Food Rights Alliance

Category: Press Releases

  • ICT the untapped potential to draw the youth back into agriculture

    By Matilda Nakawungu

    Photo Credit: Internet

    A lot in agriculture has changed over the years and with these changes has come a radical decline in youth engagement in this sector. Rural life is often not attractive or easy for young people in developing countries and agriculture holds little appeal to most. Given Uganda’s ever increasing population and the constantly growing unemployment levels among the youth, there is a pressing need to turn agriculture into a more appealing venture.

    The big question is, how do we get the youth to see a career in agriculture not as a thing for the ‘old folk’ or a last resort for survival, but as a promising and rewarding career choice?

    In recent decades, technology has had a growing impact on development. In a country where the largest economic sector and the base for development is agriculture, there is need to realize the necessity of agricultural mechanization and technology transfer in improving food security, and increasing production for domestic and export markets. But while youth have shown an increasing lack of interest in agriculture; Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have taken a strong hold in this demographic. Can this interest in technological developments be taken advantage of to reverse the youth interest trend?

    Analysts have shown that by 2025, half of Africa’s 1 billion population will have internet access with about 360 million smartphones on the continent. From these statistics, they estimate that internet technology could increase annual agricultural productivity in Africa by $3 billion a year. In Uganda, at least one out of every five youth own or have access to a mobile phone. And as more and more youth are becoming tech savvy, innovations are on the rise with apps developed every other day to ease the life of the modern farmer in Africa. One gateway could be to tap into the youth’s ICT enthusiasm and make use of the existing technology infrastructure. Take a moment and envision how extensively information could be transmitted across farming communities if agricultural advisory information was disseminated through phone applications or even simple SMS messages.

    For instance, Ugandan farmers have had first-hand experience of the impact of climate change with erratic weather patterns threatening their crop production and seasonality continuing to permeate rural livelihoods. However, there are a vast number of mobile phone applications that can provide a farmer with relatively dependable information – say weather forecasts- that can guide their farming. Other applications such as the FarmerConnect deliver personalized agricultural extension services and text or audio information in local languages to farmers who otherwise have no access to traditional sources of agricultural information. Also, on the market are those that have been designed specifically for youth. One such app is the Farming Instructor that provides online and offline agricultural information. This application in particular was created to inspire youth to have passion to engage in agriculture as a means of self-employment. Another advantage with such an application is that it allows for peer learning by providing a platform for users to share experiences, tips and advice. These and many more ICT tools available at our finger tips could make a significant difference in the lives of smallholder farmers at a very low cost.

    For a country where 58% of its population is not working for reasons other than pursuing studies, it is clear that we need to make better use of the productive resources available to create more employment. It’s good to remember that agriculture is not only about getting down to the hoe and earth business, but that there are countless opportunities along the production chain.

    If organized youth groups were supported to access mobile phone applications that provide market information, they could join the value chain in their home villages by identifying available markets, purchasing the produce at farm-gate price from the smallholder farmers and selling it to the available markets at a profit. This way both the youth and the farmer benefit from this innovation.

    Aside from mobile phone technology, another innovation that can greatly support agriculture across the country is the creation of a publicly accessible agricultural zoning database. The accessibility of clear information on agricultural zoning could guide the youth and other farmers in making informed decisions on what to grow and where. This could also remedy the frustrations of farmers who through government programs receive farm inputs (seeds/seedlings) that do not grow well in their areas, or those that the farmers have no knowledge or interest in growing.

    The youth are the thread that holds together the fabric of the economy. The future of agriculture rests on them and as such, it is imperative to draw them back into the sector. The time is ripe for ICT to take a front seat in agriculture.

  • Fund Raising Is Friend Raising

    By Lucky Brian Wamboka

    Fund Raising Is Friend RaisingWhen searching for funds, just as when making friends the foremost goal is to draw in people from the larger cosmos to the periphery of one’s interest group. It also requires bringing those at the outer levels of your circle closer to the centre where a greater level of participation and commitment- financial and non-financial- can be expected. Fund raising as with friend-raising emphasises the development and nurturing of relationship both within and outside the immediate spheres of influence.

    This time round, the FRA Secretariat started the New Year with a residential training on resource mobilisation for BOD members and Secretariat staff. Facilitated by Mr. Chris Charles Oyua a consulting expert in organizational Development and programme Management, the training equipped the BOD and staff with requisite knowledge and skills in raising and managing financial and non-financial resources to enhance organizational sustainability.

