085 trillion due to expected donor contributions. However, the Minister noted that “donor contributions for Uganda will decline from Shs2.781Trn in 2023–2024 to just Shs 28.94 Bn in the upcoming budget for 2024–2025” although she refrained from linking this loss to the Anti-Homosexuality Act.
