Frederick Womakuyu
23 June 2009
Kampala — DRESSED in rubber sandals, torn clothes with a hoe suspended over one shoulder and a machete in one hand, Mark Lochoro marches to his farm, 12km east of Moroto district.
The frail looking 45-year-old Lochoro is one of the Karimojong pastoralists who have given up their nomadic way of life for crop farming. There are over 1,500 farmer groups, comprising 500,000 people out of the 1.13million people in Karamoja.
Like most of these farmers, Lochoro lost 100 heads of cattle to rustling and another 120 to the 2006-2007 prolonged drought. "In 2007, I cultivated 30 acres of sorghum but floods destroyed the crop. A prolonged drought followed," Lochoro says.
He says he lost two children and a wife to drought and famine. In 2008, he received 50kg of sorghum from the Government. "I planted all the seeds, but erratic rains and drought destroyed the crop."
"I became sick due to hunger and lost another child," he says. According to the World Food Programme, by September 2008, drought had caused over 70% crop losses. The region was since declared food insecure.
In Morulinga parish, Matany sub-county, the state minister of Karamoja, Janet Museveni, helped the farmers to open over 875 acres of land, next to the state lodge. "However, prolonged drought in the area killed at least 90% of the crop," said John Lodungokol, Moroto District agriculture officer. "The state minister sent more beans and sorghum seeds to the farmers," he says, adding that the Government has revamped crop farming but the weather pattern is destructive.
He says the Government and development partners have invested over sh2b worth of crop inputs and technical expertise in the region this year.
"Food and Agricultural Organisation provided over 700 metric tonnes of seed, while the Government provided 12 tractors and rehabilitated Nabiny Agricultural Farm Institute."
"The Government has ensured security in the region by disarming the people, recovering over 27,000 guns and building capacity by training local agricultural staff to undertake monitoring, evaluation and sensitisation of people on crop farming," said Lodungokol.
"We embarked on massive sensitisation campaigns to the community to use handmade hoes, ox-ploughs and tractors to till the land.
District task forces were set up to check on food security, procurement and growth of crops.
"Despite the funding, we have been let down by the rains," Lodungokol said. The worst scenario happened in Matany where over 100 acres of crops planted by the help of the state minister at the beginning of the planting season dried. "Some farmers recorded total crop failure. Others did not lose faith and kept on replacing them," he says.
Moroto district coordinator Michael Lokiru found some crops whithered when he inspected farms recently. The farmers are cutting down trees for firewood and charcoal. "This is causing deforestation and weather change," he says.
Lokiru urges the Government to introduce small scale irrigation projects. "Some people in Kampala come here and get our advice, but do not take us serious."
He says the Government, through NAADS, has injected about sh800m to each of the five districts.
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