    The training was made possible by the financial support from the US Alliance to End Hunger under the NAPP project. The NAPPis a unique project that enhances FRA’s institutional, financial and organizational capacity through a great number of initiatives. It also targets to strengthen the organization’s membership and its capacity to undertake programmatic work.

    At the start of the retreat, one key expectation of the participants was to understand principles of resource management and learn the winning skills in resource mobilisation.As such, it was key for both staff and BOD to understand the conceptual framework of fundraising and resource mobilization and have the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively and sustainably manage financial and non-financial resources towards FRA’s desired goals.

    One of the foremost and most crucial phases of resource mobilization is determining whether a prospective individual or organization would make a good donor and to do this, these 3Cs need to be checked; Connection, Capability and Concern.

    Let’s start with Connection. Even before approaching the donor one needs to establish whatkind of relationship the prospective donorhas with the organization or an individual working with the organization. The organization needs to send out someone who is most likely to be received warmly by the prospect. A member of the BOD or the management team; or even a staff with an acquaintance with the prospective donor might have a higher chance of “friend-raising” than the fund raising department.

    Secondly is the Capability. The organization needs to establish the ability of the prospective donorto fund the organization’s cause. At times the donor in mind might not have the financial capacity to fund the cause but they could support the organization in identifying and securing funds from another source.

    And thirdly is Concern. It is essential to know what your prospective donor’s values and interests are. The organization needs to assess if these values and interests are aligned with those of the organization. It also needs to weigh the donor’s willingness to genuinely care about the welfare of the organization and its beneficiaries.

    To end with, for successful “friend-raising”an organization has to build an appealing brand. Its vision and values are key aspects to consider while branding the organization. Branding involves creating a unique name and image in the mind of key stakeholders and the public mainly through providing consistent quality in whatever it does. Aim to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market and your organization will attract and retain loyal resource holders and stakeholders; and also enable the organization to stand out from other organisations with similar causes. IT IS NOT THE PROJECT IDEA ALONE BUT ALSO FRIEND RAISING.

  • Meet Janet, one of FRA's model farmers in Soroti

    Life storyAt 50, Janet Ilonya is one of the most inspiring stories from Asuret Sub County, located just outside of Soroti District. Janet joined FRA’s group of model farmers over a year ago to pilot the FRA/IDF farm planning model. Since then, Janet has never looked back. As required by this programme, Janet illustrated two sets of planning. She put to paper a pictorial of her current and desired farm plans, keeping in mind principles from the farm-plan model. Following the adoption of the farm planning system, Janet’s farming practices are thriving. During our latest visit to Asuret, we had the privilege of visiting Janet’s home and subsequently her farm.

    In 2015, FRA contracted a consultant to determine Janet’s and seven other model farmers’ land size, soil profile and availability of other natural resources as these may influence the farmers’ farming activities. Upon assessment of Janet’s land, it was realised that the current positioning of her garden was not suitable for farming as the soil was rocky, infertile and lacking of necessary nutrients for farming. Ironically, the land upon which Janet had built her house was found to be the most fertile and suitable for cultivation. She was advised to move her house.

    During our visit to Janet’s garden 6 months later to document her progress, we were shocked to discover that Janet hadn’t only taken the advice to heart, but to practice. With the piece of information she gathered from the consultant, Janet broke down and rebuilt her home on the rocky area, leaving the area that once held her home, to be her garden. Janet stated during our visit that she has never looked back since.

    Today Janet plants citrus, cassava, potatoes, green vegetables, simsim, groundnuts, maize, and sorghum in her planned garden. Among these, she sells simsim, groundnuts, maize, and citrus, and saves the cassava, potatoes, maize and sorghum for household food consumption. Among the benefits Janet identified since she started using the farm planning methods, was the reduction in food Life story2wastage by her family. As Janet recounted that before, her family used to harvest and store food with no system for separating what to sell and what to eat. This she noted, often led to food going bad in the store which they would eventually throw away.

    “Farm planning helped me plan for the food I was producing. Now, we come out of the garden with a specific portion of food to sell and to eat” she said.

    However, Janet’s jones has not been all roses. She has come across a number of challenges among which reported werefloods during the rainy season coupled with prolonged drought during the dry season. This she says has ultimately led to food loss as most of her small vegetables have dried up due to the lack of water in the extreme dry weather. However, through the farm planning system, Janet is determined to see her family out of poverty and food insecurity. Janet has a vision of constructing a bigger store in her homestead specifically for storing her produce for sale.

