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Uganda: Smallholder Farmers to Solve Food Shortage
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The Monitor (Kampala)
22 May 2008
Posted to the web 22 May 2008
Robert Mukombozi
Kampala
Agriculturalists meeting in Nairobi, Kenya to devise means of reducing food shortages in Africa have suggested that smallholder farmers should be considered a priority in addressing the current food shortage.
"Africa has always suffered perennial food crisis that among other solutions ought to be tackled by bringing smallholder farmers on board," the Inter Region Economic Network (IREN) Director, Mr James Shikwati, said.
The ongoing pan Africa workshop on service delivery to small holder farmers hosted by IREN will review Africa's agriculture environment in terms of service delivery to small holder farmers and discuss commercialization of agricultural ideas as a strategy to enable Africa address the perennial food crisis. Smallholder farmers comprise approximately 85 per cent of farms worldwide. In Africa smallholder farmers provide food, raw material and contribute between 24 and 40 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product. In Kenya, smallholder farmers meet 75 per cent of the national food needs yet only 30 per cent can access credit facilities and other services. Civil society organisations have argued that global food prices are being driven by increased demand in China and India, high oil prices, and poor weather in strategic farming countries such as Australia, and reduction of acreage set aside for food crops in favour of biofuels. The reality of high food prices has not spared Uganda either. For instance a kilogramme has increased from Shs2,500 to Shs5,000 in less than 12 months. The same trend has followed for rice and bread and other food stuffs. The Food and Agriculture Organisation places Uganda on the list of 36 in a group of "countries in crisis requiring external assistance."
Of these, 21 are in Africa, nine in Asia, four in Latin America and two in Europe. As a result, the food crisis in Kampala has pushed up costs of such services as education, health care, and others. There have been food riots in Egypt, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Senegal in Africa.
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The summit drew participants from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Benin, Europe and the USA.
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