Ntinda,Uganda: Climate change is inversely proportional to the Agro-ecology hence posing a great need for practices of its regulation.
Speaking to the media yesterday in Ntinda,Uganda, Hakim Baliraine, the “Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF) Regional and National Chairperson said “Government through Uganda Investment Authority must revise investment policies if the Country is to be saved from the anticipated fate of Climate change that has heavily affected small scale farmers.
Baliraine observed that vital environmental areas like wetlands and forests are essential for determining Climate but most of these have been occupied by investors.
Hakim Baliraine, the “Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF) Regional and National Chairperson. Photo by Julius Mugaga.
He added that there’s need for the Ugandan Government to increase funding in the agriculture sector as it has for long promised. He says about 10 years back during the Marabo Agreement in Equatorial Guinea, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni promised to raise the sector’s Budget by 10% and recommitted in 2014.Un unfortunately that hasn’t been realized.
“This has had a great effect on small scale farmers as they have missed out on some services like, extension services, agricultural implements, limiting value addition, loss of crops especially due to lack of irrigation services hence creating food insecurity and this has forced most farmers to indulge in subsistence farming”. Baliraine hinted.
It’s on this edge that he called on all small scale farmers across the country to raise and fight for “Climate Justice now” as they celebrate 25 years of progress towards food sovereignty reflecting on the ongoing 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy that is ongoing till 12th of this month in Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, Scotland-UK.
Baliraine concluded by calling on the small scale farmers across the country who are in a planting season to use the opportunity of the rain we’re experiencing to sow their seeds in order to have food security and surplus for sales
Nabwami Christine, the ESAFF leader in Mityana district. Photo by Julius Mugaga.
Nabwami Christine, the ESAFF leader in Mityana district. Photo by Julius Mugaga believes that Agro-ecology can achieve Climate, social and ecological justices, it’s on this point that they forwarded 8 calls to the UNCCC at COP26;
- Addressing the current financial limitations which is affecting the implementation of policies and programs that are focused on addressing Climate change in an ecological friendly manner.
- Parties should urgently prioritize Climate information access, sustainable and adaptive food rooted in agro-ecological system.
- Parties should focus on prioritization of adaptation in Uganda’s programs of action in Nationally Determined Contribution.
- There should be domestication of UN Human Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) which set platforms for voices from rural communities to be heard.
- Align awarding criteria and procedure of financial mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund to small scale farmers and their organizations.
- Parties should purposefully invest in resources both technical and financial in research on agro-ecological approaches like resilient agricultural practices that are being nurtured by small scale farmers.
- Parties should create a direct platform to the UNCCC that actively involve small scale farmers especially women as a special group that experience the daily impact of the decisions and actions by policy makes and implementers on Climate change.
- Parties should further strengthen Youths capacity through empowering them to access skill development to create business opportunities in areas that protect and restore ecosystems.