  • THE RUN FOR THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EXTENTION POLICY IN UGANDA

    THE RUN FOR THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EXTENTION POLICY IN UGANDA2Three-quarters of the world’s poorest billion people live in rural areas, and majority depend on agriculture for their livelihoods and survival. Encouraging the growth of the agricultural sector is therefore one of the most effective ways of tackling poverty and reducing hunger and malnutrition. In Uganda, the Agricultural sector is very key in the national economy. Rural livelihood and the food security of Ugandans all depend on this sector. As the backbone of Uganda’s economy, agriculture accounts for over 75% of total employment, over 26% of the GDP, and 45% of foreign exchange earnings. It also provides the basis for growth in other sectors such as manufacturing and the related services industry.

    Agricultural extension is of paramount importance in the agricultural sector and rural development in general. There has been much debate in Uganda over the last fifteen years about the appropriate approach, coverage, and performance of the agricultural extension system. This debate has taken place within the evolving context of the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) programme, an extension delivery approach that targeted the development and use of farmer institutions; and the Single Spine Extension System.

    In Teso sub region, agriculture is the predominate source of livelihood for the estimated population of about 2.5 million people in the region. However, this region which exemplifies legacies of unacknowledged conflict and human rights violations is still devastated economically and socially. In addition, the region is prone to adverse climate related disasters which have resulted in strong seasonal and annual variation in production.

    Although majority of the people in this region depend on agriculture, extension services are scarce or non-existent in some places. Since2012,, members of the Non-State Actors Working Group on Agricultural Extension have been holding a campaign aimed at ensuring that the AEAS Policy reforms bring about an effective, efficient and inclusive Agricultural Extension Service Delivery System.

    In February 2016 with support from Food Rights Alliance, Trocaire and Trust Africa Foundation, the group held a consultative meeting in Teso Region to solicit views from a broad range of stakeholders to define how extension service delivery in the country should be modelled and delivered to improve the livelihoods of farmers and increase availability of food.

    During the consultation, the people of Teso region accentuated the core issues of financing of the Agriculture Extension; the delivery mechanisms and the managing of institutional linkages of the MAAIF policy framework. They stressed that the policy should place emphasis on linkages with agricultural research and an input distribution system The farmers in Teso are envisaging a “supper Extensionist” meaning one who is fullu fledged to provide them with all round basic support before calling a subject matter specialist. In addition communities being agro pastoral subscribe to the principle of communual access to extension services especially for animal pest and disease control.

    Just like Teso, the rest of Uganda needs a functional, effective and efficient extension system. Government will need to show commitment to develop a viable and efficient Agriculture extension system by starting with the development of human capital to deliver extension services to farmers. Additionally, all stakeholders in the sector should exercise mutual accountability and joint action to realise effective implementation of the policy.

    By Hilda Nabakooza
    FRA Project Officer

  • The Salient fundamental linkages between child trafficking and Food Security: The Case of Teso Region

    By Regina Kayoyo, Emily Kennedy

    The Salient fundamental linkages between child trafficking and Food Security The Case of Teso RegionA lot of research has been undertaken on the causes behind child trafficking and food insecurity. However, little or none has delved into the possible relationship these two could have with each other. Identification of the different forms of trafficking has to a large extent dominated and held captive the biggest percentage of research into this heinous, highly lucrative trade, with little or no diversion to investigate the role ‘food insecurity in the household’ has to play as a push factor in the promotion of human trafficking.

    By definition, trafficking of children is the “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of children for the purpose of exploitation.” In Uganda, this phenomenon has remained largely abstract as many have chocked it down to being non-existent, yet, according to the United Nations global report (UNODC, 2014), there is a continued increase in the number of detected child victims (increase by 5%), particularly for girls under 18 years. Katakwi and Soroti districts were in 2010 identified as sources of, transit and destination points for child trafficking within Uganda and across the borders of the country (Ujeo, 2010).
    The general lack of awareness among the population on matters regarding child trafficking coupled with its complex nature (push and pull factors) has created an attitude of complacency towards this issue in the country.

    Although the Eastern region wasreported to havehad a positive food balance, some districts such as Soroti were considered exceptions that were experiencing food stress surviving on one or two meals a day with a low and deteriorating dietary diversity.

