Acholi leaders want locals involved in massive production of food crops

PADER-Leaders from Acholi Sub-region want government to involve the local people in the planned massive production of food crops like maize and soybean on land formally owned by government in the district.

On July 14, 2022, President Museveni directed the Office of the Prime Minister and the Finance Ministry to provide the resources required to embark on large-scale food production to fight hunger in some regions of the country.

This was in response to a July 13, 2022, letter by Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze, in which he proposed the need for deliberate government interventions to boost food security as the country faces long periods of drought due to climate change.

Following Museveni`s directive, on August 1, 2022, a Cabinet sitting, agreed to support the proposed interventions, which did not, unfortunately, consider the participation of the local communities.

According to Rwot David Onen Acana, the Paramount Chief of Acholi Chiefdom, the current wave of massive land clearing by government agents to plant maize and soybean in Pader district, has left several trees like shea nut trees, and cultural sites destroyed.

Acana says if the local people were allocated land, they would protect some of the important traditional sites, materials, and trees as well as their own properties, that face destruction as some people face eviction from the purported government land.

“We have elders who know what and where traditional rituals were performed, the importance of certain trees and wild plants. Inviting the local people to participate in large-scale food production would not only help them to fight hunger but also protect the important cultural sites,” he said.

He is not happy that the community members surrounding the project area will only offer casual labour work on the farms.

Kamusu Opira, the chairperson Ker Kwaro Payira clan in Pader district how the land owners, especially after the expiration of the leasehold period, were left out of the distribution of the said land for maize and soybean production.

Santa Okot, the Aruu North County Member of Parliament says the demand by the community members to be involved in the process is purely in line with the implementation of the local content policy, which states for any project going in an area, the surrounding community members must be prioritised.

According to Okot, excluding the community members in the allocation of the land for food production puts the project at risk as community members will not take it as theirs.

“We all know how and why Atiak Sugar factory keeps experiencing fire outbreaks, it’s majorly because of the acquisition of the land and the fact the surrounding people aren’t benefiting from the project,” Okot said.

Rwot Oywelo Picho, the Ariya Clan Chief of Nwoya district wonders how and why the government, if it is looking to boost food security, would neglect the common man around the project area to continue starving.

In the new approach to fight hunger in the country, government intends to massively produce maize [114, 219 acres], soybean [59,900 acres], beans [22, 810 acres], and sorghum [2,720 acres].

Various government agencies have been allocated land including Uganda Prisons 50,000 acres, UPDF 10,000 acres, National Enterprise Corporation 5,280 acres, and veterans 4,707 acres.

Others are National Agricultural Research Organisation [NARO] 10,000 acres, and National Animal Genetic Resources Centre & Data Bank [NAGRC & DB – 30,000 acres] while private large-scale farmers got a combined 314,000 acres.

Peter Baine, the Executive Director NAGRC and DB in an interview with this reporter says the programme doesn’t neglect the community members saying their services are required at the farms.

Baine said that sensitisation exercises were also ongoing, noting that the team clearing land are supposed to work together with the community members for preservation of important sites and trees.

https://thecooperator.news/rwot-acana-writes-to-museveni-over-eviction-in-pader-residents/

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