German Humanitarian Aid Abroad - Channel Research

some form of food assistance due to the fact that harvests have not yet materialised and –
more importantly – that many areas of Karamoja are not suitable for agriculture.
Food security and ‘humanitarian agriculture’ in drylands
GTZ, Welthungerhilfe and the DRK are supporting basic forms of agriculture with seeds,
tools and training, notably through farmer field schools. As food is a strong pull- and stayfactor
for returning IDPs, all measures helping re-settled communities to gain food selfsufficiency
are highly relevant in the return areas of former IDPs in the Western and Central
parts of Northern Uganda. Some of the agricultural support is, however, provided in zones,
where agriculture is not reliable due to low rainfall in general and due to the increasing
unpredictability of rain as an effect of climate change. In addition to the questionable zoning
of agricultural support, the promoted methods of farming are not fully appropriate. Too little
emphasis is given to water-harvesting and water conservation practices and too little
emphasis is put on the integration of more drought-resistant tree crops. While currently
promoted methods of farming may well be successful in an exceptionally wet year like 2010,
in a ‘normal dry year’ harvest will stay well below the potential of properly implemented
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conservation farming.
The integration of livestock into food security projects to buffer harvest failures of (annual)
crops was generally unsatisfactory. However, the evaluation team acknowledges the
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challenges involved in integrating livestock in emergency and rehabilitation projects as well
as the immense problems in Karamoja where livestock exposes owners to attacks of cattle
rustlers.
“… one good harvest is not food security …”
In the Western and Central Northern Uganda, agriculture is basically the only means for an
immediate recovery of livelihoods for the vast majority of returning IDPs. In Karamoja Subregion,
only limited areas are viable for agriculture, notably in the so-called greenbelt,
stretching north-south between Katakwi and Moroto and the eastern part of the sub-region.
The biggest threat to agriculture across Northern Uganda has (increasingly) been the
unreliability – if not total failure – of rainfall.
The large-scale distributions of seeds, cassava-cuttings, and tools are important
interventions to kick-start food production, and, eventually, food self-reliance. The selection
of seeds rightly puts emphasis on drought-resistant crops such as sorghum and millet. The
threat of harvest failure was much higher where cassava, groundnuts, sweet potatoes,
maize, and vegetables are used. In three technical areas, the ‘humanitarian agriculture’
interventions remain unsatisfactory:
• Water conservation techniques, for example through micro-catchments, contour lines,
zero-tilling or mulch cover has nowhere been observed in demonstration plots or on
fields of beneficiaries;
• Diversification of crops in view of flood- and drought-induced crop failures, especially
through integration of drought resistant trees (fruits, fodder, firewood, raw material for
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charcoal) have – with exceptions – not received the necessary attention,
77 See www.conservationfarming.co.za for an introduction to conservation farming
78 There is, however, relevant guidelines and standards available for this type of interventions (LEGS
2009)
79 Government official in one of the visited districts.
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