A digital assessment tool for monitoring and planning food security interventions in rural households of Uganda

In this paper, a digital assessment tool that is used to monitor food security in rural homesteads is presented. It provides instant results in the form of statistics that can help in planning for appropriate interventions. Food security is an essential and universal ingredient of any community’s well-being. The fact that food security is a complex and multidimensional concept, its measurement has been a challenge to both researchers and practitioners. The tool makes food security assessment and monitoring easier and can generate instant statistics that can inform appropriate interventions aimed at enhancing decisions of rural communities on food security. The tool is evaluated with the intended users and evaluation results indicate that it is a useful device for monitoring food security and for informing intervention program

Sugarcane Growing and the Livehoods of Small-Scale Farmers in Jinja District, Uganda

This study focused on establishing the relationship between sugarcane growing and the livelihood of small-scale farmers in Jinja District.  It was guided by three objectives namely: to characterize individual farmers and their farms, establish benefits from sugarcane farming to the farmer’s livelihoods and find out the effect of sugarcane growing on household food security in the area. The study adopted descriptive research design. The target population of this study were sugarcane growing households’ heads and Village Chairpersons of sugarcane out-growers association.  The study employed the purposive and simple random sampling techniques. A sample size of 42 respondents from a population of 362 small-scale farmers.  The methods of data collection included; use of questionnaires, interviewing, focus group discussions and observation.  The study generated both qualitative and quantitative data. The data collected was analysed by computing percentages while qualitative data was analysed by coding and establishing common themes. The study findings revealed that although women are fully involved in sugarcane growing, ownership of farms is dominated by men. The dominant age group among the sugarcane farmers is between 30 to 60 years, with mainly primary education graduates. The average farm size was 3 acres and the larges part of the farm land is devoted to sugarcane growing. There are some positive benefits from sugar growing, though many challenges have been identified. Most smallholder farmers are experiencing food insecurity.  Based on the findings of the study it was recommended that there was need to encourage people owning land less than five acres to practice mixed farming, use scientific methods of farming such as intercropping, crop rotation, use fertilizers to facilitate better yields and crop diversification to improve both on their earnings and food security

Indigenous knowledge and food security: Enhancing decisions of rural farmers

Inheemse kennis en voedselzekerheid: verbetering van de beslissingen van boeren Voedselzekerheid is onontbeerlijk voor een acceptabele levensstandaard, en ieder mens heeft het recht om gevrijwaard te zijn van honger en ondervoeding. Toch blijft voedselzekerheid een van de grootste uitdagingen in ontwikkelingslanden als Oeganda, zeker in plattelandsgemeenschappen. Dit onderzoek is geïnspireerd door aanhoudende voedselonzekerheid in plattelandsgemeenschappen in Oeganda. Voedselonzekerheid is een belangrijke indicator van onderontwikkeling vanwege de effecten op gezondheid, onderwijs en armoede. In een plattelandsomgeving vormt inheemse kennis vaak de basis voor lokale besluitvorming en biedt deze een alternatieve, kosteneffectieve en duurzame manier om voedselzekerheid te bevorderen. Inheemse kennis verwijst naar wat mensen weten en al generaties lang hebben geweten en gedaan. Om het probleem van voedselonzekerheid in plattelandsgemeenschappen aan te pakken, is het belangrijk om voort te bouwen op hun kennis en ervaring. Dit onderzoek is erop gericht de beslissingen van boeren over voedselzekerheid te verbeteren door gebruik te maken van inheemse kennis, volgens de decision enhancement-benadering van Keen en Sol (2008). Decision enhancement richt zich erop mensen, processen en technologie samen te brengen om een interactieve omgeving te creëren die besluitvorming faciliteert

Collaborative Decision Making and Food Security: Digitizing Indigenous Knowledge of Rural Farmers in Uganda.

Abstract of paper 0785 presented at the Digital Humanities Conference 2019 (DH2019), Utrecht , the Netherlands 9-12 July, 2019

Collaborative decision-making and sustainable food security: Rethinking the role of indigenous knowledge and farming practices in Uganda

The paper examines the role of stakeholders' joint decision-making in exploiting indigenous knowledge and practices of local people to achieve sustainable food security. It assesses ways in which the collaboration of farmers and stakeholders in Uganda enhances knowledge sharing, which is vital for sustainable food security. Specifically, the study assesses the significance of indigenous knowledge in enhancing food security, the importance of joint decisions of stakeholders (farmers, community development workers, and extension workers) to food security enhancement, and the factors farmers consider when choosing indigenous/modern practices for enhancing food security. Qualitative methods of data collection were used to get views and experiences of the selected sixty-seven rural farmers in their efforts to enhance food security. Findings reveal that collaboration between farmers and stakeholders is vital for providing opportunities of sharing knowledge and experience and for determining the right combination of practices that enhance sustainable food security. The study recommends designing guidelines for routine monthly meetings between farmers and key stakeholders to share knowledge and experiences that are relevant to enhancing sustainable food security

Sugarcane Growing and the Livehoods of Small-Scale Farmers in Jinja District-Uganda

This study focused on establishing the relationship between sugarcane growing and the livelihood of small-scale farmers in Jinja District.  It was guided by three objectives namely: to characterize individual farmers and their farms, establish benefits from sugarcane farming to the farmer’s livelihoods and find out the effect of sugarcane growing on household food security in the area. The study adopted descriptive research design. The target population of this study were sugarcane growing households’ heads and Village Chairpersons of sugarcane out-growers association.  The study employed the purposive and simple random sampling techniques. A sample size of 42 respondents from a population of 362 small-scale farmers.  The methods of data collection included; use of questionnaires, interviewing, focus group discussions and observation.  The study generated both qualitative and quantitative data. The data collected was analysed by computing percentages while qualitative data was analysed by coding and establishing common themes. The study findings revealed that although women are fully involved in sugarcane growing, ownership of farms is dominated by men. The dominant age group among the sugarcane farmers is between 30 to 60 years, with mainly primary education graduates. The average farm size was 3 acres and the larges part of the farm land is devoted to sugarcane growing. There are some positive benefits from sugar growing, though many challenges have been identified. Most smallholder farmers are experiencing food insecurity.  Based on the findings of the study it was recommended that there was need to encourage people owning land less than five acres to practice mixed farming, use scientific methods of farming such as intercropping, crop rotation, use fertilizers to facilitate better yields and crop diversification to improve both on their earnings and food security