The analysis of government of Uganda efforts to reduce poverty as a measure to ensure household food security

Abstract

Reduction of household poverty and improvement of food security is one of the Uganda government’s national development agenda through the PEAP programme. Though a lot of government’s efforts have been placed in improving household livelihood in the country through poverty eradication policies and programmes such as NUSAF, PMA and NAADS, community expectations for better results still remain high. The title of this study is “the analysis of government of Uganda efforts to reduce poverty as a measure to ensure household food security” case study of Ciforo Sub County-Adjumani District. The study goals was to analyse government poverty eradication programme as a measure to ensure household food security with specific objectives to establish household food strategies, analyse the performance of Uganda government efforts to reduce poverty through food security programmes, and suggests feasible strategies to enhance food security programmes in the study area. Households were the main target respondents in the study methodology, questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussion and field observations were used as data collection tools and SPSS data analysis package was employed in data processing and analysis. Key finding of the survey revealed crop production as the main food security strategy, political security improvement as one of the biggest contribution from the government to enhance food security in the area. The government food security support programmes like NUSAF, SACCOS and NAADs have the best performance rating in the communities of the study. Agricultural input support strategies had upper hands in food security enhancement in the area, the study discovered. The overall analysis of the government food security programmes or intervention for poverty reduction as a measure to ensure household food security, the research revealed despite constraints to government food security strategies, there has been slight improvement in the household food security situations in the Sub County and general suggested feasible strategies or solutions emphasis intensification of agriculture input support, diversification of household income base, creation of awareness, some strategies to contain adverse weather conditions and political support to food security programmes in the study area.