Govt launches plant clinic in Karamoja to combat food insecurity
Agriculture and FAO officials during the launching of the plant clinic at Maaif head offices in Entebbe. Photo | Eve Muganga
What you need to know:
- The FAO representative Mr Charles Owach said they partnered with Uganda to develop agriculture mostly in areas that have been suffering food insecurity.
The Government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) has launched a plant clinic aimed at sustaining food production on a large scale in the Karamoja sub-region.
The State Minister for Agriculture, Mr Fred Bwino Kyakulaga who was represented by Mr Ronald Sseggawa Gyagenda, the undersecretary at the Maaif said: “Crop pests and diseases pose great challenges to food systems and this is further exacerbated by climate change. This has suppressed food, feed and fibre productivity, thus negatively impacting food and nutrition security.”
“There is a need to control and manage pests and diseases which on average lead to 30-40 per cent yield loss. So the purpose of this plant clinic is to ensure a continuous drive to train agricultural extension officers country-wide to become Plant Doctors,” he added.
Mr Kyakulaga said that this program supported by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will start by training about 74 extension workers from the nine districts of Karamoja.
Mr Stephen Byantwale, the Commissioner of Crop Protection at Maaif who represented the Permanent Secretary Maj Gen David Kasura Kyomukama said: “Karamoja hasn’t been involved in crop growing but this plant clinic will help the farmers to keep pests and diseases away. The work for these crop doctors ranges from improving soil fertility, to use of pesticides or advice in any other agronomic approaches to address the problems.”
The FAO representative Mr Charles Owach said they partnered with Uganda to develop agriculture mostly in areas that have been suffering food insecurity.
“A plant clinic is like a human clinic with plants being silent patients. They are carried to these experts by the farmers so that they get advice on how to address the challenges in their fields. Plant clinics support the formulation and implementation of anticipatory action for pest management. We are glad that this time it's moving to the Karamoja sub-region to combat food insecurity there,” he said.
