Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The food systems are under great pressure to produce enough food to feed the growing population and lower environmental impacts on the already fragile ecosystems, and yet food insecurity remains one of the major global challenges. Food systems are one of the leading contributors in the transgression of the planetary boundaries causing adverse effects that threaten life in all forms. However, incorporating sustainable food system practices and approaches like kitchen garden farming, which are adaptable to adverse conditions and utilise little available resources with minimal or no external support, provides opportunities for enhancing food security and livelihoods in even fragile ecosystems like the drylands.
Drylands cover 44% of Uganda’s land surface, supporting food production and livelihood for both the rural and urban populations. The Karamoja region, where this study was conducted, is a dryland area characterised by, hot temperatures, sporadic rains, land degradation, poverty, and 45% of the population being malnourished, has left the area vulnerable to food insecurity and always in need of humanitarian aid. In addition to biodiversity conservation, improved livelihoods, and land restoration, kitchen garden farming presents a beacon of hope.
This thesis aimed to characterise and assess the production of kitchen gardens and their contribution to food security and livelihoods in the Karamoja region, focusing on Moroto district in northeastern Uganda. On that effect, quantitative data was obtained from household surveys while qualitative data was obtained from focus group discussions, and key informant interviews which covered six sub counties and fourteen villages. The quantitative data was organised using KoboToolbox software and analysed using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).
The findings of the study suggest that there is diversity in kitchen garden practise in Moroto district based on the eight characterisation parameters used in this study: location, species diversity, harvest frequency, source of planting materials, landownership, production objective, motivation to start kitchen garden farming, and labour source. Based on the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, 70% of the respondents were food secure and 30% were mildly food insecure, which can be attributed to a number of factors like good harvest and food availability in 2024 in Moroto district. Kitchen gardens are a source of food and income for households and, to a small extent, influence household food choices. The price for fresh leafy vegetables per square meter is less than one USD, and its yield per square meter is almost 2kg. Kitchen gardens also contribute to community cohesion, peace, youth engagement and status uplifting for households and communities engaged in kitchen garden farming. Kitchen garden farming is affected by; knowledge and skills for kitchen garden farming, access to agricultural inputs, access to water, kitchen garden farming approaches used, species of vegetables and crops grown, pests and diseases, thieves, and attitude and mindset of the communities, among others.
Kitchen garden farming has the potential to enhance food security and livelihoods in Moroto district if the factors affecting kitchen garden farming are addressed in combination with more research, use of a holistic approach that caters for knowledge and skills transfer and utilisation and designing context-specific interventions that suit the people of Moroto.