Kibuku residents cautioned on food security

By Lawrence Okwakol and Donald Kirya

The persistent famine amidst most families in Kibuku district as people still eat once a day is attributed to poor selection of food crops.

Harriet Nakamya the Kibuku resident district commissioner made these remarks on Wednesday while meeting 300 members of Kibukuxd district Zibula-atudde SACCO and monitoring their projects.

Nakamya said insisting on growing cassava which is no longer yielding and focusing on ground nuts is making people suffer in exhausted soils.

” Please engage in growing maize, beans using organic fertilizers and potatoes which are  fast maturing. Even if you grow groundnuts, sell and get little money, buying  food on weighing scales will finish you. Food security is the only vice you can fight at household level “, Nakamya said.

Nakamya lauded the Zibula Atudde SACCO members for taking advice of president Museveni who called upon people to develop a saving culture.

Kibuku Zibula Atudde SACCO which draws its members from the districts of Serere, Kumi. Butebo, Pallisa, Kibuku, Budaka, Namutumba, Namayingo and Buikwe is respectable  for their involvement in alternative use of wetlands like tree planting and fish farming.

Mohammed Samuka the Pallisa district natural resources officer said that  if people borrow a leaf from Zibula Atudde the climatic dynamics will again create a reliable rain pattern..

Samuka said women are more responsible in issues of environment improvement and sustainable use than men.

Stella Alupot the chairperson of Zibula Atudde SACCO said the SACCO was started in 2017 with only thirty members but after COVID 19 pandemic in 2021 she mobilized 150 members and now they are 300.

Alupot said the farming component of the project intends to dig 10 pounds and also ten acres of trees.

” We are appealing to the government through the office of RDC to help them on various aspects like training in proper SACCO running, agriculture and  tree planting projects.

Alupot said that  after payment of shs. 20,000 as registration fee  one again has to plant a minimum of 10 trees.

“Currently we have hired 2 acres to pilot our fish farming and tree planting. We paid shs. 2,000,0000 for ten years. We badly need support and if our message could reach president Museveni he would  intervene”, Alupot said.

Alupot said they started with a capital of shs. 3,000,000 in 2029 but they have shs. 100,000,000 generated from shares and savings..

However, Nakamya the RDC said she was going to request the ministry of agriculture, animal industry and fisheries to help the women with fingerlings and feeds, and even national environment management authority will come to address the issue of tree planting.

Nakamya encouraged all SACCO members to get PDM funds in their respective parishes..

“Am joyous because I couldn’t expect a struggling woman to give a goat as a token of appreciation to the NRM government and president Museveni for giving guidance in every state of the nation address”, Nakanya said.