    Driven by the information gap on the dimension of food insecurity as a push factor in the causes of child trafficking, Food Rights Alliance in collaboration with War on Want Northern Ireland , SORUDA and WeDA our grassroot partners with funding from the Independent Development Fund sponsored a research study aimed to link the presence of food insecurity to the occurrence of child trafficking in the Teso Region.

    The research was conducted with three categories of households. These were households with previous cases of child transfer, those at the risk of transfer and those that had been recipients of a transferred child. From group discussions held, community members indicated majority of the families in Soroti had transferred children and most of those in Katakwi had been on the receiving end.

    While the report is still in its final phase, the evidence collected within the study indicates that there is a link between these two troubling aspects. The increased pressure placed on the household when food supplies are limited has left many parents in the region looking for alternative ways to care for their children. While most of the individuals interviewed in the process indicated that children were sent to other family members, there were other accounts of the child’s willingness to leave in search of a perceptively better life. In some instances, the childrenare sent out on a daily basis to work for food. And although sometimes this works to the child’s benefit, other times the outcomes aren’t so kind with reports of abuse and early marriages. Because the children provide labour out of the home in exchange for food, they are likely to keep moving from home to home, making them vulnerable to trafficking.

    Under conditions of low food availability in a household, adults and children are usually affected in different ways, it is however, unfortunate to note that although food shortage is generally reported as a key driver to child transfers, there are no specific efforts or interventions in Katakwi and Soroti Districts that are addressing the problem of child trafficking with a close link to food insecurity. It is imperative that programs be designed and implemented in a multi-sectorial manner to address these problems. This thus calls for partners working in areas of food security and child protection programmes- that have often worked in different silos- to pull their resources together and harmonize solutions to help mitigate the vulnerability of our nation’s children to this trade.

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  • Uganda's Power to Act in the Fight Against Climate Change

    youthOn 17 June 2016, OXFAM and Climate Action Network – Uganda (CAN-U) hosted a Youth Climate Change and Gender Parity Workshop titled, “Accelerating Young People’s Leadership to Take Action on Climate Change.” The daylong convention took a particular focus on Uganda’s role in combatting climate change on a global scale, along with what implications climate change will have on the country.Climate Change Department Director Chebut Maikut spoke about Uganda’s contribution to climate change on a global scale along with monetary valuation of the impacts. Although some countries precipitate climate change more than others, the effects of global warming are something that we all experience, may have even witnessed in our lifetimes, and we should all be held accountable for the changes. Countries, particularly in the West, whom have relied on industrialisation, emission of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), and pollution for their development act as the largest contributors with generally resilient economies in comparison to those of the developing world.

    On a global scale, Uganda as a country is one of the lowest contributors of GHGs, being responsible for an approximate 0.01% figure of total global GHG contributions. Yet, the country is one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It is predicted that the incoming effects of climate change will impact four main sectors, which act as key contributors to Uganda’s development: water, energy, infrastructure, and agriculture. Commissioning the costs of climate change has started: adapting these four sectors within the next four years will cost $406 million US dollars. Remaining docile to the impacts of climate change can lead up to losses of $5.9 billion US dollars per year up until 2025.

    youth5With agriculture as the backbone to Uganda’s economy, is it crucial that Uganda, along with large global emitters of GHGs, provide mitigating solutions which allow Uganda to overcome obstacles in agricultural sector development, the earning of modest livelihoods for all, and national achievement of Vision 2040. As other countries have done for their growth, Uganda should not be pressured to stop the similar fashion. This industrialisation, however, should prioritize sustainable development in order to effectively sustain a progressive future. The question of reducing climate change impacts while contributing to the overall socioeconomic wellbeing of Ugandans came about through the concern of accomplishing Vision 2040.

    Solutions mitigating global warming while contributing to socioeconomic success were discussed from a number of representatives. Creation Energy Representative James Kakeeto spoke about using waste business to benefit the country financially, especially through the reduction of pollution, creation of jobs and wealth, and sustaining of resources through briquette businesses. Skilling youth in “green jobs” (jobs in which contribute to assisting the environment) to provide mitigation-based and adaptation-based solutions was granted by Dr. Dick M. Kamugasha of Uganda Industrial Research Institute.

