Free Access | 2024-04-12

Sugarcane Production and Food Security in Uganda

Authors/Editors: Madina M. Guloba (PhD) ,  Swaibu Mbowa (PhD) ,  Florence Nakazi

Abstract:

The study analyses the relationship between households’ participation in sugarcane production and food security in Uganda’s major producing subregions of Buganda, Busoga and Bunyoro. Using primary data collected from 1,771 households and group discussions, the study uses three different measures of food security: — Household Food Insecurity Access Score (HFIAS); Months of Adequate Household Food Provisioning (MAHFP); and Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) to lay a picture into this sugarcane -food security nexus. Findings revealed higher average HFIAS, MAHFP and HDDS values for cane-growing households compared to non-cane growers. Poisson estimates of the three food security scores and an Ordered Probit Model of Food Insecurity Scale, derived from HFIAS found that farm households engaging in cane production in 2021 had lower levels of food insecurity and a higher number of months of food adequacy on average, relative to households not producing cane, while controlling for other factors known to influence household food security. Other factors such as the dependence on unstable wage income, faith in indigenous religions, large family size, and shocks like crop pests and diseases, being resident in Busoga and Bunyoro sub-regions compared to Buganda led to increased food insecurity. On the other hand, better access to food and a household having more months of adequate food provisions improved in male-headed households, households headed by persons of reasonable age, a stable annual salary income; maximum education of female adults; the number of livestock owned; the value of household assets; and the number of food crops grown. The study finds no significant effect of cane production on HDDs. Food insecurity score increased for households in which decision-making on crop choices on what to plant on plots was done jointly (both male and spouse) and only female head/spouse with no significant effect of decision making on crop marketing and income from sales.