Two million at risk of starving after rains fail

International agencies have warned of severe famine in Africa and Uganda has not been spared of the fatal natural disaster. So far a number of people have succumbed to hunger and as Saturday Monitor found out, over two million Ugandans risk starving. Good news, however, is that some parts have started receiving pockets of rain although it might not salvage the worrying situation.

Close to two million people are at a risk of facing starvation as the country grapples with food shortage due to crop failure mid-year. The shortage will get worse from September because of the poor harvest recorded this season, the Commissioner for Disaster and Relief, Mr Martin Owor, has warned.

This could further push up the price of food stuffs that are already high. Food prices have gone up by 15 per cent in the last five months and continue to rise.
Information shows that farmers across the country can only produce 30 per cent of the food needed at the moment because of drought. This food is not enough to feed the nation till end of year and most of it is being ferried away to neighbouring country already facing famine.

According to government, from September, 15 districts will be experiencing famine, 35 districts acute food shortage and five districts will experience moderate food shortage.

Although good harvest is expected in 85 districts and poor harvests in 27 districts this month, the severe famine situation in the neighbouring countries of South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania, means much of the cereals being harvested, especially maize and beans, will be bought and exported by private traders.

“Given that our people do not have a cash-savings-culture; those who will sell off much of their harvests about two million households are likely to plunge their families into a food insecurity situation by December 2011,” said Mr Owor. Though technical people in the Office of the Prime Minister argue that the current situation cannot be referred to as famine, two ministers; Ms Irene Muloni of Energy and State Minister for Disaster Preparedness, Mr Musa Ecweru, have said the situation in the east is famine.

The two ministers started distribution of food supplies mainly maize flour and beans to support famine and drought-stricken residents of Bulambuli District on July 23.

Already three people have died in the eastern district of Bulambuli of hunger and 1.2 million people in Karamoja are at risk of starvation.

Tough times ahead
Mr Ecweru warned that the situation is likely to get worse unless farmers improve on farming methods and take to new crops that are drought resistant.
“The unpredictability of the weather is one of the biggest challenges faced by farmers struggling to adapt to a changing climate. Mt. Elgon area that used to be wet throughout the years, is becoming hotter and drier, crop failure is common and yet this is the food basket of the entire eastern Uganda. We need to change farming methods, take to new crops that are drought resistant to have good harvests,” said Mr Ecweru.

In the east and West Nile regions, crops have dried in the gardens, except for remnants of drought resistant weeds scattered in the gardens; dry stalks of maize plants and dry empty beans pods are a common site.
At the moment, 3,000 to 4,000 acres of maize and beans have been destroyed in 18 villages of Bulambuli affecting about 347 homesteads with a total of 1,479 people.

The food shortage situation has been caused by large-scale crop failures caused by prolonged droughts, heavy rains, weeds, crop pest, disease and hail and wild storms.

According to information from the Office of the Prime Minister, the country experienced erratic rains at the beginning of the year and this led to poor yields. Many villages in the east, north and west Nile experienced severe storms destroying most of the crops.

The affected people are already experiencing food shortage.
Mr Owor said the erratic rains have made many households to plant far less acreage than normal and crop yield will depend on the performance of the rains through August.

Although rangeland conditions remain adequate for livestock throughout Karamoja region, it is predicted that households in the pastoral and agropastoral areas will continue to experience food shortage and will require relief food support from the government.

It is predicted that the West Nile region may face food shortage within the next three months due to poor harvest. And the problem will be compounded by the poor performance of tobacco, the main cash crop, where households are likely to sell off the existing cassava stocks to get money for other needs and rapidly plunge themselves into a famine situation sooner than expected.

The regions of Acholi, Lango, Teso and Bugisu that had fairly good harvest are also experiencing a massive influx of traders buying food for export to Southern Sudan, Kenya or Ethiopia.

The western region is, however, said to be food secure except the population living along the cattle corridor. Mr Henry Kityo Mutebi, the Secretary General of Uganda National Farmers’ Federation, says the famine was caused by heavy rains, crop failure and weeds that the country has been experiencing since mid-June.
Recently, in Lobule sub-county Koboko District, farmers were left in tears after heavy rains characterized by strong wind and thunder fell for some hours destroying their crops like cassava, beans, sorghum and tobacco.

“This tragedy will have effects on production. If all the crops are destroyed like this, where will the future of our children be because feeding them is going to be hard,” said Mr Muhammad Waiga, a farmer.

Mr Khalid Muwembe, a senior meteorologist at the Ministry of Water and Environment, Department of Meteorology, says crop failure and the weeds which have mainly affected the eastern and north eastern part of Uganda were caused by the prolonged drought in the country.

“The famine in the country is caused by the prolonged drought which the country has experienced since December up to April especially in the eastern part of the country. This has led to the shortening of the rain season leading to crop failure and because weeds are favoured by the dry season, they also set in. This drought was experienced everywhere but it was most evident in the east and north east because these are the main food baskets of Uganda.”

