By Eden Mic
Agago
As leaders in Agago district undertake advocacy for every household to make cassava growing mandatory to curb food insecurity, the move is facing a challenge.
Cassava contributes to both food and cash requirements for farmers in Uganda. In northern Uganda, the crop is among the staple foods, but its production and consumption were reduced during the 20 years of insurgency by the Lord’s Resistance Army, LRA.
However, following the return of Internally Displaced Persons from the camps, many organizations like the Food and Agricultural Organization, FAO, the Government of Uganda, and development partners, have been providing cassava cuttings for multiplication.
In Agago district, the leaders resolved in June 2023 that every household should plant at least an acre of the crop to avert hunger.
Fear of destruction by animals
Samson Olanya, a resident of Kuludwong B village, Lira Kato Sub-County, said domestic animals and wild animals such as elephants are frustrating their attempt to grow the crop on a large scale.
Before the district resolution in June, Olanya was already relying on cassava for both food and cash. Every year, he sells cassava to Kotido and Abim districts and uses the money to pay his children to school. However, he said since 2021, he has been frustrated by the stray elephants whose numbers keep increasing every year.
“I was optimistic that I would get something reasonable from my three acres of cassava but all were destroyed by elephants. They uproot the plants like graders,” Olanya said.
Hellen Atenyo, is a victim of double tragedy; an attack on her husband by the Karamojong and elephants in their cassava garden.
Before embarking on cassava growing, Atenyo and her husband used to grow groundnuts, simsim, and potatoes. However, wild animals could destroy them before maturity. The family opted for cassava, hoping the elephants would only destroy the leaves and not the tubers.
“This year, the elephants ate 10 acres of cassava from this village including ours, and yet the Karamojong shot and injured my husband, who cannot do farm work anymore,” Atenyo said.
Atenyo, a mother of seven said she is in a dilemma because the family relied on cassava for both food and income.
On August 10, 2021, Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) entered into a partnership with Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) to boost sourcing of local raw materials like cassava, barley and sorghum in Acholi sub region.
The partnership was signed at Purongo Afro-Kai Center in Nwoya district by Gen. Salim Saleh the Chief Coordinator of OWC and Alvin Mbugua the Managing Director of UBL.
The marauding elephants are a hindrance in achieving the intended objectives of such a partnership.
Need for a bylaw on domestic animals
Daniel Cere, the chairperson LC3 of Patongo Sub-County, advised the district and the sub-county leaders to enact a by-law and effectively enforce it.
“We need to come up with a clear position on how to control the movement of animals so that we protect our sources of food security,” Cere said.
Stephen Ocan, the chairperson LC3 of Parabongo Sub-County said cassava used to be known as the “store against hunger because it is both food and sauce,” because every household planted it.
“There should be a law that severely punishes whoever leaves their animals to destroy crops,” Ocan said, adding that; “Cattle owners should be compelled to plant cassava so that they know how it feels when the animals destroy them.”
District plans on roaming animals
Leonard Ojok, the Agago district chairperson, said the district has already budgeted for shs60m to buy cassava cuttings for free distribution to supplement what the farmers will buy for themselves, come next season on 2024.
Ojok said animal owners who leave their animals will be fined shs50,000 per cattle and shs10,000 for each goat, sheep, or pig.
According to Ajok, a third of the households in the district planted cassava last season, and is optimistic that many more will plant next season and be compelled to control their animals from roaming.
Ojok said the district executive committee has tasked the production officer to produce a draft district food security ordinance and recommend that cassava be grown by every household.
5000 acres destroyed by elephants
George Okot, Agago Production Officer, said that the level of destruction of crops by elephants is enormous, citing that over 5,000 acres of cassava were destroyed by elephants and buffalos from 2022 to 2023.
Okot said the areas that are most affected by the elephant invasion are the sub-counties at the border with Karamoja such as Lapono, Adilang, Lirakato, and Omiya pachwa sub-counties.
“This has affected the mobilization of farmers along the borderline to plant cassava,” Okot said.
Okot appealed to officials at Uganda Wildlife Authority to consider installing fences along the borderlines and to prevent destruction and subsequent pleas for compensation.
“To me, prevention is better than control. If we could get remedies to avoid [destruction of crops] that would be one of the best ways,” he said.
UWA speaks out
Martin Oryem, the Assistant Warden for Community Conservation at Kidepo Valley Conservation Area, acknowledged that the elephants have caused extensive destruction of crops but added the only drone they were using to scare the animals crashed.
Oryem said plans are underway to build dams in the park early next year so that the animals are not tempted to maraud in search of water in the community, and also deploy many rangers in the hotspot areas.
He revealed that the Uganda Wild Life Authority is planning to ensure that farmers are trained on simple mitigation methods such as installing beehives and planting chili to scare away the elephants.
There are 43,376 households in Agago district and out of these, 41,357 representing 95.3% rely on crop farming for income and nourishment, according to the 2014 National Population and Housing Census.
However, Agago is also one of the districts in northern Uganda that suffer food insecurity annually due to its unfavorable weather, Karamojong rustlers that interrupt farming activities, and wild animals such as elephants and buffalos that destroy crops.
In 2022 more than 20 people died of hunger-related complications in the district, while 1,027 households suffered starvation.
Leaders hope mandatory growing of cassava could lessen food shortages because the crop can withstand drought.
