Ateker Community urged to grow cashew nuts to improve livelihoods

SOROTI CITY, 29 November 2024 –  The Ateker Community has been urged to cultivate cashew nuts to enhance their livelihoods.

This call was made recently by the Paramount Chief of Teso, Paul Sande Emolot, during the opening ceremony of the Ateker Reunion Festival held in Soroti City under the theme “Forging a Path Towards Peace, Prosperity and Cultural Renaissance”.

Ateker is a community of people with a shared ancestry traced to the Kaffa in Ethiopia. It includes the Nyangatom [Ethiopia], Topotha, Bari, and Torit [South Sudan], Iteso, Karimojong, Jie, Dodoth, Kumam, Langi, and Kakwa [Uganda], as well as the Masai, Iteso, and Turkana [Kenya] and Masai [Tanzania].

Cashew nuts are a priority crop in Uganda, grown in the sub-regions of Karamoja, Teso, Lango, Acholi, and West Nile. The Ugandan government reintroduced commercial cashew nut farming in the 2022/2023 financial year. Previously, the crop had been introduced in drier districts of Uganda, including Masindi, Nakasongola, Luwero, and Nakaseke.

Cashew nuts offer an opportunity to diversify a farmer’s source of income. They are rich in antioxidants and dietary trace minerals, and parts of the plant can be used to make medicines and other products.

In his address, Emolot highlighted the profitability of cashew nut farming, noting that farmers in Tanzania are earning substantial income from the crop.
“As I stand before you, I envision a future where the Ateker community leads in humanity, where resources are shared responsibly. Together, we can build this future. We also urge the Ateker people to promote the growing of cashew nuts, just as our brothers in Tanzania are making significant earnings from them,” Emolot said.

George Stephen Osike, a resident of Busia district and clan leader of Katekoko, stated that growing cashew nuts is easy and that there is plenty of land available for cultivation. He added that the Ateker community is situated in areas where the climate is conducive for growing the cash crop.
“I believe it can be done. The Ateker people have the land, and the weather conditions are favourable for cashew nut cultivation,” Osike said.

Vice President Jessica Alupo, however, appealed to the Ateker people to promote peace, emphasising that peace is the foundation for socio-economic transformation.
“My appeal to you, dear delegates, is to promote peace and understanding among our communities. We must foster regional integration, Pan-Africanism, and hard work for social and economic transformation,” Alupo said.

The Ateker Community Festival was also attended by President Yoweri Museveni, who spoke about prosperity and the importance of hard work.
“Prosperity comes from producing goods or services with optimal returns, and will eventually solve the problems of wealth, food, clothing, shelter, and employment. The community needs to undergo a transformation, moving from a traditional way of life to a money-based economy. Change is a process—some things will go, while others will remain,” he said.

https://thecooperator.news/maison-malake-moroccos-social-cooperative-revolutionising-cashew-nuts/

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