PELUM urges government on food security, greenhouse gas emissions

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Uganda, an NGO operating in Uganda has urged the government of Uganda to design strategies that promote food security amongst communities while also ensuring that the environment is protected.

This is in relation to the May 14 – 16, 2023, stakeholders’ validation workshop for the Agricultural Sector Long-term Climate Resilience and Low Carbon Development Strategy 2050 (Agric LTS) that was organised by Food and Agriculture Organisation  and the Ministry of Agriculture where stakeholders including PELUM Uganda took part.

“While the Agric LTS will contribute to building a climate resilient low carbon agriculture sector by 2050, during the review process, PELUM Uganda observed that aspects of agroecology are missing in the draft strategy yet it (agroecology) can be adopted as a climate adaptation and mitigation measure, which promotes sustainable food systems and build the resilience in agrarian communities, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and improves food security and nutrition,” the organization said in a concept note sent to this website.

PELUM said the development process, therefore, presents a good opportunity for mainstreaming and adoption of agroecology as a climate adaptation and mitigation measure, which promotes sustainable food systems and builds the resilience of agrarian communities, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and improves food security and nutrition.

This is also in line with the report by FAO and Biovision (2020) which presents a strong evidence-based case for agroecology as a more ecological and sustainable pathway for building resilience of smallholder farmers and brings along considerable mitigation co-benefits.

Uganda is experiencing climate change and variability which is manifesting through extreme events such as frequent droughts, erratic onset and end of rainfall seasons, heavy floods, and landslides in some parts of the country. Therefore, this call from PELUM is timely and policymakers need to act.