Food Security Program Causes Starvation? The Need for Change

This is what I will be working on for the next couple of weeks. KDF is organizing a 'Food Security & Setting the Agenda Conference'. The meeting will be held on the 14th (Valentines day) and then there will be a traditional Akriket the following day. This is KDF's first official big meeting, so we will have to make it a success.  

So from my writings the last month most of you would probably not quite see why KDF is now organizing a food security conference (also setting the agenda), but as I have learned everything here is connected in ways you might not expect.

Some of the issues that I have written about before are directly linked to food security, one of them being the land acquisitions by private companies and the government here. Pastoralism is the main livelihood in this region, and the land acquisitions that have taken place in the recent years don’t really acknowledge this, or they are purposely trying to change it.

The government of Uganda has had a policy of looking at pastoralism as outdated, and quoting the Human Rights Watch President Museveni when he appointed his wife as the current Minister of Karamoja he spoke of the need to “develop one of the backward areas” of Uganda. Later in a letter to the European Union in 2010 this point was highlighted as Mrs. Museveni asked for support from donors for government programs aimed to “stop nomadism and settle permanently because that is the government’s focus”. (HRW, 2014)

Their way of life is their culture, their heritage and their 'food security'

There is a great lack of understanding of pastoralism, and especially the need for pastoralism in this area. If you look at the history there is a reason why the people living in this region are pastoralists. It is not like they woke up one day and thought it would be a brilliant idea to move themselves and their cattle around? It has a purpose. The region is prone to drought, and the seasons are highly unpredictable. By relying on pastoralism as a survival mechanism people have been able to make this region their home, in a way that would not have been possible otherwise. People and animals migrate to follow the seasonal patterns, and agriculture is also practiced, but in a way where the sole reliance is not on this for survival. What is now being pushed on the people of Karamoja is to step completely away from pastoralism and rely on sedenterized agriculture for their livelihood. This might be possible in some parts of the region that are more fertile, but looking around the area I am currently living in, it seems like a horrible idea to make people reliant on agriculture when there is no guarantee for the weather patterns. It might work for a year or two, but then what do you do when the dry season runs longer than expected? I guess the answer is just keep delivering food aid as that has been the norm for the last 40 years.

The WFP has stepped down a lot of their food distribution in the area, causing mixed results. One of the areas where they have stepped back is in relation to food distribution to schools in the area. The government of Uganda has stepped in where the WFP has stepped back and has expanded their prison gardens in Namalu to be able to provide food for children in school.

When I first heard this, and I drove past the prison gardens, I didn’t really picture there to really be an issue with this. However as I have learned what is essentially a program to establish food security, has caused people to starve. The issue lies in the land acquisitions that I have talked about previously. The land needed for the expansion of the prison gardens, was taken away without considering the community who occupied the land. Those who lived off the land there, fed their children from that land, they were simply evicted without any notice and had to live on the side of the road. This resulted in people starving and food aid was eventually distributed. I can’t even begin to explain how wrong this comes across to me. I understand that this program will bring food to school children, but wouldn’t there be a better way to do this without essentially making people starve for the food security of others in the region?

So a little introduction to how the issue of ‘Food Security’ in Karamoja is not as simple as encouraging agriculture or giving people food. This region is unique in many ways, and I still do not think that the majority of the programs in the region are adapted to this. What works in other parts of Uganda will not work here, Karamoja has its own identity and not just that, they have their own way of surviving in what really can be a harsh and unforgiving environment. Those who have lived here for centuries should be the ones who know best how to survive and thrive, not us coming from other parts of the world where we think we know better. I am not saying there is no need for support, but in my mind food security & development of Karamoja go hand in hand with pastoralism and traditional life, for Karamoja to succeed they need to be allowed to develop in a way which is right for them.

Also I found this image on the site of the British High Commission for Uganda yesterday, it might be time for an updated map.

Moroto where I am currently staying is in the easily noticeable red region

So evidently I am living in an area where all travel is advised against. For the adventurous story I wish I could say I have seen many weapons in the area, and that there is lots of stuff happening, but no. The only weapons I have seen, except for spears, belong to the military, who are currently having army week in town, and as for safety; I still feel safer here than I have in most other parts of East Africa. If you have a travel ban on Karamoja for safety reasons you should probably have one for Dar Es Salaam and Kampala as well.