JANGOKOROFOODSECURITYPROJECT

RAPIDBASELINESTUDYREPORT




Preparedby:
Dr.AlfredLakwo&WilfredCwinyaai
AgencyforAcceleratedRegionalDevelopment
(AFARD)






July20,2009




ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This study was conducted under the Jangokoro Food Security Project with funding support
fromManosUnidas(GrantnumberUGA/58871AFARD).TheAgencyForAcceleratedRegional
Development (AFARD) is grateful for this funding support. Further, AFARD is appreciativeof
theeffortsinvestedbythecommunitymembersofAdioberGroupandCanmuwaGroupduring
fielddatacollectionprocesses.

However,AFARDtakesfullresponsibilityfortheviewsanderrorsexpressedherein.

Dr.AlfredLakwo
ProgrammeDirector

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ACRONYMS

AFARD = AgencyforAcceleratedRegionalDevelopment

FO = FieldOfficers

LLG = LowerLocalGovernment

UGX = UgandaShillings

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TABLEOFCONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .......................................................................................................................... 1
ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................................................ 2
LISTOFFIGURES,ANDTABLES .............................................................................................................. 4
EXECUTIVESUMMARY.......................................................................................................................... 5
1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 6
1.1 Basisforthestudy............................................................................................................. 6
1.2 Datacollectionmethodsandprocesses........................................................................... 6
1.3 Structureofthereport ...................................................................................................... 7
2 ABOUTTHEPROJECTBENEFICIARIES .............................................................................................. 8
2.1 ProjectOutreach ............................................................................................................... 8
2.3 Beneficiaryhouseholdcharacteristics.............................................................................. 9
3 SUSTAINABLEAGRICULTUREPRACTICES ...................................................................................... 10
3.1 Mainfarmingsupportsystems ....................................................................................... 10
3.2 Varietiesofcropsbeingplanted ..................................................................................... 10
3.3 Breedsoflivestockbeingreared .................................................................................... 11
3.4 Utilizationofbestfarmingpractices .............................................................................. 12
3.6 Naturalresourcesmanagement ..................................................................................... 13
3.7 Yieldsfromcropfarming ................................................................................................ 13
3.8 Marketingpractices ........................................................................................................ 14
3.9 Incomefromfarming ...................................................................................................... 14
3.10 Nutritionpractices .......................................................................................................... 15
4 FOODSECURITYSTATUS ............................................................................................................ 16
4.1 Foodsecurityconcept..................................................................................................... 16
4.2 Foodsecuritystatus ........................................................................................................ 16
5 MONITORINGANDEVALUATIONFRAMEWORK .............................................................................. 18
6 WAYFORWARD ......................................................................................................................... 19

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LISTOFFIGURES,ANDTABLES

Figure 1: Utilizationofnaturalresourcesmanagementpractices(%) ..................................... 13

Figure2: Prevailingmarketingpracticesbydistrict .................................................................. 14

Table1: Outreachdemographiccharacteristics ........................................................................ 8

Table2: Householdcharacteristics(%) ...................................................................................... 9
Table3: Percentdistributionoffarmingsupportsystems ...................................................... 10
Table4: Percentdistributionofvarietiesofcrops ................................................................... 11
Table5: Livestockbreedsandquantityrearedbydistrict ....................................................... 11
Table6: Utilizationofbestagronomicandlivestockhusbandrypractices(%) ....................... 12
Table7: Cropyieldslastseason(June2009) ............................................................................ 13
Table8: Incomefromfarming(atatJune2008) ...................................................................... 15
Table9: Utilizationofsafenutritionpractices(%) ................................................................... 15
Table10: Foodsecuritystatusbydistrict ............................................................................... 17
Table11: Themonitoringandevaluationchecklistandtargets ............................................ 18

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EXECUTIVESUMMARY

Whyandhowthebaselinestudy

Manos Unidas extended a small grant (Ref # UGA 5887 AFARD) to AFARD for a 1year
Jangokoro Food Security Project. This project, AFARD envisaged, will improve the food and
economicsecuritystatusofthepeopleinJangokorosubcountythroughincreasingsustainable
access to improved agrotechnologies and improving safe nutrition practices. For a relevant
entry now and succinct accountability at the end of the project, it became important to
establishthecurrentstatusofrecommendedagriculturalandsafenutritionpracticesandfood
securityamongbenefitinghouseholds.Thatiswhythisbaselinestudywasconducted.

