Uganda Report 2012 FINAL PO:Layout 1 - ACORD

The above notwithstanding, there are specific cases of
some PLHA who have not embraced the idea of
returning to their communities where they can access
land. They prefer staying in the satellite camps due to
availability of services that are not available in the
communities. These are still renting small plots where
they carry some farming, but cannot ensure food
security for the affected households. These and
several other challenges require all organizations that
are involved in the resettlement of IDPs to engage local
leadership in finding best ways of permanently
resettling of IDPs.
5.3.2 High morbidity and lack of labour
High morbidity is reportedly one of the biggest
constraints to promotion of food security among PLHA
households. PLHA at times fall sick at the critical time
of planting season, which makes it difficult for them to
grow food. It was also reported that the promotion of
food security among PLHA is constrained by the ease
with which PLHA groups disintegrate or PLHA being
rejected to join farming groups on the pretext that they
cannot contribute effectively as other non-PLHA. Lack
of labour among the PLHA households especially in
instances where the available adults are weak to
cultivate, implies that not only small acreage of land is
cultivated, but also the crop folio is reduced. It was
therefore not uncommon during discussions with
PLHA, community members and other key informants
to receive stories of PLHA not having adequate food
both in terms of quantity and quality.
5.3.3 Changes in farming technology
The type of farming technology used in the
communities is also constraining efforts to ensure that
PLHA households are self-reliant in terms of food.
Currently, it is estimated that over 80% of farmers in
both Gulu and Kitgum use hand hoes to cultivate,
which is labour intensive instead of animal traction as
it used to be the case before the outbreak of the war.
The situation is exacerbated by the failing health of
PLHA who are inadvertently forced to cultivate small
acreages of land that translates into low agricultural
production and consequently food insecurity.
PLHA are limited by the kind of farming tools used,
people are using hand hoes, over 80% of the farmers,
and the proportion using ox-ploughs is small, even
smaller proportion using tractors. This means
households’ production is very limited as people
cannot expand production easily (KI, District Local
Government, Gulu).
We need tools to make our work easier like ox-ploughs.
We all dig but the amount of output is smaller because
we can only manage to clear small pieces of land (FGD
PLHA, Omiya-Nyima, Kitgum).
We are now back in our villages, we have access to
land but because of our poor health, we cannot do
much, if possible the government should come and
support us…may be if we get ox-ploughs we may be
in position to produce enough food (FGD with
Community People, Lagoro, Kitgum).
The previous interventions have been premised on
appreciation that HIV&AIDS affected households lack
labor for improving their food security. The
provisioning of seeds, farming tools/implements and
small animals not meant for land traction are on
contrary labor intensive. Thus, the immediate
challenge faced by HIV&AIDS affected households is
labor to open and clear the land for agricultural activity.
Elsewhere in literature 68 , it has been pointed out that
technology and its adoption are important issues for
the agricultural sector. It is also directly linked to the
provision of advisory services to farmer entrepreneurs.
There is a general acknowledgement that much of the
basic technology is available and that the challenge is
really about making it accessible and available to
farmers. The existing agriculture advisory services
under NAADs have been widely criticized for not
reaching all those who need it. Yet food nutrition and
security is an important national objective for Uganda.
This is even more critical given the dreaded and yet
expected adverse impact of climate change and the
increasing unsustainable exploitation of land rendering
it infertile 69 .
5.3.4 Planting seedlings and materials
Insufficient planting materials have made it difficult for
the promotion of food security in the community and
among PLHA households. Almost all the small farmers
in the north depend on planting materials distributed
by NGOs, NAADS etc., operating in the area. This
creates competition and commonly, it is PLHA who
miss out hence compounding their food insecurity
problem.
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