IIBM-KAMPALA

HUMAN RIGHTS AND FOOD

SECURITY

NOTES

CERTIFICATE IN
HUMAN RIGHTS AND FOOD
SECURITY

FOR THE PERIOD OF ONE MONTH

2022
 SUB-MODULE ONE:

HUMAN RIGHTS

1. INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN RIGHTS

1.1 Definitions of human rights

This refers to the basics of life that all people are entitled to have without any
restrictions. In other words, they are the necessities provided for by nature to be
freely enjoyed by all humanity without any constraints attached.

Human rights are recommended to be protected by law of every country as a

measure to safeguard them against any violations. This protection is important
because it guarantees human rights role of enhancing human dignity. On this
regard therefore, it becomes an offence in case one violates human rights.

Human rights are universal legal guarantees protecting individuals and groups
against actions which interfere with fundamental freedoms and human dignity.
These are rights an individual is entitled to by virtue of his/her status as a human
being. Every human being is entitled to enjoy his/her rights irrespective of race,
colour, sex, language, religion, political opinion, social origin, birth or any other
status. Human rights constitute the very source of all rights of human being. They
provide for moral foundation of any system of rights. Human rights can also be
referred to as basic values without which people cannot live in dignity as human
beings.

1.2 BASIC RIGHTS

These are the basic rights without which people cannot live a normal and
meaningful life. They include the following:
  Right to life, liberty and security of a person.
 Right to own property either individually or in association with others.
 Right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty by the courts of law.
 Right to marry and form a family, with free and full consent of the intending
spouses.
 Right to have or change a nationality.
 Right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion including freedom to
change from one religion or belief to another.
 Right to freedom of opinion and expression.
 Right to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression.
 Right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of one‟s
country and beyond.
 Right to education and free choice to the type and level of education.
 Right to work and free choice of employment including just and favourable
conditions of employment and protection against unemployment.
 Right to equal pay for equal work.
 Right to leisure and rest including periodic holidays with pay.
 Right to good health and well-being of a person and his family including
food, clothing, housing, medical care and necessary social services.
 Right to feely participate in the cultural life and affairs of one‟s community.
 Right to equal access to the public service of one‟s country.
 Right to participate in the political affairs of one‟s country i.e. to vote and be
voted for.

1.3 ORIGIN OF HUMAN RIGHTS

There are many historical perspectives which attempt to explain the origin of
human rights. These include:

 Early philosophers like Tomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and J.J Rousseau (1712-
1778), G.W.F, Hegel (1770-1831) failed to bring out the concept of rights in
relation to the state and only looked at the state as an authority/power. The
absence of human rights in a state leads to despotism and tyranny as the
rulers will tend to subjugate their subjects without questions. Therefore,
human rights are supposed to safeguard the people against arbitrary use of
authority/power by the dominant classes.
 The early history of mankind; the history of human rights date back to
cultural, philosophical, religious and legal development s in recorded
History. People acquired rights and responsibilities through their
membership in a group, family, indigenous nation, religion, class,
community or state.
 The early teachings of the Hindus, the Babylonian code of the
Hammurabi (1780BC), the Bible Ten Commandments and the Koran
etc; these spelt out some forms of systems concerning justice, health,
welfare and wealth of members. These documents indicated the rules and
punishments if one broke those rules. They also spelt out women‟s rights,
children‟s rights and slaves rights and responsibilities although the men
culture (patriarchy) tended to be domineering.
 The Magna Carta (1215); it was an English charter written because of the
disagreements between pope innocent 111 and kin John. It wanted the king
to renounce some rights and accept that his will could be bound by the law.
It is one of the significant documents that led to the development of the
constitutional law today such as the English bill of rights (1969), the French
 declaration of the rights of man and citizen (1789), and the U.S constitution
and bill of rights (1791). These became foundations to many of today‟s
human rights.
It also allowed citizens to appeal against unlawful punishments.
 Human rights in the 18th and 19th centuries; the term human rights came
to use in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was popularized by philosophers like
who wrote a lot about human rights and the rights to civil disobedience. By
the 19th and the 20th century, many groups had achieved profound gains in
human rights like women getting the right to vote, employment, workers‟
rights and the prohibition of slave trade as a violation of human rights. These
philosophers include Thomas Paine and David Thoreau.
 Human rights during World War 1 and world war 11; in 1919, the
League of Nations established the ILO to oversee treaties protecting workers
with respect of their rights including their health and safety. The League of
Nations later collapsed with the onset of the Second World War. The ideas
of human rights emerged as a matter of serious concern of the whole world
after the 2nd world war (1939-1945).
 The extermination by Nazi regime in Germany of over six million Jews,
homosexuals and persons with disability horrified the world. Trials were
held in Nuremberg in 1946 where some Nazis were tried for the first time in
the World for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
 Earlier in 1945, a meeting held in San Francisco had drafted the U.N charter
which was endorsed in 1948. This charter has come to be called the
universal declaration of human rights. It is at times referred to as the
international Magna Carta. It has an elaborate list of human rights and most
nations have adopted its articles in their national constitutions.
  In 1981, the O.A.U adopted the African charter on human and people‟s
rights. This charter recognised the African concept of human rights but also
considered the value of international standards set out in the universal
declaration of human rights.
 The African concept on the origin of human rights; the right to life and
security in Africa were essential rights. The most important factor in African
societies was the community. Every right would emanate from the
community rights. The group was seen as more important than the
individual. This means that individual rights could be achieved through
groups. The core A.T.S was egalitarian, having or showing beliefs that all
people are equal.
In A.T.S, the individuals enjoyed great number of rights and freedoms
including freedom of expression, movement, association and the right to
work, freedom of speech, thought, expression, and freedom of belief. To
enjoy them, one had to respect others depending on age, sex, status and
ability.

1.4 CATEGORISATION OF RIGHS

These are sometimes referred to as generations of human rights and they include
the following; first generation rights, second generation rights, and third generation
rights.

First generation rights:

These are also referred to as civil and political rights. They are rights associated
with freedoms e.g. right to life, freedom from slavery and servitude, freedom of
movement, forced or compulsory labour, liberty and security, equality before the
law, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of expression and
peaceful assembly, right to vote and be voted.

Second generation rights:

They are also referred to as economic social and cultural rights e.g. right to food,
right to health, right to education, right to shelter, right to marry, right to work and
form trade union, right to social security etc.

Third generation rights:

These refer to group rights. At times they are also referred to as solidarity,
advocacy, environmental or development rights. It is a recent category which
emerged in the 1980s. They are primarily concerned with the rights of
marginalized/vulnerable or disadvantaged groups like the women, children, and
refugees, PWDS, the elderly, destitute/homeless people and the environment.

IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS

There are reasons to justify the study of human rights and they include the
following:

 To create human rights awareness, having adequate knowledge about

human rights enables us to disseminate human rights knowledge to all the
members of the world.
 To advise on human rights observance, through studying human rights, we
understand the best way of observing the and become the appropriate
people who can save the public from human rights abuses by advising the
government and other authorities on how to protect human rights from
violations.
  For respect of human rights, as we study human rights and understand their
benefit, we gain coverage of sensitising the public to respect human rights.
We achieve this by clearly identifying the dangers that can arise from
failure to respect human rights and advise the public to desist from such
dangers.
 To expose violators of human rights, it equips us with working knowledge
about human rights and the ability to identify and report those who violet
human rights. Hereafter, the government and other authorities can take
necessary action against the violators of human rights.
 To expose victims of human rights abuses, it becomes easier to identify
people whose rights have been abused for legal authorities to give them
justice. Such justice may include compensation and protection. This
becomes necessary because it saves the victims from continuous suffering.
 To build confidence among the public, after studying and fully
understanding the reality of human rights, we educate them to the members
of the public who eventually master their nature. They therefore develop
strong confidence of claiming for their rights in all situations without any
kind of fear in case somebody attempts to take them away.
 To advocate for human rights observance, as we study and understand
human rights, we understand their importance and benefits and advocate to
the government and other authorities to protect and observe human rights
for the benefit of the public.
 To learn the benefits of human rights, we come to learn the benefits of
human rights to us and to the public at large. Hereafter, we all fully exploit
the benefits provided for by the nature of human rights.

STUDY QUESTIONS
 1. Explain the meaning of human rights and discuss the basic human
rights.
2. Account for the origin of human rights.
3. Explain the three ways in which human rights are categorised.
4. What is the importance of studying human rights as social workers?

MODULE TWO:

CHILDREN’S RIGHTS:

A child

A child is any person below the age of 18 years according to the constitution of
Uganda 1995.

A child is also any person at a tender age that is still dependent on their
parents/guardians, vulnerable and therefore needs guidance in order to grow into
maturity.

CHILDREN’S RIGHTS

Children‟s rights refer to the rights that children are entitled to by virtue of their
status as children. OR these are basics of life that all children are entitled to have
without any restrictions.

THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN

Children‟s rights are clearly laid down in the U.N convention on the rights of
children and the constitution of Uganda 1995. The following are some of the
rights:
  Non-discrimination; all children must have the same right to develop their
potential, in all situations and all the time. They should not be discriminated
on grounds of age, sex, religion, colour, and race, and tribe, economic or
ethnic background of the parents.
 Right to survival and development.
 Right to know and be cared for by parents or those entitled to bring them up
by law.
 Right to basic education.
 Right to medical treatment and protection from social and economic
exploitation.
 Right to be protected from child sacrifice, sale of children, child prostitution,
child labour and child pornography.
 Freedom from hunger, want, neglect and abuse.
 Freedom from slavery and servitude.
 Right to special care and assistance. All children whether born in or out of
the wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
 Freedom from torture.
 Right to inherit property of their parents and to become heirs of their
parents.

CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ATTAINMENT OF

CHILDREN’S RIGHTS:

 Widespread Poverty common among many families. This forces parents to

subject their children into child labour, early marriages etc which violets
their rights.
 Child sacrifice common among many families is also a violation of
children‟s right to survival.
 Child pornography and prostitution.
 Rape, defilement, molestation/indecent assault.
 HIV/AIDS which results into the death of parents and increased orphan
hood. Some children are also born with HIV/AIDS which affects their
health and creates stigma among them.
 Rampant child abuse and neglect resulting into lack of adequate care of the
child.
 Increased single mothers and female headed household resulting into
insufficient financial support, care and guidance on the side of the child.
 Political instabilities resulting into children being kidnapped and being used
as child soldiers.
 Child abuse and torture common among especially among step parents and
teachers.
 Disabilities among some children which makes them more prone to
discrimination and denial of their right.
 Poor quality education and health services common among developing
countries.
 Being exposed to anti-social behaviours like alcoholism and drug abuse at
an early age.
 Domestic violence, divorce and family separation/breakdown resulting into
children deserting from homes due to harsh conditions. This results into
increased number of street children and Juvenile delinquency.
 Negative and out-dated cultural and religious beliefs and practices like
female circumcision, forced marriages, and body tattooing.
 Poor government policies and negligence about child protection projects
and programmes.
IMPORTANCE OF CHILDREN’S RIGHTS:

Knowing children‟s right is important because they enables us to understand the

following:

 Enables us to recognise that children‟s rights should be protected and

realised so that they can develop their full potential free from hunger, abuse
and neglect.
 That children are not a property of their parents/guardians, the state or
objects for charity but human beings like anyone of us. They are members of
the family and community with rights and responsibilities appropriate to
their stages of development.
 That we must care for children‟s rights because they are the future
generations and leaders. The way they are brought up today will determine
their future contribution to society in which they will live.
 Helps us to understand the best interests of the child which can be used to
resolve any confusion between the different rights.
 We understand that taking the views of children seriously is very important.
Their voices must be heard and respected.
 We realise the importance of eliminating all forms of child labour,
implementing a minimum working age and certain working condition
requirement for children.
 That we should stop discrimination and stigmatisation of the children born
with HIV/AIDS or who have lost their parents due to HIV/AIDS. We should
provide counselling, care and support to them.
  We also come to understand that we should promote life and human dignity
through advocating for the rights of all children.
 To advocate for better quality education and health services with the
Government and other stakeholders on behalf of the children in order to
have responsible citizens in the future.
 They also enable us to encourage citizens to engage in income generating
activities to fight poverty.
 To encourage the community to abandon the negative and out-dated
religious beliefs and practices which infringe or violates the rights of
children

ADVOCATING FOR THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN

The following are the foundation principle for protecting and advocating for the
rights of the child:

 Promote the principle of Non-discrimination; all children must have the

same right to develop their potential, in all situations and all the time without
discrimination or prejudice of any kind.
 Promoting the best interest of the child; this must be a primary consideration
of all actions and decisions concerning children and must be used to resolve
any confusion between the different rights.
 Promoting the right to survival and development of children; all children
must access the basic services and equity of opportunity.
 Taking the views of children seriously ie the voices of children must be
heard and respected.
 Creating awareness about children‟s rights to all members of the society.
  By advising on the observance of children‟s right, advise the Government,
public and other authorities on how to protect children‟s right away from
violation.
 By sensitizing the public on how to respect children‟s rights and highlighting
the dangers that can arise from failure to respect children‟s right and try to
avoid them.
 By exposing the violators of children‟s rights to the Government and other
authorities such that they can take necessary action against them and serve
as examples to the rest.
 By exposing the victims of child rights abuse, by identifying those children
whose rights have been abused for legal authorities to give them justice like
compensation and protection. This will save the victim from continuous
suffering.
 By building confidence among the children; first educate children about
their rights such that they can master them, after which they will develop
strong confidence of claiming and advocating for their rights in all situations
without any kind of fear in case somebody attempts to take them away.
 By openly lobbying or advocating with the Government and other
stakeholders to observe and protect children‟s rights for the benefit of the
society/public.
 By educating the civil society and community leaders like religious leaders,
politicians, teachers and heads of institutions about the need to promote and
observe children‟s rights, in seminars, conferences, workshops and open talk
shows on Radios and TV stations.

STUDY QUESTIONS:

1. Who is a child and what are children‟s rights

 2. You have been appointed as an advocate for children‟s rights working with
NGO X, what will you educate the community about children‟s rights in
your community outreach programmes?
3. Explain the challenges you will face while educating the community about
children‟s rights.
4. (a) Discuss the importance of observing children‟s rights.
(b) Explain the strategies that can be used to advocate for children‟s rights.

