By Juliet Kasirye and Stella Nannozi
Agricultural experts have requested Government to conserve indigenous and traditional foods and seeds, saying it would ensure healthy citizens and protect a sustainable food system.
The experts observed that Ugandans today are doing a lot of industralisations which is affecting our indigenous heritage, as more people now consume more fast foods and little of the indigenous foods.
According to Benon Musasizi, a consultant nutritionist working with Participatory Ecological Land Use Management, (PELUM) Uganda, failure to act immediately would be catastrophic.
Additionally, Musasizi said, local communities may lose the battle of sustainably consuming indigenous diets thus impairing the nutrition and health of Ugandans.
He made the remarks during the national dialogue focusing on matters of the national food policy organized by PELUM Uganda at Golf Course Hotel in Kampala.
“Recently, we are having more people who are overweight, and obese. This is because some poor people access fast foods instead of healthy foods. However, if we document and provide the benefits that come with the local foods, we shift this narrative?” stated Musasizi.
Usually when people are faced with the burden of malnutrition, Musasizi revealed that they are quick to shift onto biofortified fruits that have been enhanced by nutrients. However, since Uganda is facing a burden of malnutrition, people should stick to traditional foods because they have a lot of nutritional benefits.
Besides combating malnutrition, Musasizi, said, traditional foods are more resilient to harsh environment conditions, highly medicinal, and socially acceptable in the communities.
The dialogue attracted key stakeholders within the food and Nutrition discourse of Uganda drawn from members of Parliament looking at the committees on health, Agriculture, and food security.
According to a study conducted by PELUM Uganda, the country’s indigenous foods and seeds have been a significant contributor to food security, nutrition, and income for smaller-holder farmers in Uganda and East Africa.
Although Uganda is a tropical food basket, the study noted that its Consumption rate is constrained by superimposed effects of Modernisation, Urbanisation, Economic Development, and Increased wealth leading to predictable shifts in diet.
In order to promote indigenous foods, Josephine Akia Luyimbazi, the Country Coordinator of PELUM Uganda, emphasised the need to sensitize the public on the health benefits of consuming indigenous foods.
Luyimbazi, said that modern agriculture promotes mono-cropping, noting that, there is no farm in Uganda that grows crops such as air potato or wild climbing yams, and bitter berries among others on a large scale.
“There is need to address the needs of the people because there is no reason why we should promote foods that are industrially produced based on foreign agendas yet our grandparents thrived on indigenous fruits and vegetables,” Luyimbazi said.
Call for Independence policy
During the analysis of the Uganda Food-related policies, Dr Flarian Marius Murongo from Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi advised legislators to advocate for an independent food authority.
“There is an urgent need to establish an independent Food Authority which will have exclusive overall responsibility for ensuring a healthy food environment and that food consumed by the citizen is safe and nutritious,” explained Murongo said.
According to him, separating nutrition from the food and nutrition policy will strengthen the implementation of the food component in the policy.
Considering the changes in technology and rising food challenges, Murongo said the review of the food-related acts and policies will reflect changes in technology and the food environment.
Murongo called on the government to re-establish sanitisation and hygiene inspection system to ensure observance of the existing regulatory measures for food products, including street food vending establishments, traditional food markets, primary food production centers and food processors, and household hygiene and sanitation.
Hon Stella Isodo, a member of the committee on Parliament noted that food insecurity is still high. Noting that the moderate one is about 48% and the severe one is about 11%.
To address the issue of adequate food, Isodo advised legislators that, “the food policy should be part of the National development policy. It is unfortunate that since 2003, it has not been signed. Food policy should be prioritized in our country.”
