Lira district official attributes poverty in Lango to poor mindset and enterprise selection

LIRA, July 25, 2025 — The Production and Marketing Officer of Lira District, Thomas Okello, has attributed the persistent poverty in the Lango Sub-region to a poor mindset among farmers and poor choices in agricultural enterprise selection.

Okello stresses the need for agricultural extension workers to support farmers in selecting enterprises that offer better income potential.

“Poverty remains widespread in Lango. People are struggling because they often choose the wrong enterprises,” he says. “Sometimes I feel embarrassed when farmers avoid extension workers simply because they expect to be paid to attend training sessions. Farmers must understand that extension services contribute up to 60 percent of their success.”

He notes that many farmers continue to focus on low-return crops such as maize and soybeans, which do not generate sustainable income over time.
“We’re stuck growing maize, soybeans, sunflower and other crops that bring in little profit, yet there are long-term cash crops like coffee and cashew trees that can provide income for decades,” Okello explains.

He added that diversifying into livestock farming, especially goat rearing, could significantly alleviate poverty in the region.

“Dairy farming, aquaculture, and planting high-value crops like coffee, pineapples, cocoa and cashew nuts could transform livelihoods. Coffee, for example, can be interplanted with soybeans where feasible. In areas unsuitable for coffee, other viable alternatives exist. We need to move away from overreliance on crops like soya, whose prices are highly volatile,” he says.

Okello also pointed out that the Government of Uganda continues to fund agricultural extension services, making support accessible to farmers at district level.

Meanwhile, Dorcus Alum, the Principal Agricultural Officer of Lira District, advises that farmers plant different crops across different seasons rather than intercropping.

“Intercropping compromises yields significantly. If you plant perennial crops like coffee, coconut or citrus on a plot, you can add seasonal food crops between them, but intercropping them simultaneously often reduces productivity,” she says.

Sarah Amolo, a resident of Wigweng B Village, Adola Parish, Wiodyek Sub-county, shared her experience, saying she earns little from crops like rice, maize and soybeans due to poor yields.
“Sometimes the returns are so low, even after investing a lot in cultivation,” Amolo says.

She welcomed the advice to shift towards cash crop farming.
“It’s a good idea and practical with proper planning. You can grow coffee and intercrop with shorter-season crops. While waiting for the coffee berries to mature, you can harvest and sell the other crops to earn some income in the meantime,” she adds.

Poverty in the Lango Sub-region is a significant issue, with prevalence rates rising from 16% in 2017 to 23 percent more recently. This is further highlighted by the fact that many households, particularly in rural areas, struggle to afford even a basic food basket, with some living below the global poverty line.

https://thecooperator.news/lira-farmers-embrace-integrated-rice-fish-farming-system/

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