Women have been asked to utilise the minimal spaces within their localities to grow vegetables as an alternative source of income and nutritional security.
The call was made by Barbara Balungi, the gender programme officer at Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) (ESMV II Project).
She made the call during a training of 34 women groups from Mityana district in vegetable production, seed selection, value addition and marketing at the National Agriculture Research Laboratories in Kawanda.
Funded by KOICA, the project is implemented in Mityana district agriculture department by the horticulture team at the National Agriculture Research and Laboratories Institute in Kawanda.
“We are promoting vegetable growing among the 34 women groups for the women to have a side income. Most women have no access to land, and vegetable growing takes only three months, so it becomes easier for them to hire land for such a short period,” Balungi said.
The group was introduced to indigenous vegetables and foreign including nakati, jobyo, buuga, cabbage, letus, cucumber and other vegetables promoted by the Korean government in Uganda among others.
Balungi added that the project is being funded by the republic of Korea as a result of an understanding that most women in areas they operate from have no land, those who can rent; but those renting find it hard to grow crops that take more than three months to mature, hence the introduction to vegetable growing.
Although women contribute to nearly 70% to the agriculture sector, most of them do not own land in Uganda. At the just concluded UN Food Systems Summit, it was noted that women around the World want governments to come up with commitments and resources that support women in food systems.
Dr Jemimah Njuki, the director for Africa at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), said there must be specific plans and resources and commitments to deal with some of those issues that women around the world face.
She explained that from the interface she had with women in each region towards the summit, priorities in Africa were land rights for women, in addition to access to digital technologies, and financial products needed among others.