    Turning challenges into opportunities for Uganda’s development includes developing energy efficient technologies, renewable energy solutions, environmentally sustainable products, conversion of waste-to-energy, recycling of waste into products, and new-age agricultural technologies. youth3All of these solutions would be conducive to Uganda’s “green revolution” which requires specialized skills training to support related enterprise development, particularly for youth and women, who are amongst the most affected of the demographics to climate change.

    Innovation and skills development are answers to providing market opportunities, job and wealth creation, and enterprises for youth through the challenges of climate change. A plenary discussion in the end concluded with numerous audience members emphasizing that unless the causes and consequences of climate change are addressed immediately, the youth of today and tomorrow might be effectively absent from participating productively in society. This, in turn, could have a serious implication on the country’s development in the long term.

    By Emily Sousa
    FRA Intern

  • CSO Post-Budget Dialogue 2016

    pbd3On 16th June 2016, CSBAG organized a post budget Dialogue that involved putting the 2016/2017 budget of shs. 26.3 Trillion into Context that will deliver the desirable quality services to the citizens as announced in the national budget speech FY 2016/2017 by the finance minister Matia kasaija on 8th June 2016. This brought together various CSOs, NSAs, private sector, media, farmers and other stakeholders at UMA Conference Hall Lugogo.

    The participants presented on some of their achievements as NSAs in influencing the budget FY 2016/17 where they pointed out that there was at least an increase on the allocation of funds to the agricultural sector by 65% as they had suggested in the budget consultative meetings held, engaged the government on the financial management act, the government increased the engagement of citizens and CSOs in the consultative budget meetings. In addition they also pointed out areas that need to be improved for example tax management areas through continuous assessments, government stopping domestic borrowing since it has the capacity to face the World Bank, IMF and other international banks to get credit so as to reduce on the high interest rates that will encourage the private sector to acquire credit from these banks, supplementary budgeting should be avoided by the government it’s a sign of poor planning unless there disasters.

    Mr. Kenneth Mugabe the Director Budget Ministry of Finance and Economic Development presented on the opportunities of implementing the FY 2016/17 budget in achieving quality service delivery and the challenges where he pointed out an improvement on the budget allocation especially on the education, agricultural and health sectors. The main aim is to enhance productivity for job creation for example in the agricultural sector the opportunities include the provision of improved breeding, planting materials and pesticides, construction of irrigation infrastructure, financing commodity storage through the Agricultural credit facility, establish an Agricultural insurance scheme to reduce on risks, enhanced stakeholder collaboration especially CSOs and NSAs to promote better service delivery and others which aim at promoting sustainability in the agricultural sector.

    pbd1Some of the challenges include trade deficit, high interest rates in commercial banks that discourage the private sector from accessing credit or loans for investment purposes, corruption and weak public investment management for project identification, formulation, implementation and evaluation, poor coordination, monitoring and supervision and lastly technological challenges.

    In the participants concluding remarks, in order for the government financing and expenditure options to effectively and efficiently enhance the socio-economic transformation through providing quality services to the citizens, there’s need for increased budget monitoring, transparency and accountability to fight corruption through re-appointing and removal of accounting officers who fail to account for the public funds.

    There is also need for increased collaboration with the stakeholders for example CSOs and NSAs in service delivery, increased inspection and supervision in all sectors, support to private sector growth through increased access to capital, capacity building and the promotion of the local content, domestic borrowing from the local commercial banks in Uganda should be totally pbd5reduced by the government so as to reduce on the competition with the private sector which in the end will lower the interest rates and will attract more investors to acquire credit for investment.

    Additionally, the agricultural budget is fair but more emphasis should be put on value addition on our agricultural products and as citizens of Uganda and much more better services can be delivered as the government and the CSOs continue working together in the budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation processes.

    By Lillian Nyangoma
    FRA Intern

  • Environmental Leadership: Youth in Action

    youth6“The issue of climate change is now the worst threat facing humanity,” declared Chebet Maikut, Commissioner from the Climate Change Department, at a youth workshop on Thursday, June 16. The theme of the event, organized by Oxfam and Climate Action Network Uganda, was “Accelerating young people’s leadership in the fight against climate change,” with a focus on gender equity. As Mr. Maikut pointed out, Uganda is already suffering the dramatic effects of global warming, but every smog cloud has a silver lining. The workshop featured several young leaders who shared their green innovations and encouraged their fellows to start their own eco-friendly ventures.