Still in the same regions, there were heavy rains, hailstorms and heavy winds which Mr Muwembe explains as being caused by the inflow of moist air from the Congo Basin and the Atlantic Ocean. “These winds came at a time Uganda was supposed to be dry. So we ended up with both moist and heated air causing thunderstorm clouds thus leading to hail storms, lightning and strong winds in late May and June which led to the destruction of crops.”

But at the moment some parts of the country have started experiencing scattered rains which the meteorologist says are as a result of the moist air but the dry season will last to September. This acute food shortage has also resulted to an outbreak of malnutrition and kwashiorkor which has left more than 20 children dead in Namutumba District also in eastern Uganda and over 50 adults dead.

In a bid to redeem the situation, Mr Stephen Malinga, the minister of Relief and Disaster Preparedness, says that the ministry has started offering food and malnutrition treatment to people in affected areas. “There is an ongoing plan where we have identified areas that are worst hit by famine like Namutumba, Bulambuli, Palisa, Napak among other areas. We have delivered food to Namutumba, Bulambuli and Palisa and are planning on sending food to Napak,” he said.

The minister said government is working with Makerere University to offer malnutrition treatment to all children in all regional hospitals across the country. Disaster Preparedness office say government and the World Food Programme have enough food for vulnerable persons and the distribution is on-going in Karamoja. Currently the Disaster Department has 5,000 metric tons of food for this purpose.

The groups to benefit in case of famine are the elderly, child-headed households, widow-headed households, households headed by persons with disabilities, household headed by persons with HIV/Aids. According to the UN Uganda humanitarian profile 2011, Uganda remains among the world’s most hunger-prone countries because it predominantly depends on agriculture and livestock for livelihoods.

According to a 2009 WFP report, they donated $80.6 million (Shs209b) in form of relief to Uganda. In May, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) set aside Shs32 billion for rehabilitation and agricultural development in Uganda that were aimed at enhancing food security in the country and region at large.

Compiled by David Mafabi, James Eriku and Sarah Tumwebaze

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Bugisu food basket no more

Ms Amos Kuloba, 35, and Ms Irene Muyama, 26, secured 8kg of maize under National Agricultural Advisory Services under Bwikonge Farmers Forum.
The duo planted three acres of maize and beans in late March when the rains started and hoped to harvest last month and this month but unfortunately, she has nothing to harvest for feeding and sale.

Why?
The long persistent April, May, June and July drought and sunshine has dried up all her crops, the gardens have gone dry, the heavy rains in early July destroyed the few crops that had resisted the drought and she has nothing to eat for this season.
Like this family, many families in Bulambuli District, once considered the food basket of Bugisu, Teso and Karamoja sub-regions have had all their crops dried in the gardens due to persistent drought and sunshine.
Except for remnants of cotton scattered in the gardens; the surroundings have gone dry and gardens dry with seemingly mature crops but with no maize cobs.

Leader’s voice
“We don’t have food, hunger is killing us, please we are asking the government to come to our rescue, our children have abandoned school and cant go back because there is no food, we have nothing to do please,,” said Mr Stephen Mutenyo, LC1 chairman, Buwabwala village, one of the villages that has not seen rains since April.
Mr Mutenyo revealed that since the famine started, two people have died in his village.

RIP
Damascus Solombe who failed to walk, collapsed and died while Abdulla Wanyera was found in the house dead.
In the neighbouring Bulumela village, the LC3 Chairman, Mr Paul Kimamati, says one person died last week.
“In this area maize is the main food crop, its failure therefore means that besides famine, people will find it difficult to buy the basic essentials in their homes and paying fees for their children.”
“Government should come to our rescue, we have nothing to feed on, we are stuck and the rains are not even about to come,” said Mr Kimamati.

NAADs input
The district secretary for production, Ms Scovia Mutonyi, says most farmers got NAADs seeds under Bwikonge Farmers Forum but the situation has become desperate with the dry spell persisting.
“Most of the people stay hungry and this calls for an immediate government and humanitarian response. There are people we gave maize seeds on loan and it is supposed to be paid back, I am now stuck, how do you demand seeds from somebody whose garden did not produce anything,” said Ms Mutonyi.

More dead
The Assistant Chief Administrative Officer in charge of Disaster management committee for the district, Mr Richard Madette, revealed that although reports indicate that only three people have died, there could have been many in the villages who have been buried without informing the authorities.
“The only thing I can say is that the famine situation will have great catastrophic effects in the near future if government does not respond now,” said Mr Madette.
Mr. Madette revealed that crop failure due to drought has hit 18 villages, affecting about 347 homesteads with a total of 1,479 people affected in Bulambuli District.
Compiled by David Mafabi