Food Rights Alliance

Tag: Uganda

  • The Kampala CAADP Summit: A New Era For Women’s Leadership in Agriculture

    The Kampala CAADP Summit: A New Era For Women’s Leadership in Agriculture

    By Amanya Julian

    The Food Rights Alliance (FRA), Action Against Hunger, and other Women-led Organizations call for a movement where women and girls take the lead in combating hunger and malnutrition to achieve the milestones set by the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

    This was emphasized during a side event session at the CAADP Kampala Summit, titled “Gender Justice to Enhance the Resilience of Women Leading Against Hunger and Malnutrition.” Key stakeholders highlighted the critical role women play in Agrifood transformation, focusing on addressing structural imbalances that hinder women’s participation in leadership across agrifood systems. The session explored how women’s leadership is essential in strengthening Agri-food systems and identified opportunities to enhance their resilience in the fight against hunger and malnutrition.

    FRA has been working closely with partners to develop strategies that enhance women’s leadership in the Agrifood system.

    A Turning Point for CAADP

    The Extraordinary Summit held in Kampala in January 2025 marked a significant turning point in CAADP’s history. For the first time, the program has taken a deliberate approach to addressing critical issues affecting women in agriculture. This shift reflects CAADP’s commitment to inclusivity and equitable livelihoods, recognizing women’s vital role in African agriculture and the systemic barriers that hinder their progress.

    Key Stakeholders and Discussions

    Distinguished speakers at the session included H.E. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, former Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission; Dr. Ruth Aisha Kasolo, GROW Project Coordinator at the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU); and Ms. Lovin Kobusingye, President of the Women Fish Processors and Exporters Association. The session was also graced by H.E. Jakaya Kikwete, former President of Tanzania.

    In her opening remarks, Ms. Agnes Kirabo, Executive Director of FRA, emphasized the importance of moving beyond rhetoric to practical action in decision-making.

    “It is public knowledge that women provide over 70% of the labor in the agrifood system. However, they face significant challenges in accessing production resources, earn low wages, and have limited access to lucrative markets. Women in agrifood systems are not seeking sympathy but solutions. They demand equity and justice to receive their fair share of entitlements.”

    Ms. Kirabo called for economic, psychological, emotional, technological, political, and social empowerment of women and girls, recognizing their leadership as essential for inclusive agrifood systems.

    H.E. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime commended FRA and its partners for promoting gender and social justice in the agricultural sector.

    “I would like to thank the Food Rights Alliance and partners for advancing gender and social justice in the agriculture sector and ensuring that discussions like these remain alive and high on the agenda for African countries.”

    She emphasized the significant imbalance between women’s contributions to agrifood systems and their decision-making power. She urged African countries to adopt and enforce legal frameworks that promote gender parity in the sector.

    Read Also: https://fra.ug/stakeholders-call-for-continental-action-toward-strengthening-food-system-governance-in-africa/

    Dr. Ruth Aisha Buyinzika Kasolo, GROW Project Coordinator at PSFU, shared insights on the GROW Project, an innovative financing scheme for women in agrifood systems. She highlighted the increasing demand among women for financing beyond microloans, as many are scaling up their businesses and require more capital.

    “Across 125 branches of five participating banks, over 1,843 women accessed loans within three months, demonstrating the high demand. However, collateral requirements remain a major barrier, as many women must rely on their husbands for financial support.”

    She called for guarantee schemes to help women secure loans without collateral, particularly in agriculture and value-addition sectors. Additionally, she emphasized the need for women-led businesses to formalize their operations, which would enhance their access to financing and investment opportunities.

    The discussions also highlighted the proactive efforts of women in transforming agrifood systems.

    “Women have formed groups and cooperatives to advocate for fairness and pool resources for their agribusinesses. Transparent access to resources and investment opportunities, especially in trade, must be prioritized to empower women entrepreneurs,” said Lovin Kobusingye.

    There was a strong call for stakeholders to actively engage with the new CAADP strategy and action plan, which will guide interventions over the next decade. Prioritizing the social and economic inclusion of women is essential to addressing poverty, hunger, and malnutrition in Africa.

    The Path Forward

    The discussions underscored the urgency of empowering women and girls to lead Africa’s agrifood transformation. Given their substantial contribution of labor to the sector, financial and economic empowerment is crucial for advancing Africa’s food systems. However, if systemic barriers persist, realizing this vision will remain a challenge.

    The Food Rights Alliance remains committed to promoting inclusivity and strengthening women’s resilience within agrifood systems through initiatives like the RECOP program. By providing women with the necessary resources and opportunities, FRA continues to champion women’s empowerment, enabling them to spearhead the fight against hunger and malnutrition.

    Achieving a resilient agrifood system in Africa is only possible if the majority of actors—women—are made more resilient to the challenges of exclusion. Strengthening their leadership and ensuring equitable access to resources will be key to transforming agrifood systems and securing Africa’s food future.

  • Uganda Faces Systemic Challenges in the Fight Against Hunger, Says Food Rights Alliance Executive Director

    Uganda Faces Systemic Challenges in the Fight Against Hunger, Says Food Rights Alliance Executive Director

    Kampala, Uganda – December 5, 2024

    At the launch of the 2024 Global Hunger Index in Uganda, held at Fairway Hotel under the theme “How Gender Justice Can Advance Climate Resilience and Zero Hunger,” Ms. Agnes Kirabo, the Executive Director of Food Rights Alliance and Chairperson of the SUN Civil Society Network Uganda, delivered a sobering analysis of the persistent hunger crisis in the country.

    As a panelist at the event, Ms. Kirabo was asked to address the challenges Uganda faces in combating hunger, which remains a pressing issue.

    In her response, she warned: “Hunger will persist. If we think we are going to throw interventions here and there and scatter them without addressing the systematic and structural challenges leading to inequality that are breeding poverty, we are widening the gap between the haves and have-nots.”

    She highlighted a stark reality based on statistics presented from the Global Hunger Index 2024 and #UDHS2022 report:

    “The beauty about hunger and malnutrition, sometimes it becomes an equalizer. The poor are undernourished, and the rich are becoming obese and overweight.”

    Ms. Kirabo described the findings as evidence of collective inaction.

    “At the end of the day, we are all going back on the track of ignoring or refusing to take action. Ladies and gentlemen, this report and statistics presented here are only demonstrating the total failure of our generation to address the basic humanity. If we cannot win this war of hunger and malnutrition, which war shall we stand up to be counted that we actually fought?”

    She called for deliberate action, stressing the need to adapt food production and preparation methods to modern realities.

    “Food will never be produced as it was; it will no longer be prepared using a whole bundle of firewood glowing between the cooking stones. We are not going to achieve it when women still walk miles to bring food, water, and firewood while the haves-not are running miles because of what they ate. We are not going to win the war.”

    Ms. Kirabo urged collective responsibility and accountability in addressing inequality and supporting the vulnerable.

    “It is our duty and responsibility, and we must be committed to ensure that inequality is addressed, resources are allocated, and accountability is upheld. Why are all resources going to Karamoja, and yet we still look at grass?”

    Her remarks also emphasized the role of women in combating hunger and poverty.

    “When you support a woman, you are supporting a household, a community, a society, a wealthier and healthier nation – and it is possible.”

    The event underscored the urgent need for systemic changes to tackle hunger, malnutrition, climate change and inequality in Uganda, calling on stakeholders to take decisive and coordinated action.