The survey that covered all the project benefiting households in the two community based
groups ofCanmuwaand Adiober wasconducted under the supervisionof AFARD staff. Data
was collected by local trained personnel who reached out to all community group members
using a questionnaire designed to capture household and individual information. Data entry,
cleaning, and analysis followed by report generation were then conducted within AFARD
offices.Belowarethefindings.

Finding1. Projectbeneficiaries
Adiober and Canmuwa groups have 90 members (46 males and 44 females) in whose
households591people(51.4%females)reside.Thepeoplearelargelysemi/illiterate.They
dependentirelyonfarmingonsmallpiecesoflandforaliving.
Theyliveingrassthatchedhouses,travelonfoot,lighttheirhouseswithparaffinlampsand
cannotaffordbasicfood,medicationandeducationfortheirchildren.

Finding2. Sustainableagriculturepractices
Morethan50%dependonneighborsforknowledgeaboutfarming.
Thereisoverdependenceonlocalseedsthathavelostgeneticvigorandhavesuccumbed
todiseases.
Practicesthatconserveandenhancethesoilarenotused.
Currentcropyieldsareabout30%ofwhatwouldhavebeenrealizedifimprovedseedsand
betterfarmingpracticeswereused.
Sellingfarmproduceinsmallquantitiesduringharvesttimewithoutprocessingalsolowers
returnstoresourcesspent.
Incomefromcropsisextremelylow(Ush12,000perseason=5euroequivalent).

Finding3. Foodsecurity
Only22%knowabout,andeatbalanceddiet.
Only6%havefoodallyearroundandonly14%canaffordtobuyfoodfromthemarket.

Conclusion
The project has targeted typical poor peasant and food insecure farmers who are using
traditionaltechnologiestoekealivingfromsmallpiecesofland.Theydonothaveknowledge
about how to sustain and enhance the productivity of their natural resources and proper
nutrition.Thus,theprojectinputswillgoalongwayinimprovingthelivelihoodsofthepeople.

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1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Basisforthestudy

OnJuly15,2009,AFARDsignedaMemorandumofUnderstandingwithManosUnidasfora1
year funding support towards Jangokoro Food Security Project. That the project was
developed based on the field observations and discussions AFARD staff had with the
communityofPatekparishduringalivelihoodprofilingstudy,itbecameimperativethatadata
guided entry and accountability framework is developed. Why? Because, during the field
observations, the community expressed lack of access to improved agrotechnologies and
impropernutritionpracticesastheirmaincausesoffoodsecurity.

The goal of the project is to increase benefiting households food security status though
increasing access to improved agro technologies and improving on their nutrition practices.
However, to whatextent this project wouldachievethese aims remained questionableas no
hardbaselinedatawasinplace.Thisstudywasthereforeconductedinorderto:

1. Establishthebeneficiaryhouseholdsstatuswithrespecttoaccesstoandutilization
ofrecommendedagrotechnologies,safenutritionpractices,andfoodsecurity.

2. Finetunemonitoringandevaluationframeworkfortheproject.

1.2 Datacollectionmethodsandprocesses

In order to collect relevant data to meet the above objectives, two critical questions were
asked:

1. Towhatextentarebenefitinghouseholdsusingrecommendedagrotechnologiesand
safenutritionpractices?
2. Towhatextentarebenefitinghouseholdsfoodsecure?

Answers to these questions were considered critical in identifying the strengths and gaps in
existing practices. Such answers would help improve the intervention strategy as well as the
designoftheprojectM+E.

