FAO donates agricultural inputs to refugees in Kiryandongo, Adjumani and Arua settlement camps.
The move is aimed at boosting food production and improving livelihoods among refugees
Over 42,400 Refugees and host communities (30%) in Kiryandongo, Adjumani and Rhino refugee settlements in Uganda have received agriculture inputs to boost food production and reduce reliance on food aid.
The donation is part of the Emergency Agricultural Livelihoods support project implemented by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations with funding from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund. This project targets 24 499 refugees, majorly South Sudanese, and 10 500 members of the host communities in North and Midwestern Uganda.
Refugees and host communities received agricultural inputs and support to livelihoods based on the enterprise selection conducted at the start of the project earlier this year. These included: livestock 960 local East African female goats and 48 boer bucks of 75% improved breed, 6 grinding mills, 53.2MT of assorted seed of staple crops (maize, beans and cowpeas), 1.47MT of assorted vegetable seeds (eggplants, kales and okra), 900 bags of sweet potato cuttings?, 900bags of cassava planting materials, and 4 000 planting hoes. These were distributed to 5 800 refugee and 2 000 host community households for individual household production and seed multiplication respectively. In addition, 23 000 kuroiler chicks, and 64 metric tonnes of starter and grower feeds, and 1 200 energy saving stoves were provided.
Other activities include training of about 2000 households on the construction of locally made energy saving stones while 35000 kuroiler chicks have been vaccinated against major poultry diseases.
The initiative is aimed at improving food, nutrition and income security of refugees and host communities by increasing sustainable production and productivity of crops and small ruminants and increasing use of energy saving technologies for environmental conservation among refugees.
Speaking at the handover in Kiryandongo Refugee settlement in Kiryandongo district, the Settlement Commandant Mr. Robert Baryamwesiga, urged the recipients to make good use of the inputs to improve their lives.
“We have seen cases where seeds and small animals like the ones being distributed have been eaten or sold before the objective is met. I will personally regularly monitor the groups that have received agricultural inputs to ensure they are being used to achieve the objectives,” reassured Mr. Baryamwesiga.
He also thanked FAO Uganda for the continued support to the refugees.
Some of the beneficiaries expressed their excitement saying that their hopes of owning domestic animals like goats had waned when they became refugees and left everything they owned in their country – South Sudan.
The seeds provided to refugees are of a short-maturing nature and can adapt to the natural conditions of the area. According to Mr. Oneka Joseph, the FAO Project Manager, micro-irrigation schemes for vegetable production have been designed to provide employment opportunities for the youth group members while at the same time addressing nutrition concerns by making available micronutrients and vitamins which are missing from the food aid rations.
“Through this project, we have also supported host communities through establishment of food security crop multiplication in the vicinity of the settlements to increase availability, diversity of food stock in and around refugee settlements as well as addressing their nutritional concerns,” he remarked.
The availability of, access to and consumption of adequate quantities of safe and good quality nutritious food is an important factor influencing nutritional status. To this end, FAO’s intervention will help the refugee population jump-start their own food production using the land they access in the refugee settlements, thus reducing their reliance on food aid. This is also hoped to increase availability of food among the refugee population, thus not only offering dietary diversity but also increasing dietary energy, animal protein, vitamins and micronutrients intake thus reducing under nutrition.