MODULE THREE:

RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

This refers to the rights that people with disabilities are entitled to by virtue of their
status as human beings. OR these are basics of life that all people with disabilities
are entitled to have without any restrictions.

Definition of disability:

Disability refers to the physical or mental condition that means you cannot use a
part of your body completely or easily or that you cannot learn easily.

OR it is a state of not being able to use a part of your body completely or easily,
the state of not being able to learn easily.

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES:

These are people with some forms of defects or deformities on the part or the
whole of their bodies which can be clearly seen by others, and these deformities
have a negative impact on the life and well-being of the person/victim because they
result into malfunctioning of the body systems. Examples include lameness,
blindness, deafness, weak limbs, mental ill-health; dumbness etc. common types of
disability among children include polio, cerebralpalsy, mental retardation,
Epilepsy, visual impairment, speech/hearing impairment, Talipes/clubfoot,
osteomyelitis, cleft palate, Kyphosis, Hydrocephalus, Accidents/burns/fractures
etc.

FORMS OF DISABILITY:

There are three forms of disabilities, these includes sensory disability, mental
disability, and physical disability.

a) Sensory disabilities

This refers to the disabilities which affects the sense organs eg eyes, hears, tongue,
etc hence causing disabilities like dumbness, deafness, and blindness.

b) Mental disabilities

This refers to disabilities which affects the brains or the mental functioning of a
person. This causes mental disturbances or madness/mental ill-health.

c) Physical disabilities

This refers to disabilities which affects one or all the body limbs like the arms and
the legs causing disabilities like lameness or inability to walk and climb steps, and
to work normally

d) Intellectual disability;
This affects people‟s ability to remember things or to learn easily thus they become
slow learners. They are the people who take long to understand or are intellectually
deficiency.

REHABILITATION FROM DISASTER

There are forms of disabilities which cannot be rectified by the medical personnel.
These are serious disabilities especially most of the physical disabilities. However,
there are some disabilities which seem to be minor and they can partially be
rectified e.g. some mental disabilities.

The following therefore are some of the mitigating measures that can be applied in
order to rehabilitate the victim from disability disaster:

 Providing wheel chairs for people with physical disabilities especially weak
legs to facilitate their movements.
 Providing them with clutches.
 Advocating for the rights of people with disabilities, they should enjoy their
rights without any limit. Liaise with the government and other stakeholders
to design policies aimed at promoting the rights of people with disabilities.
 Providing counselling and guidance services aimed at comforting the
victims such that they can live a normal and meaningful life.
 Avoid all forms of discrimination of the people with disabilities, like job
discrimination, denial of land and property of the disability children etc.
 Promote equal rights to education of the disability children, they should
enjoy the same rights and opportunities like those enjoyed by their normal
counterparts in order to minimise stigma among them.
  Giving special care and attention to people or children with disabilities on
matters pertaining with health issues, development and income generating
activities.
 Providing vocational and relevant training suitable with the kind of
disability that a person has eg Braille to the blinds, sign language to the
deaf, and shoe making and mending to the lame.
 Providing psychosocial support and therapeutic interventions aimed at
restoring a person whose mental status has been affected/ damaged due to
drug and alcohol abuse. This is because some mental related illnesses are
due to drug and substance abuse.
 Work hand in hand with the psychiatric Doctor and the psychiatric/Medical
social worker to ensure the stability of the mental health of the rehabilitated
person. Ensure that he/she does not relapse.
 Work out with NGOS, voluntary agencies and other service providers to
provide relief services to the vulnerable PWDs like food, clothing, shelter,
gurgles and financial assistance where necessary.
 Ensure the job security of a person who has got any kind of disability from
the place of work. They should not be arbitrarily terminated.
 Provide social, physical, emotional, spiritual and financial support to PWDs,
either as a friend, relative, neighbour or colleague.
 Providing them with artificial hands or legs.

CAUSES OF DISABILIY:

Disability can be caused by both natural and environmental factors, as explained

below.

a) Natural factors,
 Some people are born naturally lame with some body parts missing or
dysfunctional.
 Genetic factors; some people inherit these defects from their parents or fore
grandparents through heredity.
 Family history, some people come from families with a history of mental
disturbances hence they also end up becoming mentally ill/ disturbed
 Influence of drugs and alcohol, some mental disturbances are caused due to
overdependence on drugs and alcohol, both prescribed and non-prescribed
drugs which are used excessively and addictively.
 Accidents; if a person gets an accident, it may destroy part of his/her body
parts like limbs, eyes, or brains any end up sustaining permanent damage
hence disability. These include fire accidents, road accidents, and accidents
from the place of work, at home or School.
 Noise from industries or factories, vehicles and war bombs are to some
extent also responsible for hearing impairment among a section of people in
the world.
 Fighting or affray, some people sustain permanent injuries and damages on
their bodies as a result of serious fighting with other people.
 Domestic violence and child abuse which involves serious battering and
torturing of the victim through such dangerous acts like burning, cutting,
breaking or cracking of the bones.
 Strange diseases which may require one or more of the limbs to be
amputated in order to save the victim‟s life eg cancer, leprosy etc.
 Gun shots during wars, strikes or demonstration or deliberate shooting of a
person by an armed personnel/ soldier.
  Negative cultural beliefs and practices eg casting of the offender from a
height etc.
 Dangerous games and sports activities eg football matches where some
people end up losing or breaking their legs or arms.

BASIC RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITY

 Right to education.
 Right to marry and form a family.
 Right to participate in the political affairs of their country.
 Right to be employed in any sector, whether Government or private.
 Right to equal access to the health services of a country.
 Right to equal access to the economic resources of the country.
 Right to life/ survival and development.
 Right to non-discrimination of any kind.
 Right to own and dispense property.
 Right work and free choice of employment.
 Right to inherit wealth and property of parents.
 Right to privacy, conscious, religion, freedom of opinion and expression
 Right to justice and equality before the law.

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. Define the concept „disability and explain the different forms of disability.
2. You are a community support worker in Iganga District in charge of people
with disabilities, what strategies would you adopt to help these people
rehabilitate from disaster?
3. With illustrative examples, explain the causes of disability.
 4. „Disabilities are caused by both natural and environmental factors‟. Basing
on this statement, what rights should be accorded to PWDs since it out of
their own making?

MODULE FOUR:

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

The word woman or women refers to a female human being(s) who has attained
the age of 18 years and above, according to the Ugandan constitution.

Women‟s rights refer to the rights that women are entitled to by virtue of their
status as female human beings or women. OR these are the basics of life that all
women are entitled to have without any restrictions.

