Hunger remains “serious” in Uganda though it is not “alarming” as it was 15 years ago, a report released on Monday states.
The report says on the scale of 1-100, with higher scores denoting higher levels of incidence, hunger in Uganda decreased from 39.3 per cent in 2000 to 27.8 in 2015.
The report titled 2015 Global Hunger Index Armed Conflict and the Challenge of Hunger by the International Food Policy Research Initiative assesses hunger by weighing under–five stunting, mortality, undernourishment and wasting figures.
According to the report, the prevalence of stunting among children under–five in Uganda decreased from 47.6 per cent in the early 90s to 33.7 per cent in 2014.
Also, the percentage of under–five year old mortality decreased from 17.9 to 6.6 per cent. But over the same period, the proportion of undernourished population increased to 25.5 up from 23.2.
The report attributes the reduction of hunger in Uganda to the ending of armed conflict, which had disrupted livelihoods and food systems, especially in the north and northeast of Uganda.
Agriculture minister Tress Bucyanayandi when contacted for comment said he was attending a meeting.
However, shadow minister for agriculture Francis Epetait says the assessment, though showing improvement, should not be any consolation to Uganda. “How come some Ugandans are still dying of hunger in the 21st Century?” Mr Epetait told the Daily Monitor on Monday.
The report comes when an estimated 53,000 people in Karamoja are said to be starving – due to the failure of their crops as a result of a prolonged dry spell.
The Monitor
UM– USEKE.RW