    James Kakeeto, CEO of Creation Energy, has taken two problems – that Kampala alone generates 800 tonnes of waste every day; and that energy production and use are huge contributors to greenhouse gases, which are causing climate change – and he has tapped into the vast potential he sees for clean, sustainable, low-carbon energy from waste. His business transforms garbage into briquettes for cooking and heating, which last longer and generate less smoke than charcoal. Organic waste can also be turned into low-emissions biofuels for automobiles and generators, and can produce biogas including methane and carbon dioxide.

    Another technology presented at the workshop was the vermiculite eco-stove. More than 3 billion people worldwide cook on open fires or with charcoal, which is extremely damaging to both the environment and human health: over four million people die every year from illnesses attributable to indoor smoke inhalation. Cutting trees for firewood contributes to deforestation, which is happening at an alarming rate in Uganda. By using improved cook-stoves instead, a single bag of charcoal can last a family of 5 or 6 for six months. Consequently, women do not need to spend as much time looking for firewood or cooking, and children do not need to miss school to help them.

    youth1These are the kinds of business ideas that the Uganda Industrial Research Institute is looking for. The government institute supports entrepreneurs in technology who need specialized skills training or help with research and development to get their concepts off the ground. In the past, it has facilitated enterprises such as bioethanol and biogas production and smart solar dryers. Dr. Kamugasha, director of the institute’s Technology Development Centre, invited youth to contact or visit UIRI to open a dialogue and eventually develop a project proposal. Innovation and skills, he asserted, are the keys for turning climate change-related challenges into market opportunities for mitigation- and adaptation-based solutions.

    Starting environmentally-friendly businesses is only part of the solution: youth also need to engage in activism and demand real action on climate change, according to Colline Saabwe from Youth Plus Policy Network. He called for young Ugandans to hold the government responsible for the promises they made last December in Paris, when 177 states agreed to “holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.” Uganda signed the Paris Agreement on April 22, 2016 – Earth Day – although it will not enter into force until it has been ratified by 55 Parties accounting for at least 55% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

    Since youth, and particularly young women, are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, they must be leaders in the fight against it, many of the speakers at the Oxfam and CAN-U workshop emphasized. Whether through innovation, political activism, or changing one’s own lifestyle for a lighter environmental footprint, everyone has a part to play.

    By Vicky Coo
    FRA Intern

  • Leveraging Resources for Social Transformation: FRA Holds Reflections for Amuria and Ngora Local Level Leaders

    By Matilda Nakawungu

    Ngora LLLOn Tuesday 14th and Thursday 16th, FRA in partnership with War on Want NI efficaciously held reflection sessions for local level leaders in Ngora and Amuria districts. The full day sessions brought together local government officials from both the district government(s) and the two sub-counties of Mukura in Ngora and Wera in Amuria where FRA is implementing a project on leveraging local resources to transform the livelihood of vulnerable communities. Also in the sessions were a number of religious and cultural leaders.

    The sessions facilitated by the Deputy Chief Administration Officers (D CAO) of the respective districts, provided the participants with an opportunity to reflect on, and acquire a greater appreciation of their role in realising social transformation. The participants were guided through a reflection on the role of local government as stipulated in a number of legal instruments and policy frameworks, in addressing issues of women exclusion from access, control and ownership of productive resources, and also issues of hunger, malnutrition and poverty. Some of the legal instruments reflected on included the Constitution of Uganda, the Local Government Act, the National Agricultural Extension Policy draft, the National Land Policy and the Finance Management Act as amended.

    The local government leaders together with the religious and cultural leaders discussed and shared initiatives that their offices/departments, the local government and other stakeholders had undertaken to address these issues in their district(s). They also shared challenges they have encountered in addressing these issues, and provided recommendations on how to go about these.  The participants also explored the role religious and cultural leaders can play particularly in creating awareness and in mobilizing at the grassroots.

    Ngoralll2At the end of each of the two interactive and edifying sessions, the leaders drew up action plans for further interventions that they committed to undertake in effort to address these issues. A few of the commitments made included: the Ngora district chairman’s commitment to expedite the gazetting and enforcement of the Ngora Food and Nutrition Ordinance;  Ngora Community Development Officer’s commitment together with FRA partner organization Morukakise Integrated Development Association (MIDA) to develop a registration template for all NGOs. This template will enable the district government capture all planned interventions of NGOs in the district and thus enable harmonization of NGO work plans with the District workplan to leverage resources.

