Poverty levels in Busoga have remained a concern, despite the sub-region’s abundant agricultural and natural resources, with stakeholders saying more can be done to lift households out of poverty.
The 2019/2020 Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) put poverty in Busoga at 29.4 percent, above the national rate of 20.3 percent. However, the latest 2023/2024 UNHS shows that monetary poverty in Busoga declined to 18.9 percent.
Stakeholders believe the poverty rate can be reduced further if the sub-region makes better use of its available resources and expands opportunities for households to earn sustainable incomes.
Mr David Mukisa, the Namutumba District chairperson, suggests that the historical cultivation of crops in different districts should be revived because they have the potential to generate significant wealth.
“Let’s go back to our original setting of emphasising the cultivation of various crops in areas where they flourish best since they are lucrative and see whether residents will remain poor,” Mr Mukisa says.
Mr Mukisa notes that in Namutumba District, one can use two acres of land to grow groundnuts, which can yield Shs10 million in a season.
He explains that groundnuts will always have a ready market because they are multi-purpose.
“This is a crop which can be consumed at home, as well as being utilised in the production of many things, so whoever goes into growing it will make money,” Mr Mukisa says.
Mr Mukisa, who advises residents to grow rice, saying that rice is always in high demand in the country. He says Busoga has a favourable climate for rice growing, but people are reluctant to engage in rice farming despite its potential to become an export crop for the sub-region.
Food security
Mr Rogers Kifuma, the Kaliro assistant Resident District Commissioner, says millet and oranges used to generate significant income for residents, but they have since abandoned growing them.
Mr Kifuma also millet prices rarely fluctuate, so any pack of it sold in a super section can improve their income.
“Millet and oranges grow well on Kaliro’s soils, but people are no longer growing them. If their cultivation is revived, poverty in Busoga will reduce,”
He observes that Kaliro currently imports many goods without exporting much, not even milk, which was commonly available when the district was a cattle corridor is now scarce. He sees locals have stopped rearing cattle on a large scale, a practice that should be revived.
Mr Kifuma argues that if residents in Busoga should be encouraged to grow food crops, saving money on food will reduce poverty, because they lack enough food despite having large families.
“Government should come up with a law criminalising anybody found without food crops, because this has proved to be another cause of poverty in the area, and do organize will reduce poverty,” Mr Kifuma says.
MAJOR SUGGESTIONS
Revive commercial farming
Grow crops suited to each area
Promote groundnut farming and rice growing
Revive millet and orange farming, large-scale cattle rearing
Encourage households to grow food crops
Promote smaller families
Expand government livelihood programmes such as PDM and Emyooga
Use government funds to boost businesses
Create more jobs within Busoga
Promote annual crops such as tomatoes, watermelons and maize, and invest in fish farming*
Educate children and equip them with skills
Encourage boda boda businesses
Jobs and businesses
Mr Abubaker Walubi, the chairperson of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party in Iganga District, says people in Busoga should avoid large families, arguing that having many children leaves families with little or nothing to save.
“These many children we produce in Busoga make us spend more than we earn. Therefore, residents should have fewer children until they are left with cash in their pockets,” he says.
He adds that the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga and other programmes can help eradicate poverty in Busoga.
He explains that the Shs1 million that the government gives to people through PDM can empower them to boost their business.
The Buyende District chairperson, Mr Sharifu Mbinga Muziransa, proposes that each district in Busoga should create jobs for residents so they can earn income and contribute to the development of their local areas.
“For us in Buyende, we are developing a system of ensuring only people born in the district are employed so that they invest in the district because we have found that non-residents simply take the money back to their areas of origin,” Mr Mbinga says.
He stresses that growing annual crops such as tomatoes, watermelons, and maize can also improve the incomes of locals. He also identifies fish farming as an alternative way of fighting poverty in Busoga, given that the sub-region is surrounded by water bodies.
Education and skills
Mr Muatumu Musembya, a retired headteacher who now manages Buwenge Bm Primary School in Jinja District, urges parents to educate their children, saying it gives them a better chance of securing jobs in public offices, providing them with a stable source of income.
“If a child is not educated, there is no chance of serving in public offices when region academic title in set. Therefore, all residents should use schools within their reach to educate their children in preparation for continuous income generation and to prevent gaps in income that may arise upon the retirement of their parents,” Mr Musembya says.
Mr Eric Mutooya, the Busoga Sub-region boda boda coordinator, encourages people to engage in the boda boda industry because it is lucrative.
“On average, a boda boda rider can earn Shs10,000 a day. That is why many of them have been able to educate their children. Those who are jobless can join this sector as there are no academic qualifications required.
“He says that the problem with boda boda riders is reckless spending; otherwise, the money they earn can help increase household incomes in Busoga.
Prayer week
Meanwhile, the Busoga Consortium for Development has begun preparations for the fourth Busoga Prayer Week, scheduled for September 21 to 27. The event brings together religious, political and cultural leaders to mobilise efforts towards reducing poverty and accelerating socio-economic transformation in the sub-region.