Empowering Communities: A Call for Nutrition-Centric Budgeting in Kabarole District
In a recent breakthrough at the Kabarole District Budget Conference, Mr. Benard Bwambale, the Food and Nutrition Manager at KRC-Uganda, took center stage to shed light on the critical role of nutrition in community well-being. His impassioned presentation not only highlighted the importance of prioritizing nutrition in the district but also advocated for a comprehensive approach that includes both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions. This marks a significant step forward in the quest for a healthier and more resilient Kabarole District.
Putting the future of Uganda’s agriculture and agricultural cooperatives into perspective
Growing up as a child in a farming household in the late 60s through the 70s, it was rare to hear dad or mum decrying lack or scarcity of money as it is nowadays for many families. For some reason for sure, many farm families derived their income from a certain cash crop, but I also recall that most of the social services were provided freely or subsidized by the government as a public good. As a young boy, I witnessed how farming was a profitable venture. Without due regard to the current gender jargon, allow me to mention that my late Father was a chairman of a primary Coffee Cooperative Society. Yes. He, and his many other farmers in the area earned their livelihoods mostly from the production and sell of clean Arabic coffee (aka, Kibooko), a cash crop which they collectively sold through the then vibrant Kagazi Tusigike Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited to which my father was a chairperson. This was found in Kiceece Sub County, currently Kitagwenda District.
Kakooga farmers transform through Integrated Farming Planning
Rural farming communities share many things in common. Most of all, they live, strive and thrive in the daily busy and hectic chores of the farm. Many times, the farmer’s hard work is rewarded by stagnant or even shrinking net farm incomes. Family farmers in Kakooga, Bunyangabu District of Western Uganda experienced the same before enrolment onto the “Food Security for Family Farmers through Agroecology” in 2022, a program supported by Broederlijk Delen. As a result, the farmers have shown the capacity to change and model their village into a thriving farming and sustainable community.
Enhancing the knowledge base of public and clinical health workers on food safety standards and nutrition
Over the years, there is growing focus on Food Safety as a public health concern and appreciation of its integral role in sustaining life and promoting good health. Food Safety has continually been identified as a big management issue in the food chains starting at the point of production, through transportation, processing, packaging and storage until the final consumption stage. Unfortunately, smallholder food producers are innocently and ignorantly producing unsafe food. Consequently, unsafe food is increasingly getting rejected by consumers and international markets, putting the entire food system in jeopardy.
Launching the Kabarole District and Sub County/Town Council nutrition action plans
KRC has been at the forefront of facilitating multi-stakeholder participatory processes to guide the localization of the Uganda nutrition Action Plan (UNAP) at local government level, starting with Kabarole District as well as implementing a number of exchange events to work towards the operationalization of the DNAPs and SNAPs. And whereas there is significant progress at the national level in regard to fast-tracking the implementation of the UNAP, there remains resource limitations to integrate nutrition in the district plans and formulate District Nutrition Action Plans (DNAPs) to comprehensively achieve the goal of reducing malnutrition in Uganda.
Kulea Watoto Project Launched
The Kulea Watoto Project was launched in Kyegegwa District for stakeholders in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement and the District Local Government. Kulea Watoto is a Swahili translation of ‘Nurturing Children’, that suggest the overall goal of improving early childhood development outcomes and transforming refugee livelihoods in Uganda. The project will provide nurturing care and early childhood learning opportunities, and to build their own skills to generate income for their families.