    In Amuria, the leaders committed to ensure continuous capacity building of local government leaders and cultural leaders on their roles and responsibilities in development; and to developing and enforcing bye laws and ordinances to address women exclusion from resources, poverty, hunger and malnutrition. Among these is the development of the Amuria Food and Nutrition Ordinance. The Local level leaders in Amuria also committed to conducting civic education on duties of citizens; retooling elected and appointed leaders with key government laws, policies and program documents; and providing citizens with copies of the constitution translated in the local language and other provisions of the law.

    Ngoralll1Since women’s exclusion in the two districts is greatly entrenched in the political, economic, cultural, social and institutional contexts, it was vital for leaders to address this issue from all fonts. As such, the cultural and religious leaders also committed to play their role in sensitizing the public on the importance of women inclusion in household development and community development programs.

    Providing this platform for the district leadership to look back and plan for their next move might not be FRA’s ultimate contribution to social transformation in Amuria and Ngora districts, but it clearly was a right step in the right direction.

  • CSOs Hold Post Budget Dialogue 2016

    By Lucky Brian Wamboka

    On Thursday 16 June 2016, CSOs under the leadership of CSBAG held a Post Budget Dialogue at UMA Conference Hall. Following the National Budget speech read on 8th June 2016 for FY 2016/17, CSBAG in partnership with FRA, SEATINI, Trocaire, ESAFF, PELUM, UKaid, FOWODE, USAID, WaterAid and ISER organized a Post Budget Dialogue to convene citizens and assess Government performance in achieving quality service delivery in FY 2015/16 as well as interrogate the ability of the FY 2016/17 Government financing and expenditure options to effectively and efficiently enhance socio-economic transformation.

    The event was attended by representatives from the Civil Society, Ministry of Finance, private sector, and media. Also to include development partners and farmers. To involve the public to share their views online, the first two sessions of the dialogue were broadcasted live on NTV Uganda and viewers were given an opportunity to contribute via the NTV twitter handle #UGBudget2016.

    Noting that the National Budget is a tool that defines resource mobilization, resource allocation and resource utilization, these are aspects key concerns for the Non State Actors that need more consideration as they undertake advocacy activities. Upon this, CSBAG Coordinator   Mr. Julius Mukunda in his remarks noted that CSBAG on behalf of CSOs has ably engaged the government vigorously and there have been some achievements like increase in the budget allocation for the Agricultural sector, influencing the president not to assent to the Income Tax Bill, engaged on the Public Finance Act and influenced the parliament. The government was able to open more space for CSOs to engage in the government processes and for the first time in history, Mr. Julius noted that CSOs were co-opted in all the regional consultations regarding the budget process.

    pbdgHowever, some of the outstanding issues that CSOs need to consider and influence the government include advocating for: increased tax assessment, enforcement of tax payment and addressing tax evasion, strengthening performance contracts, minimized internal borrowing, effective cost public administration, awareness creation on who to hold responsible under the OWC regarding the distribution of fake inputs and minimized supplementary budgets which antagonize the whole budget process.

    The key note speaker Mr. Fred Muhumuza presented that this year’s budget may not deliver basing on the concerns he raised on each of the sector performance for last FY2015/16. Under the Agricultural sector, productivity has declined due to inadequate support provided to farmers by the extensionists. He recommended that, “more funds need to be allocated to the sector to realize increased productivity in tea, coffee, fish and milk production.” Furthermore, the other key concern raised was about the establishment of the cooperative bank that was highlighted in the 2014/15 budget speech and it has never been put in place.

    The Director Budget from the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Kenneth Mugambe highlighted that some of the challenges faced are lack of a proper post harvesting strategy to minimized post harvesting losses, corruption where a lot of money is lost along the procurement process although measure have been put in place like decentralizing supervision and monitoring of funds. One of the Member of Parliament present Hon. Komakech Andrew raised an issue that there is a serious logic about the budget saying it will be affected by the size of Cabinet which is not reflective of the revenue that Uganda intends to generate.

    Mr. Julius Kapwepwe, the board chairperson, CSBAG while closing the dialogue recommended that CSOs should continue being consistent in their work and commended the government for the positive response towards their concerns. He pledged on behalf of CSBAG they will continue to encourage citizens at the local and also engage in local government forums and that the public will always be updated via online platforms. A bigger discussion is also to be opened on Non Tax Revenue to include money collected as penalty for road offenses and how it is spend.