Norway partners with FAO and WFP to support farmers in Uganda affected by the climate crisis
KAMPALA – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have welcomed a contribution of US$4.7 million from Norway to jointly implement programmes which increase climate resilience and improve food and nutrition security for 8,000 families in the Teso sub-region of eastern Uganda.
The programme, “Building Climate-Resilience for Food and Nutrition Security of Smallholder Farming Households in Teso Sub-Region in Uganda,” will prioritise female-headed families in the Kaberamaido and Katakwi Districts of Teso.
“Teso is a highly vulnerable area, and without urgent interventions that will make a long-term difference in peoples’ lives, the people will continue to suffer high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition. We know that in FAO and WFP, we have partners who are experienced and committed to provide the assistance needed,” said Elin Ostebo Johansen, Norway’s Ambassador to Uganda.
Consecutive poor and below-average seasonal food harvests and livestock production, exacerbated by conflict, rising food prices, crop pests and diseases, have caused widespread food insecurity in Teso. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Analysis (IPC), an estimated 30 percent of the population of Teso (625,000 people) experienced crisis levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) between June and August 2022.
“The Teso sub-region is among the most critically vulnerable to climate change and it is anticipated that the frequency of heavy rainfall will increase, escalating the risk of floods and landslides”, said Antonio Querido, FAO Representative in Uganda. “In addition, the agricultural production systems in Teso sub-region are evolving from historical pastoral systems to settled crop-livestock production systems. This greatly exposes the area to extreme vagaries of climate and environmental degradation. The project will use the farmer field school methodology to bring extension services closer to farmers and demonstrate climate-smart agriculture practices to foster adoption and build the resilience of farmers to the effects of climate change”, he added.
The joint programmes will focus on; strengthening food systems by improving the technical capacities of national and local governments to respond to food insecurity and climate shocks; preventing acute malnutrition among young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women by improved access to nutritious foods and through social behaviour change communication; increasing farmer incomes by reducing post-harvest losses and improving market linkages; climate adaptation techniques such as the introduction of drought-tolerant crops and implementing sustainable land management practices.
“Climate-related disasters such as droughts and floods, compounded by conflict, poverty, rising costs of food and energy and crop and livestock diseases have left hundreds of thousands hungry in eastern Uganda, said Abdirahman Meygag,” WFP’s Country Director in Uganda. “It is critical that we all come together to implement long-term solutions to tackle chronic food insecurity in the region by building the capacity of both farmers and government to cope with a changing climate.”
Note to editors:
About FAO: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international effort to defeat hunger. FAO’s goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that all people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
About WFP: The World Food Programme is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.