Our organisation spent the month of February interviewing farmers in Bukonzo-West constituency in a bid to ascertain the extent to which wild animals have destroyed crops in the Katholhu, Bukangara and Ruhingo areas during the year 2009 alone.
We interviewed 830 farmers and found out that there is a massive crop loss that runs into billions of Uganda shillings.
KEY OBSERVATIONS:
1. Out of the projected 1.8 Billion shillings worth of harvest, these farmers were only able to get 300 million shillings; which is about 17% of the total projected income from crops.
2. This kind of loss, 1.6 Billion shillings in one year that has continued over the years, is the major factor behind perpetual poverty in this area of Bukonzo-west constituency.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. There should be established a lasting solution to seal off the national park from the crop growing area either by use of an electric fence or acquisition of an excavator machine to deepen and maintain the trench from Lhubiriha to Nyamughasani river.
2. Government should in future consider compensating farmers for crops lost to wild animals in case strict control measures are not put in place immediately.
Compiled by
KARUGHE FARMERS’ PARTNERSHIP