ORIGIN OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS:

There are many perspectives which attempts to trace for the origin of human
rights, these includes the following:

 The early teachings of the Hindus, the Babylonian code of Hammurabi

(1780), the Bible ten commandments and the Koran. They had some form of
systems concerning justice, health, welfare and wealth of members. They
also spelt out women‟s rights, children‟s rights, and workers or slave‟s rights
and responsibilities and indicated the rules and punishments if one broke
those rules.
 The concept of women‟s rights also dates back to the early history of
mankind which involved the cultural, philosophical, religious and legal
developments in the recorded history. People, women inclusive acquired
 rights and responsibilities through their membership in a group, family,
indigenous nation, religion, class, community or state.
 The history of women‟s rights also dates back to the 18 th and 19th centuries
when it was popularised by some philosophers who wrote a lot about human
rights and civil disobedience. Consequently, many groups gained profound
gains in human rights like women getting the right to vote, employment,
worker‟s rights and prohibition of slave trade as a violation of human rights.
 The first and the second world war, there was gross violation of human
rights during this period especially women and widows. Women were
sexually harassed and there was increased widowhood and orphan hood after
the wars. Therefore, the ideas of human rights emerged as a matter of serious
concern of the whole world after the 2nd world war, geared towards
protecting the suffering women and children (1939-1945).
 The 1981 OAU African adopted charter on human and people‟s rights. This
charter recognised the African concept of human rights for different
categories of people, women inclusive and also considered the value of
international standards set out in the universal declaration of human rights
(UDHR).
 Women‟s rights in the traditional African society (T.A.S). In TAS, women‟s
rights were observed in such a way that during tribal wars, women, the
elderly and the children were protected because it was realised that women
were the sources of life while the children and the elderly were regarded as a
link between the past and the future (communion of the living).
Widows and orphans were provided food, shelter and clothes and thus were
cared for. The core of ATS was egalitarian, having or showing the belief that
all people are equal and have equal rights.
  Women‟s rights also originated from the three concepts of WID, WAD and
GAD (women in development, women and development, gender and
development). These marked the beginning of women‟s rights and freedom
because they were empowered politically, socially, and economically and
they gained their self-esteem as women.

THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN:

These are the basic rights that women are entitled to by virtue of their status as
women without any restriction or constraints attached. They include the following:

 Right to self-determination.
 Right to own and dispense property.
 Right to equality before the law.
 Right to privacy, conscious, religion, freedom of opinion and expression.
 Freedom of assembly and association.
 Right to marry and free choice of one‟s marriage partner and family to be
shared equally between partners. Equal rights to marriage, during marriage
and at its dissolution.
 Rights on the number of children and freedom of choice to contraceptives
and family planning methods.
 Right for sufficient wage to support minimum standard of living.
 Right to equal pay for equal work.
 Right to equal opportunity for advancement.
 Right to maternity leave.
 Right to free education and accessible education at all levels.
 Right to equal access to health and welfare services.
 Right to participate in the political affairs of their countries at all levels.
  Right to life, liberty and security.
 Right to work, free choice of employment, favourable conditions of work
and protection against unemployment and harassment.
 Right to fair and favourable remuneration and to other means of social
protection.
 Right to rest and leisure with reasonable limitation of working hours and
periodic holidays with pay.
 Right to form and join trade unions for the protection of one‟s interests.
 Right to freely participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the
arts and share the in the scientific advancement and its benefits
 Right to inherit property of their parents and husbands or to act as heirs to
their parents or close relatives.

IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS:

Observing or protecting women‟s is of great importance because of the following

reasons:

 Helps to fight negative cultural practices like female genital mutilation

which is very painful and is done without the consent of the Girl.
 Helps to promote the Women‟s opportunity of choosing their own marriage
partners without regard to dowry or bride price which reduces the dignity of
the woman or a Girl to that of property that can be bought or sold at any
negotiated prices.
 We recognise and acknowledge that women also have a right to own and
inherit property. Property and land ownership should not be a strict reserve
for Men.
  It teaches us to abandon negative cultural practices like widow or wife
inheritance which tantamount to equating women to property and it leads to
increased STDs or HIV/AIDS spread.
 Helps us in fighting bad vices in homes like domestic based violence (wife
beating) carried out under the guise of disciplining women, though
nowadays the trend has changed and many Men are silently victims of
domestic violence.
 Promotes equal access to education and health services between men and
women.
 Women can compete with men on the same jobs with equal pay.
 It promotes peace and security of the community.
 Increased political participation of women in the political affairs of the
country.
 Increased participation of women in the economic and income generating
activities resulting into improved standards of living in their families.
 The women will get reasonable time to attend to their newly delivered
babies before the resumption of work, after being given a three months
maternity leave.

SUDY QUESTIONS:

1. a) What are women‟s rights?

b) Trace for the origin of human rights.
2. You have been selected to represent your organization in the seminar about
women‟s rights in Fort portal District. What will be your points of
discussion about women‟s rights?
3. Explain the importance of observing women‟s rights.
 MODULE FIVE:

FOOD SECURITY

1.0 INTRODUCTION TO FOOD SECURITY

This chapter looks at the origins of the concept of chronic food insecurity, the
implications for measurement, and suggests the need for a complementary
investigation into the implications for transitory food insecurity of trade
liberalisation. The 2002 food crisis in Southern Africa is used to highlight issues
for further discussion.

1.1 definition of food security

• According to food and agriculture organization of United Nations (FAO),

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and
economic access to enough, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary
needs and food preferences for an active and healthy lifestyle.

• World Bank (1986) defines food security as the access to enough food by all
people at all times for an active and healthy life.

• However, it should be noted that much as all these definitions of what food
security look at the availability and accessibility of food, this access and
availability needs be sustainable.

• A household or community is said to be food secure if it can reliably gain

access to food in sufficient quantity and quality for all its members to
enjoy a healthy and active life.

1.2 Concepts of Food Security

From the above descriptions of food security we can say that to be food secure
means that:

1. Food is available; presence of food at all times in all places

2. Food is accessible and affordable; ability to access or receive food at an

affordable price

3. Food is adequate; and the population should have permanent food security
at all times

4. Food is utilized and nutritious. Proper usage of food to properly meet our
nutritional needs

1.3 DEFINITIONS OF SOME KEY CONCEPTS

 Food; it is a nutritious substance which people (or all living organisms) eat
or drink to maintain life and growth.
 Under nutrition; refers to a situation of being undernourished or being
poorly fed i.e. depending on food without good nutrients.
 Micronutrient deficiencies; it is a situation of depending on food without
the necessary food values e.g. vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, resulting
into negative health complications.
 Over nutrition; is an individual is consuming excess food energy/capacity
(over eating). This results into negative consequences of overweight or
obesity. All the above three aspects are components of malnutrition. Which
refer to poor or excessive feeding?
 Household food security; it is when all members at all times have access to
enough food for an active health life. Individuals who are food secure do not
live in hunger or fear of starvation.
1.4 FOOD INSECURITY

• This is a situation in which people do not have access to sufficient and

nutritious food to meet their dietary needs to enjoy a healthy and active life.

• Food insecurity is a critical constraint to economic growth and sustainable

development.

• It is an immediate cause of wide spread instability and suffering in many

countries.

CAUSES OF FOOD INSECURITY

1. Poverty (limited incomes): Poor people lack access to sufficient resources to

produce or buy quality food.

2. Disease and Infection: Poor health and death due to high prevalence of
malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS pandemic reduce food production and
accessibility.

3. Handicapping policies: Poor policies have greatly affected food security in

Africa.

4. Natural disasters such as floods, droughts and pests infestation.

5. Absence of good governance and poor management of resources.

6. High population growth rates, rapid urbanisation and rural urban

migration compared to the low food production rate.

7. Poor infrastructure (storage, power, water and transport infrastructure).

8. Inappropriate economic policies and strategies which are non responsive to

food insecurity situations.
 9. Barriers to Market Access due to due to physical and non physical
conditions.

