The Terego Muslim District Kadhi, Saidi Dramani, has urged residents across the West Nile region to embrace commercial farming so as to fight poverty, improve household incomes, and strengthen food security. His appeal follows concerns over persistent poverty levels in the region despite the availability of fertile land and access to ready markets in neighbouring South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Kadhi noted that livelihoods in West Nile can improve if communities engage in farming with a focus on cash crops and other agricultural products that have ready markets. West Nile ranks as the second poorest region in Uganda after the Karamoja sub-region, according to the 2024 Multidimensional Poverty Index Report released in March by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS).
Agriculture, often described as the backbone of Uganda’s economy, is viewed as one of the sectors with the greatest potential to improve the region’s economic situation. Residents have welcomed the call to strengthen agricultural production, saying it will contribute to improved household incomes, better nutrition, and reduced social challenges. Hafsa Amaleyu, a resident of Terego District, acknowledged the contribution of agriculture to improving livelihoods when properly practiced.
For many years, farmers in Terego and other districts in West Nile have relied on tobacco as a major cash crop despite concerns over its labour-intensive nature and negative environmental impacts. Various stakeholders have continued to discourage tobacco farming because of these challenges and are instead promoting alternative cash crops such as cocoa, coffee, and other food crops with reliable markets.
Silas Anguzu, the Acting Chairperson of the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI) in Arua City, explained that their initiative, the West Nile Agricultural Transformation for Market Integration and Livelihood, aims to link farmers to markets and provide agricultural guidance to improve productivity and incomes.
West Nile was once widely regarded as Uganda’s food basket because of its high production of food crops, much of which was transported to other parts of the country. Stakeholders believe that revitalising agriculture through market-oriented production and value addition can help restore the region’s economic strength and significantly reduce poverty among households-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
