Experts: “Agriculture is the best solution to end poverty”

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has called for increased investment in the Agriculture sector to alleviate poverty in Uganda.

The call was made during the International Day of Poverty Eradication e-dialogue that was aired live on NBS television.

Experts said investment in the agriculture sector effectively reduces poverty, particularly amongst the poorest people.

They pointed out the fact that much as there are efforts against poverty, most households in Uganda are at risk of sliding back to poverty due to Covid-19 that has wrecked livelihoods.

Victoria Ssekitoleko,the chairperson Uganda Agribusiness Alliance, said people’s mindsets have to change if we are to defeat poverty.

“My biggest worry about poverty is that it really resides in the minds. Unfortunately if it takes permanent residence in somebody’s head, you are done. It becomes infectious,” she said.

She called upon the ministry of Education and Sports to tweak the curriculum to focus more on agriculture.

“Let us teach our children what is relevant to them, the real economy which is agriculture. We have spent the last 10 years urging that every Ugandan child should grow up learning and practising agriculture,”said Ssekitoleko.

Dr. Swaibu Mbowa,  a research fellow at Makerere Economic Policy Research Centre, said Uganda has dimensional poverty noting that Covid-19 showed the scarcity of clean water in the country that medical care is not readily accessible.

He said there is need to add value to the agricultural products and cut on what we bring into the country.

He said agriculture is the core of our real economy therefore the country needs to pay attention to climate change in the eradication of poverty.

 

 

 

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