10.Poor technology used by farmers with limited research to increase food

production.

11.Poor food security coping strategies due to collapse of local and national
food security systems.

12.High demand for locally produced food stuff in the neighboring countries
like Sudan and Kenya.

WHAT AFFECTS AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY IN UGANDA

 a decline in the stock of fish,
 post harvest losses
 effects of pests and diseases
 Climate change.
 Laziness
 Use of traditional methods of farming. Such effects have led to
decline in the contribution of agriculture to the country's GDP
over time hence affecting the country’s move towards SD

1.5 MEASUREMENTS OF FOOD SECURITY

How can food security be assessed? What are the levels and types of food
insecurity?

The state of food security varies over a range of scales, ranging from the individual
to global level. Even where food security is present at a particular individuals or
household level, it may not be so at a regional level. Conversely, while a nation or
region may be generally considered to be food secure, certain groups of individuals
may still suffer from food insecurity.

Types of food insecurity can also be distinguished by their frequency or

duration. Food security analysts have defined three general types of food
insecurity.

1. Chronic food insecurity; it is a long term and persistent condition of food

insecurity. A population suffers from chronic food insecurity when it is
unable to meet minimum food consumption requirements for extended
periods of time (approximately 6 months of the year pr long)
2. Transitory food insecurity; it is a short term and temporary condition of
food insecurity. A population suffers from transitory food insecurity when
there is a sudden drop in the ability to produce or access sufficient food for
a healthy nutritional status (e.g. after a period of drought or as a result of
conflict)
3. Seasonal food insecurity; it is a condition of food insecurity that reoccurs
predictably, following cyclical pattern of seasons.

CRITERIA FOR MEASURING/INDICATORS OF FOOD INSECURITY

No single tool can account for all dimensions of food insecurity. However, some of
the useful methods of measuring food insecurity on individual levels are
highlighted below;

1. Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS); continuous measure of

the degree of food insecurity (access) in the household in the previous
month.
 2. Household Dietary Diversity Scale (HDDS); measures the number of
different food groups consumed over a specific food reference period
(24hrs/48hrs/7days)
3. Household Hunger Scales (HHS); measures the experience of household
food deprivation based on a set of predictable reactions, captured through a
survey and summarized in a scale.
4. Coping Strategies Index (CSI); assesses household behaviors and rates
them based on a set of varied established behaviors on how households cope
with food shortages. The methodology for this index is based on collecting
data on a single question for instance what they do when they do not have
enough food, and do not have enough money to buy it.

SOURCES OF DATA

There are pyramid sources of data on food security but in order to guarantee the
framework‟s reliability and consistency the sources chosen are all UN agencies

 FAO
 ACQUASTAT- this is FAOs global information systems on water and
agriculture management. It collects, analyses, and provides free access to
over 180 variables and indicators by country from 1960.
 WHO
 UNDP
 Post-Harvest Survey- (CSO) (Civil Society Organisation)
 Vulnerability Assessment Committee (VAC)

What affects agriculture and food security in Uganda

 A decline in the stock of fish,

 Post harvest losses
  Effects of pests and diseases
 Climate change. Which is sometimes unpredictable?
 Laziness
 Use of traditional methods of farming such effects have led to decline in the
contribution of agriculture to the country's GDP over time hence affecting
the country
 Global water crisis due to global warming.
 Natural calamities such as drought, floods, landslides, earthquakes,
hailstorms.
 Poor infrastructure development e.g. poor transportation and communication
means due to poor and inaccessible roads.
 Apathy towards agriculture, people have a negative attitude towards
farming, they prefer white color jobs
 Poor technology e.g. use of rudimentary tools
 Man made factors such as wars or political instability and deforestation.

SUB-MODULE SIX:
PILLARS OF FOOD SECUTITY
Pillars of food security are also known as components of food security. Today the
concept of food security is generally understood to incorporate four main
components/ pillars: availability, accessibility, utilisation, and stability; although
some see stability as a separate cross cutting factor. For a state of food security to
exist, all of these components must be sufficiently present.
These four main components have supporting elements as discussed below;

FOOD AVAILABILITY/SUPPLY
THE availability of sufficient quantities of food of appropriate quality, supplied
through domestic production or imports (including food aid).
Enough nutritious food of sufficient quality needs to be available to people for
their consumption. Availability can be affected by;
 Production; how much and what type of food are available through food
that is produced and store locally
 Distribution; how is food made available (circulated or physically moved),
in what form, when and to whom
 Exchange; how much of food that is available can be obtained through
exchange mechanism such as barter trade, purchase or loans.

ACCESSIBILITY TO FOOD/ FOOD ACCESS

Refers to the ability by individuals to adequate resource (entitlements) for
acquiring appropriate foods for a nutritious diet. Entitlements are defined as the set
of all commodity bundles over which a person can establish and command the
given legal, political, economic and social arrangements of the community in
which they live (including traditional rights such as access to common resources).
Individuals and households must be able to acquire sufficient food to be able to eat
a health, nutritious diet, or have access to sufficient resources needed to grow their
own food (e.g land). Access can be affected by;
 Affordability: the ability of individuals, households or communities to
afford the price of food or land for producing food, relative to their incomes.
 Allocation: the economic, social and political mechanisms governing when,
where and how food can be accessed by consumers and on what terms. For
example food may be unequally allocated according to age and gender
within households.
  Preference: social, religious and cultural norms and values that influence
consumer demand for certain type of food (e.g. religious prohibitations or
the desire to follow a specific dietary pattern such as vegetarianism)

FOOD UTILISATION
This refers to the proper usage of food through adequate diet, clean water,
sanitation and healthcare to reach a state of nutritional wellbeing where all
physiological needs are met. This brings out the importance of non food inputs in
food security.
People must have access to sufficient quantity and diversity of foods to meet their
nutritional needs but must also be able to eat and proper metabolize such food.
Utilization can be affected by:
 Nutritional value: the nutritional value that can be provided by the foods
that are consumed, as measured in calories, vitamins, proteins, and various 5
micro nutrients i.e. iron, iodine, vitamin A.
 Health status: the effect of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, OR DIARRHEA
on the ability to consume food and absorb and metabolize its nutrients
 Food safety: access to food free from food spoilage or toxic contamination
introduction during producing, processing, packaging, distribution or
marketing of food, and from food borne diseases such as salmonella.
 Preparation and consumption: the resources (e.g. cook9ing tools and
fuel), knowledge and ability to prepare and consume food in a health and
hygienic way.

