By Kabuye Ronald
Youths under the Youth line forum have urged government to invest in making and forming a clear food system in order to enhance food security and find ready markets for the farmer.
Speaking at the commemoration of the international Youth day held under the theme “Transforming food Systems”, The executive director of Youth Line Forum Ruth Asiimwe said that it is timely that the day is commemorated while posing significant attention to the Future of food systems which is closely relatable to the Future of the Young generation since 60% of Africa’s Population is projected to be below the age of 25years.
“Government needs to invest in making and forming a clear food system approach widely adopted to identify, analyze and assess the impact of the systems different actors, activities and outcomes to help identify intervention points for enhancing food security. Government also need to invest more the human Capital of Ugandans. The Ugandan population is largely a young population which is oblivion of matters to do with Agriculture but also without capacity to afford what it takes to be active in the value chain. For example Land to cultivate, Capital to invest in Supply but most importantly the knowledge for modern means of Agriculture.” Said Ruth
Youths asserts that the deadly Covid 19 pandemic and the high handedness of the government of Uganda that provides no substantial trading alternatives after Locking down people’s business and the transport means, has greatly reduced the population’s purchasing power which has led to low Price of Agricultural goods like Matooke and other products which is a threat to the health of the Population since immunity is derived from healthy foods
Youth Line Forum also recommended that government being the biggest purchaser in the market, it should support farmers who are stranded with agricultural products in the rural areas and then bring the products to the urban centers and sell them on a subsidized price.
In the same way, Bukenya Moses, the Board chairperson Marafiki Milele asserts that the continued lockdown on Facebook and increased Tax on internet is a sabotage to a potential market for the Agricultural products. Hence they demanded that president Museveni allows the Legal Operation of Facebook
It should be noted that in Uganda 12 million people access the Internet and 3.40 million people are active users of social Media, which the youths say is a potential market to tap into.
He said that farmers will with time stop to view agriculture as a source of income if they have no stable market and this will leave them in sheer poverty.
“According to the vicious cycle of Poverty. When one is Poor, they’ll have a weak immunity which makes them susceptible to sickness, when one is sick, they are an able to work and therefore can’t make a leaving and cannot even pay tax to a government to provide basic health services. Therefore there’s a correlation between a poorly feed Population, Poverty and the Health system.” Bukenya added
