Netherlands gives UGX 168bn to increase food security in northern Uganda

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Netherlands has disbursed a grant of 168 billion shillings to increase food security among farmers in North, Eastern and West Nile sub-regions.

The grant will be implemented over the next five years by a consortium of organizations working in the regions. It will support farmers to grow adequate food in shrinking farming seasons.

Mphomolo Maphosa, the Country Director of the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) says the project aims at preparing farmers to respond to adverse effects of climate change from their crop fields.

Maphosa says the grant has been prompted by growing frustrations amongst farmers in the front lines of climate change.

In Acholi, Lango and West Nile, the project is targeting Simsim and Soya beans value chain while in Eastern Uganda, it will support farmers involved in Soya beans production in the Mbale area. Under the project, seed producers are required to drought-tolerant seeds accessible to farmers.

The project will also provide weather information to farmer groups for them to undertake timely farming activities. Maphosa says they will harness the mobile phones and farmer networks in delivering the weather information.

Confidence Duku, a climate change researcher with Netherlands Wangenigen University says Climate Change is here to affect farmers across the country. He says supporting farmers with real-time weather information will increase their productivity.

George Oroma, an agronomist with SNV says extension services will also be provided to farmers to increase their chances of producing adequate food.

Scientists predict that weather conditions suitable for food production will continue changing under increasing temperatures calling for a shift in the way farmers do production.

In 2017 alone, natural disasters – from floods to fires – caused record losses of $330 billion across the globe.

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