FOOD STABILITY/SUSTAINABILITY
Food maybe available and accessible to people who are able to utilize it
effectively, but to avoid increase in mal-nutrition and in order for people not feel
insure , this state of affairs needs to be enduring rather than temporary or subject to
influence
To be food secure, a population, household or individuals must have access to
adequate food at all times. They should not risk losing access to food as a
consequence of sudden shock (e.g. an economic or climatic crisis) or cyclical
events (e.g. seasonal food insecurity). The concept of stability can therefore refer
to both the availability and access dimensions of food security.
In conclusion, altogether, the importance of all the four food security components
is reflected in the widely accepted definition of an inspirational state of food
security, put forward by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation:

“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and
economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary
needs and food preferences for an active and health life”

SUB-MODULE SEVEN
CHALLENGES OF ACHIEVING FOOD SECURITY
MARKET ACCESS
Market access refers to the ability of individuals, communities or countries to
acquire markets for their agricultural products (for sale and purchase). It can also
be inform of imports or exports between two countries.
Market access can be facilitated by the following;
 Abandoning or relaxing agricultural and religious food prohibitations/taboos
 Promoting informative and persuasive advertisement
 Maintaining political stability
 Improvement in the transport and communication network
 Removal of trade barriers between countries
  Embracing globalization
 Including women in development activities, agriculture inclusive
 Encouraging free access to natural resources
 Promoting cooperatives and marketing boards
 Encouraging regional integration to ensure collective bargaining

BARRIERS TO MARKETING ACCESS

Free market access facilities can be curtailed by the following;
 Negative cultural and religious prohibitations/taboos about some foodstuffs
 Political instabilities common in some countries
 Poor transport and communication networks like roads
 Poor climatic conditions like heavy rainfall, winter and summer
 Heavy post harvest losses incurred by farmers
 Natural calamities or hazards e.g. floods, landslides, drought, earthquakes,
etc
 Poor taxation policies common in some countries, some governments
impose heavy taxes on farmers and they also practice selective taxation
 Poor cooperation/ relationship between two neighboring countri8es
 Poor quality agricultural products produced by some countries/households
 Stiff competition between countries producing similar products
 Price fluctuation common especially to agricultural products
 Perishability of most agricultural products, they thus lose value and market

EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION (CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT

OBSTRUCTION)
Globalization refers to all those processes by which all the people of the world are
incorporated into a single world society, turning it into a “single village”. It implies
that the world has become a single social system as a result of growing ties of
interdependence. This is reflected in terms of global economies, politics,
technology, culture, industrialization, communication and media, trade and
business, education, religion etc
Advantages of globalization
1. It encourages free cooperation between countries
2. It results into the introduction of modern technology in poor countries
3. It ensures peace and freedom in the whole world
4. It promotes political stability and unity among all the nations of the world
5. Facilitates trade and business throughout the world through internet
marketing
6. It promotes world industrialization and urbanization
7. It enhances education and sports through e-learning and gaming
8. It facilitates easy transportation of goods and services worldwide through all
the four means of transport i.e. air, water, railway and roads
However, despite the advantages, globalization has the following effects, which
poses as a big challenge towards achieving effective food security;
Challenges of globalization
1. Industrialization and urbanization results into environmental pollution
thereby affecting crop growth
2. It also results into lack of land for cultivation hence limited harvest
3. Deforestation to clear the way for agro-based industries results into lack of
rain and consequently desertification
4. Swamp reclamation to set up towns and industries results into silting which
destroys the ecosystem and also kills the aquatic life
 5. It promotes internet or white colour prostitution. This is responsible for
increased HIV/AIDS spread which kills the young and energetic population
who would participate in agriculture
6. Increased global warming; the temperatures of the world become too high
and this cannot favor crop growth
7. Indigenous or native African food is destroyed/extinct and replaced by the
genetically modified foods through biotechnology, this is very harmful to the
future generation because genetically modified food lacks some nutrients
8. Rural urban migration renders the elderly more vulnerable and helpless,
hence a big threat to the agriculture sector as a result of urbanization
9. Loss of fertile soils is becoming a critical consequence for health, food
production, productivity, and perhaps the ability of the earth to support
human life, due to fumigation and application of inorganic fertilizers
10.Chronic hunger or famine partly due to poor climate and soils and because
people have become more pre-occupied in trade and neglected agriculture.
Therefore, the rapidly increasing world population cannot be properly fed
(malnourished)

DISEASE AND INFECTION

A disease is an illness that affects human, animals or plants and often caused by
infections. On the other hand, infections refer to an illness that is caused by
bacteria or a virus that affects one part of the body.
Diseases and infection are usually caused by pests and vectors and they
consequently cause serious damages and losses. Examples of these pests and
vectors include tsetse fly, tapeworms, hookworms, caterpillars, rats, bean weevil,
maize weevil, termites, animals and birds (in a blended form)
They transmit diseases like sleeping sickness, foot and mouth disease, swine flu,
barrenness, cassava mosaic, banana wilt, stunted growth, coccidiosis, east coast
fever etc (blended form still)
The losses caused by these pests and diseases/their effects in achieving effective
food security include;
 Poor yields/ harvest hence loss of interest in agriculture (demoralized)
 Death of crops/animals, resulting into widespread poverty and vulnerability
 Stunted growth of crops/animals
 Hunger and famine, diseases and death of people due to malnourishment
 Diseases to human beings after eating contaminated food/meat/milk
 Quarantining of the infected places hence a heavy loss to the farmers
 Poor quality products hence loss of market at local and international level;
 Loss of revenue inform of taxation to the government
 Heavy costs of reproduction, there are heavy costs incurred in buying
pesticides, drugs for treating animals etc. which increases the costs of
production
 Poor physical and cognitive development
Diseases and infections affecting livestock or crops can have devastating effects on
food availability and therefore, contingency measures/plans must be put in place to
mitigate the situation. These include;
 Spraying using pesticides and relevant chemicals.
 Vaccination
 Introduction of disease and drought resistant varieties
 Dipping animals
 Good storage systems after harvest etc
 SUB-MODULE EIGHT
APPROACHES TO FOOD SECURITY
These are the measures/programmes for promoting food security at household,
community, national, regional and international level/global level, to advert/curb
food insecurity with all its negative consequences (hunger/famine, diseases, death,
poverty etc.,) such programmes are implemented by the government, NGOs and
international agencies.

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS IN FOOD SECURITY

This means making agreements or entering into negotiations with other countries
worldwide to ensure that global food security exists to meet the challenge of
providing the world‟s fast growing population with sustainable and secure supply
of good quality food.

The international global partnership agencies of food security, sometimes called

assessment approach agencies include

1. Global information and early warning system (GIEWS), FAO.

2. Famine early warning system (FEWS), WFP.
3. Emergence food security assessment (EFSA), WFP.
4. Integrated phase classification (IPC), multi-agency 1
5. Household economy approach (HEA), FEG, SCUK.
6. Economic security assessment (ESA), ICRC.
 7. Household livelihood security(HLS), CARE International
8. Sustainable livelihoods framework (SLF), OXFAM International.
9. Nutrition causal analysis approach (NCAA), AAH
10.Food and nutritional assessment (FNA), MSF.
11.Livelihood assessment toolkit (LAT), FAO/ILO

ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT

Ecosystem refers to all the plants and living creatures in a particular area in
relation to their physical environment. It also focuses on how to make proper use
of these living organisms to increase food security.

Ecosystem involves things like grass, trees, bushes, shrubs, wetlands/swampy

areas, forests, animals (domestic and wild animals). The physical environment
includes soil/land and all the components on it like water, rocks etc.

We can make use of these organisms to increase food security through the
following ways,

 Avoiding bush burning because it destroys the soil particles.

