Regional food security symposium set for October

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Climate Change Action East Africa (CCAEA) and the International University of East Africa (IUEA) are organizing a symposium and expo for October this year at the IUEA Kampala campus, Kansanga – Ggaba Road, they said on Sept.7.

The symposium will be an avenue to promote awareness of the linkages of the impacts of climate change to the food security issue. It will promote open discussion within the food production chain and systems with a focus on safeguarding communities from hunger in Uganda, the East Africa region, Africa and the world as a global village facing the same challenges.

The climate adaptation and resilience initiatives which can be enhanced and reinforced in Uganda and East Africa as a region will be high on the agenda at the symposium and expo. The technologies that will be exhibited will be critical to current practitioners and new sector entrants.

The symposium theme: “Linking Climate Change To Food Security, Nutrition And Wellbeing” will be unpacked into papers covering; climate change impacts manifestation and its deliberative impacts on the food systems and society’s wellbeing, climate changes resilient practices, and indigenous technologies’ responsiveness to food insecurity risks, farmers’ perspectives, innovative financing for climate change, sustainable agricultural practices, technology and innovations in value chains of food systems and seed preservation and food processing among others.

“We have therefore decided and planned to hold the Food Security Symposia and Expos annually in the capitals of the EAC Partner States as the most imperative way of promoting awareness of climate change impacts for consequential energisation of countries to plan and budget for climate change impact and as well implement their national commitments,” said Tom Okia Okurut, the executive director, Climate Change Action East Africa.

According to Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, who presided over the unveiling event, “many parts of East Africa in the past year have been experiencing hunger due to acute food shortages.

The recent images from the Karamoja sub-region in Uganda attest to this. But food distribution logistics and extreme poverty may be the main drivers given the availability of food in the markets and the other parts of the country.”