I grew up in Kumi District and I remember there was a granary in every household. It’s been ages since I was last there. I believe one of the issues that force hunger and famine on Uganda is the lack of storage facilities for food. Maize costs as low as 400 shillings during the harvesting season, but will rise to as much as 1,200 shillings when scarcity hits.

I also understand a large portion of our food is exported to neighboring Sudan and Congo, causing local prices to spike to un-affordable levels. I understand that lots of Ugandans cannot afford fish because it’s mostly exported. So, I think food scarcity is real but the reasons can be addressed by sensible government policies.

Sensible government policies is too much to ask from ignorant bureaucrats who think lizards are a sustainable solution to food scarcity. How many lizards are there in the Teso region? It would require time to start raising lizards sufficiently to address the shortage. The late Kibirige Sebunya advised villagers to eat the monkeys that were plundering their maize. How brilliant?

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By Philip Aligawesa, in reaction and comment to Comrade Norah A. Owaraga’s blog post titled: “Uganda’s food scarcity is superficial,” which was published on 27th July 2014. Sixteen years later, his wisdom remains relevant. Photo @ Philip Aligawesa Facebook

Post featured image credit: Granaries - in Karamoja and in Lango sub-regions, photographed in the homes of beneficiaries of CPAR Uganda interventions.