 Avoid swampy reclamation or wetland destruction because it causes silting,
hence loss of arable soils for cultivation. Don‟t encroach on wetland.
 Making use of animal and birds waste like the litters and the dung to
increase soil fertility.
 Slashed or dug down grass should be left to decompose in order to make
manure (organic fertilizers)
 Making use of waste products from the agro based industries to increase soil
fertility, e.g. coffee and cotton husks, sugar cane/cereal residues etc.
  Protect, preserve and conserve nature, avoid deforestation and de-vegetation
because it results
 Protect the soil, don‟t dump polythene bags on it since it prevents the water
from percolating into the soil during rain, use the 3Rs i.e. recycling, reusing,
and recovering.
 Practice bush farrowing: over cultivated land should be left under the bush
for a specified period of time to regain fertility.
 Spearhead a tree planting campaign (reforestation) to control soil erosion.
Attract rainfall and avoid desertification.

INTRODUCTION TO MECHANIZED AGRICULTURE

Mechanization refers to the use of machines in the farm/agriculture. It is denotes a

shift or process of changing from the use of human labor to use of modern and
advanced machines in farms and livestock. This is aimed at modernizing or
innovating agriculture and increasing production.

Examples of these machines include:

 Tractors and caterpillars or bulldozers.

 Irrigation machines like sprinklers and spraying machines.
 Harvesting machines like the combined harvesters.
 Lorries and vehicles for transportation.
 Loading and offloading machines/ automated offloading vehicles.
 Ox-ploughs for cultivation etc.

Mechanization tools/devices vary from country to country and from region to

region depending on the terrain and topography among other factors.

The advantages of mechanization include:

  It saves time and resources.
 It results into increased production.
 It promotes large scale production.
 It creates employment opportunities to many different categories of people.
 It provides ready market to the sellers of mechanization devices e.g.
vehicles, sprinklers etc.
 It is a source of revenue to the government in form of taxation.
 It promotes economic growth and development.
 It boosts the agro-based industries by encouraging large scale production.
 It ensures the stability of food security, and the surplus can be used for sale
hence increased income and standards of living of the people.
 Maternal child health will be improved, hence a reduction in morbidity or
maternal and child mortality, since there is access to nutritious food,

Disadvantages

 Pollution of the environment.

 Land degradation hence soil erosion.
 Deforestation and de-vegetation.
 Introduction of the genetically modified organs in form of fast maturing
crops.

GAZETTING PRATICULAR AREAS FOR LIVESTOCK FARMING

Gazetting in this context means officially turning a piece of land into a livestock
farm for cattle rearing. This can be done either by the government or private
individuals. In Uganda, most farms are privately owned and very few of them
belong to the government.
Factors to be considered when selecting a particular piece of land/place for
livestock farming (gazetting):

 Topography or terrain of the place.

 Availability of enough water in the place.
 Availability of enough pasture or grass in the place.
 Absence of vectors or disease transmitting organisms in the place.
 Accessibility of the place in terms of transport. The area must be accessible.
 Security of the place. It must be free and sfe. Without thieves/rustlers.
 There must be enough trees to provide shade for the animals during the dry
season, or for the animals to rest.
 The place must be well fenced to avoid animals from encroaching on the
neighbors crops, which will bring conflicts.
 The place must also be politically stable without wars or conflicts.

Advantages of livestock farming/rationale for livestock farming

 For milk production

 Meat and beef products
 Increased soil fertility in form of manure from cow dung
 Provision of food which is rich in nutrients eg butter, ghee, yoghurts etc.
 Source of income to famers.
 Provision of employment opportunities to people.
 It promotes increased food security.
 It is a source of revenue to the government in form of taxation.
 Source of pride to some people and it performs a very significant role in
some cultural ceremonies like marriage/dowry, circumcision and last funeral
rites.
Problems of livestock farming

 Cattle rustling i.e. theft of animals by the of force and guns.

 Pest/vectors and diseases.
 Over-taxation from the government.
 Poor breeds due to cultural rigidity.
 Drought hence lack of pasture and water.
 Lack of enough land/land shortage.
 Lack of enough market for the farm products.
 Poor transport and communication means.
 Lack of veterinary services/personnel especially in rural areas.

Possible solutions

 Introduction of artificial insemination to control poor breeds.

 Training of more veterinary doctors to fight diseases.
 Rehabilitation and maintenance of feeder roads to ease transport.
 Introduction of drought resistant grass varieties.
 Revival of cooperatives to create market for the farm products.
 Peace talks with the rebels to end wars in some areas.
 Construction of water reservoirs to fight water shortage during the dry
season.
 Abandoning negative cultural beliefs and practices which emphasize the
rearing of poor breeds which are unproductive.

REDUCING POST HARVEST LOSSES

Post-harvest losses are losses which are made or which occur after the harvest,
when the products are still in store/granaries or during transportation. Post-harvest
losses can be caused by:
  Bad storage system, keeping the products in a ramshackle house/place.
 Theft of the products by thieves and thugs/robbers.
 Post-harvest pests e.g. bean and maize weevil, termites (sometimes) etc.
 Perishability of most agricultural products, they end up rotting before sale.
 Poor transportation systems with poor roads full of potholes which become
impassable and flooded during the wet or rainy season.
 Lack of market for agricultural products due to stiff competition since all the
agricultural products are harvested at the same season.
 Price fluctuation, prices of agricultural products are unstable, they always
rise and fall all the time hence farmers end up selling them at a relatively
lower and losing price.
 Over-taxation, heavy taxes are imposed on some agricultural products by the
government due to poor economic policies in some developing countries.
 Poor quality of products hence they end up being rejected on the
international market.

Measures to reduce post-harvest losses

 Ensure good storage system, products must be stored in a safe place.

 Improvement on transport and communication means by rehabilitating
feeder roads.
 Ensure good quality control to minimize the possibility of poor quality
products.
 Revival of cooperatives to provide market facilities to farmers.
 Provision of vigilant security for the products to avoid theft.
 Protect the products from the post-harvest pests by storing them in sacks.
 Before harvesting the most perishable products, ensure that there is ready
markets to avoid incurring unnecessary losses e.g. cassava, potatoes etc.
  The government should relax on its poor taxation policies and stop over
taxing farmers but levy a reasonable tax affordable by farmers.

IMPROVEMENT ON FOOD STORAGE SYSTEMS

Measures that can be adopted to improve on food storage systems include:

1. Construction of more storage places like stores, granaries, and warehouses.

2. Rehabilitation and refurbishment of the already existing storage places
which are dilapidated or in a sorry state.
3. In case the food is perishable and there is no ready market, you can preserve
it like for the case of cassava, potatoes etc. it can be preserved by peeling
and sun drying and kept in granaries.
4. Other fast rotting foods like fish can be preserved by smoking, sun drying,
freezing etc.
5. Food preservatives should be applied to soft foods and be turned into other
products like milk can be changed into yoghurt, butter, ghee etc.
6. Storing the food in refrigeration for a specified period of time.
7. Cereals can be grinded and turned into flour which can last for long time and
kept in stores, this can also protect it from post-harvest pests like rates etc.
8. Buffer stock and stabilization funds, through the revival of cooperatives,
farmers can sell their products at a reasonable price and be kept for some
time before it is put on the market for sale.
9. Sun drying the products in a clean and safe environment, to ensure high
quality and avoid contamination.
10.Analyzing the risks of becoming food insecure and take appropriate
measures to mitigate the situation e.g. analyze the impact of becoming food
insecure as a result of floods and do the needful.
SUB-MODULE 5: FOOD SECURITY INTERVENTIONS

These are strategies that can be adopted to ensure that there is enough nutritious
food in the society and people have enough access to it all times.

NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS

These are programmes aimed at addressing the immediate and underlying cases of
malnutrition. This can be done by resolving or improving the nutrition diagnosis or
nutrition problems by provision of advice, education or delivery of the food
components of a specific diet or meal plan tailored to the patient/clients‟ needs.

Examples of nutritional interventions include:

 Breast feeding intervention: breast feeding infants is one of the most

effective ways to ensure child health and survival. It provides good nutrients
to the infant and also boosts its brains or mental ability.
 Behavioral interventions: this focuses on the adjustment of personal
practices and habits e.g. adding nutrients to staple foods (fortifying),
provision of mixtures of nutrients separately from the diet.
 Regulatory interventions: are those aimed at regulating certain nutrition and
related activities and actions which have an impact on nutrition and health
outcomes e.g. forgoing some meals at particular times.
 Nutritional counseling: this focuses on improving nutrition for particular
categories of people e.g. the HIV/AIDS patients in order to increase their
immunity, proper nutrition for mothers to produce healthy babies and that
given to vulnerable people like the elderly to prolong their lives.
 A general improvement of famine prevention capacities. This will require
early warning symptoms and strategic food reserves.
  Increased production of drought resistant crops oriented towards small scale
farming systems and the consumption of a wide variety of foods in urban
and rural areas.
 Increased backyard vegetable gardens in urban and pre-urban areas.

FACILITATING MARKET ACCESS

Market access refers to the ability of individuals, communities or countries to

acquire markets for their products, which they intend to buy or sell/import or
export. This market access can be facilitated by:

a) Conducting market research to find out potential customers.

b) Promoting internet marketing, buying and selling products on social media.
c) Promoting advertisement in form of persuasive, informative and promotional
advertisement.
d) Maintaining political stability
e) Improvement in the transport and communication means to enhance smooth
transfer of products
f) Removal of trade barriers between countries
g) Embracing globalization
h) Regional economic integration to achieve collective bargaining
i) Revival of cooperatives and marketing boards to create a wider market base
j) Improving on the quality of products to minimise on the stiff competition

CAPACITY BUILDING
Capacity building means empowering farmers to increase their ability of growing
more crops in order to ensure food in the community or country, other factors not
withstanding like natural hazards, poverty, infertile soils etc. this can be done by
the government and private agencies through adopting the following strategies;
1. Encouraging the youth to participate in farming and embrace agriculture;
they should not leave it for the week elderly, they should not be apathetic
2. Providing better quality seeds to the farmers i.e. fast maturing, drought and
disease resistant varieties
3. Modernizing agriculture through mechanization and provision and
application of fertilizers
4. Disease and pest control mechanisms should be emphasized to increase
productivity, try to reduce on the post harvest losses
5. Training and development of more agriculture experts in rural areas. These
include agriculture extension officers, veterinary officers, researchers and
agronomists
6. Improvement in transport and communication means by rehabilitating feeder
roads tom enhance easy transportation of products
7. Providing affordable loans to the farmers to enable them purchase pesticides
and other facilities
8. Good ecosystem management should be encouraged
9. Creating market facilities to the farmers, this will motivate them to grow
more crops

GENDER SENSITIVITY DEVELOPMENT

This refers to the ability to recognize gender gaps, particularly women
empowerment to increase their ability to participate in agricultural activities
Practically women participation in most economic activities, agriculture inclusive
has been low compared to their male counterparts. This can be attributed to the
following reasons;
  Physically women are weak and they cannot perform well in agriculture as
compared to men
 Lack of access to natural resources especially land which is vital for
agriculture. Most women are denied the opportunity to own land
 Lack of capital due to lack of access to cheap and affordable loans due to
lack of mortgages
 Most women are evicted away from their homes after the death of their
husbands; they end up losing their property like house and land
 Loss of morale; most women are demoralized or demotivated especially
when they harvest crops and they are forcefully sold away by their husbands.
This coupled with other factors such as natural hazards make them apathetic.
 Negative and outdated cultural beliefs and practices of regarding women as
mens property also make their participation low in agriculture
 High level of illiteracy among especially rural women makes them unable to
adapt modern farming practices which are productive
 Unstable marriages; most marriages nowadays are unstable or temporary,
women therefore fear to undertake agriculture in such marriages since they
are aware that they will benefit from it due to anticipated marriage
breakdown
 Rampant and forceful land evictions which are common nowadays in
Uganda, affecting especially the women and widows
Therefore, the following strategies can be put in place to promote gender
sensitivity development for women to participate in agriculture and increase food
security
 Enhancing women‟s access to and control of natural resources especially
land. Poor policies should be abolished
  Promoting education for women or the girl child tom increase their
knowledge about modern agriculture
 Alleviating poverty among women by enabling them to participate in
income generating activities
 Changing negative cultural and religious practices/laws that keep women
behind like viewing them as only sex objects and men‟s property
 Training more women to become agricultural extension workers, veterinary
officers, researchers, agronomist, NAADS coordinators etc
 Empowering them politically, socially and economically to increase their
ability to participate in agriculture and increase food security addressing
issues like gender based/domestic violence, sexual harassment, gender
stereotypes at all levels, which hinder women participation in agriculture
 Strict policies should be enacted to address the issue of land eviction and
heavy penalties imposed on culprits.

BUILDING ON COPING STRATEGIES

Coping strategies are measures put in place to encourage individuals and
communities to continue practicing agriculture despite heavy losses incurred in
farms and livestock; as a result of pests and diseases and other catastrophes
These loses can be as a result of natural calamities like drought, floods, landslides,
earthquakes, hailstorms, and artificial factors like price fluctuations, theft, fire
outbreak, poor transportation means etc
When all these occurs and far4mers incur a heavy loss, there is need to counsel
them and instill courage in them such that they should not lose hope but continue
trudging on with agriculture. This can be done by adapting the following measures;
 Provision of loans to farmers to facilitate their recovery
  Compensating for their losses through insurance. They should be
encouraged to embrace insurance schemes
 Provision of machinery like tractors, sprinklers, irrigation schemes, spraying
machines, harvesters etc.
 Encourage good storage system of products after harvest.
 Creation of market facilities for the farmers and providing ready solutions
against price fluctuation
 Improvement of transport and communication networks by constructing and
rehabilitation o f feeder roads to the villages
 Revising on the taxation polices, avoid over taxation and selective taxation
 Sensitization of local communities to rick on agriculture despite adversities
to avoid famine and malnutrition.

CREATION OF FARM OPPORTUNITIES

It refers to the attempts to increase production in farms by adapting better methods
and techniques of farming, in both livestock and agriculture.
This consequently results into increased food security through increased milk and
meat production, generates employment opportunities, provision of nutritious food
rich in food values, improved living conditions, enhancing economic growth and
development etc
This can be done by undertaking the following;
Agriculture modernization
Market research and internet advertisement
Irrigation, fertilization, mechanization
Introduction of artificial insemination to get good breeds
Good ecosystem management
Re-a forestation
Good motivation of farm workers
Good transportation systems
Recruitment of more qualified and experienced agricultural workers

END, GOOD LUCK-