A hunger crisis is looming in eastern Uganda as farmers experience prolonged drought.
Crops across the region have failed, and families have started to feel the pinch of food shortages due to poor harvests.
Most families have started to sleep hungry and have a single meal in a day.
For years, farming has been the backbone of livelihood in Bukedi, providing food and income for thousands of households, but this season, the familiar rhythm of planting, growing and harvesting has been disrupted by prolonged dry conditions.
Across parts of Bukedi, farmers are watching their crops wither in the fields as the rains become increasingly unreliable.
Crops that had promised a good harvest are struggling to mature, while some farmers have already written off their investments.
In many farming communities, according to Mr David Kamwada, a notable farmer in Mugiti Sub-county, Budaka District, the effects of the dry spell are visible in gardens.
Maize, beans, cassava and other crops are showing signs of moisture stress, with some plants drying before reaching maturity.
“The dry conditions have left many families facing uncertain future after much of the expected harvest had been lost,” Mr Kamwada explained.
“We planted expecting the rains to continue but the rain stopped. Some of the crops dried before producing enough food,” he said.
Such experiences are becoming common among farming households, particularly those without irrigation or alternative sources of income.
Another farmer, Mr Moses Mwidu, a resident of Katiryo, Kibuku District, said in a good season, households store part of their harvest for consumption while selling the surplus to meet other needs.
But when harvests fail, the cycle is broken. Farmers who would normally depend on their granaries for several months may instead be forced to buy food from markets.
The Kibuku District production officer, Mr Michael Mbayo, said the continued dry spell has left a big mark on many families.
“Several acres of crops have been dried as a result of prolonged dry spell. This has created fears of looming hunger crisis,” Mr Mbayo explained.
“Although most families had made first harvest, the yields were too little. Most families don’t have food,” he said.
Mr Mohammed Nakeba, the Kibuku LC5 chairperson, said the district had earlier painted a gloomy picture that several families across the district are on the verge of starvation.
Mr Patrick Duchu, former Pallisa LC5 chairperson, said Bukedi is becoming prone to food insecurity.
“Bukedi region is yet another region that is prone to food insecurity after Karamoja. Bukedi was in the dark days the food basket of this country but it turned to be a food insecure region,” Mr Duchu said.
The Ministry of Water and Environment recently announced that the country is likely to experience heavy rains that will be characterized with floods.
Overall, only 31.3 percent of households in Bukedi Sub-region are food secure. Kibuku stands at 38.0 percent food secure, 31.9 percent in Budaka, 31.8 percent in Butebo and 19.9 percent in Pallisa are food secure.
With a population of 2.4 million people, Bukedi is a densely populated area, with a population density of 516, and thousands of its people have difficulties accessing sufficient food.