Inansweringthesequestions,thefollowingweredone:

Designofprojecteffectindicators:ToensurethataclearM+Edataneedswasinplace,a
M & E framework was participatorily developed by AFARD staff in consultation with the
communitymembersbasingonwhatgoalindicatorstheywerestrivingfor.

Questionnaireproduction:ThattheM&Eframeworkanditscoreindicatorswasinplace,
the baseline questionnaire was developed to capture demographic and household
informationwithregardstothecoreindicators.

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 Intervieweridentificationandtraining:TheinterviewerswereidentifiedbyAFARDField
Officer (Agronomy) basing on their past performance in similar works with AFARD. The
interviewerswerethentrainedbyAFARDstaff.

Household interviews: After the interviewers training, they embarked on collecting data
from all group members households. Respondents were interviewed on dates set with
them and at their premises. During this process, an AFARD staff provided supervision
throughperiodicreviewsofquestionnairesaswellasmentoringtheinterviewers.

Dataentry,cleaning,andanalysis:Oncedatacollectionwasfinished,dataentrantswere
identified (from the old team AFARD has been working with). They were briefed on the
dataentryrequirementsandnorms.Aftertheteamaccomplishedtheirtask,thedatawas
cleaned of entry errors and analyzed concurrently with the report generation by AFARD
staff.

Feedback meeting and final report generation: Once the draft report was produced, it
was shared internally for discussions within AFARD. Later, a feedback meeting was
organizedwiththeprojectbeneficiarieswherethecriticalfindingswerediscussedandan
actionplanthewayforwardinthisreport,wasagreedupon.Theconclusionsarrivedat
thereforeprovidedthebasisfortheproductionofthisfinalreport.

1.3 Structureofthereport

Thisreportisstructuredin6parts,namely:
Part1givesthebackgroundinformationtothebaselinestudy.
Part2presentsthecharacteristicsofthebeneficiaryhouseholdsandpopulation.
Part3explainscurrentpracticesconcerningsustainableagriculture.
Part 4 is devoted to an analysis of food security status basing on AFARDs 4As food
securitypillars(foodavailability,adequacy,affordability,andacceptability).
Part5presentstheprojectM&EFramework.
Part6exploresthemosteffectivewayforward.

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2 ABOUTTHEPROJECTBENEFICIARIES
This part presents the general characteristic of the project beneficiaries. It provides both the
basicdemographicandhouseholdinformation.

2.1 ProjectOutreach

ThebeneficiarygroupsofAdioberandCanmuwaarelocatedinAmbakiandParonyavillages,
Patek parish, Jangokoro sub county. These groups have 90 members (46 males and 44
females).Astable1belowshows,thesememberhouseholdshave591people(51.4%females)
who are mainly married (91.1%), have primary education (63.3%) and depends entirely on
farming (100%). However, the average number of people in these households (6.6) is bigger
thanthatofthedistrict(5.3)becauseoftheincreasingnumberoforphans(15%overandabove
thedistrictestimateof1.4%andUganda13.1%orphanhoodstatus).

Table1: Outreachdemographiccharacteristics
Characteristics Total

Totalpopulation(Number)
Males 295
Females 296
Total 591
Orphans 87
Personswithdisabilities 30
Meanhouseholdsize 6.6
Agegroup(%)
Lessthan25years 22.2
2550years 63.4
Over50years 14.4
Total 100.0
Maritalstatusofhouseholdheads(%)
Single 1.1
Married 91.1
Widow(er) 7.8
Total 100.0
Educationstatusofhouseholdheads(%)
None 27.8
Primary 63.3
Secondary 8.9
Total 100.0
Mainsourceoflivelihoods(%)
Farming 100.0
Employmentincome
Total 100.0

The data above points to the fact that the beneficiaries of the project are typical peasant
farmerswhoaremainlysemiilliteratehouseholdsekingalivingontheirsmallpieceofland.
Care should be taken not to take them too fast along the improved agrotechnology path.
Rather,simpletechnologiesandtechniquesthatallowthembuildonwhattheyalreadyknow
shouldbepromotedsothatgraduallytheycanmoveawayfromthecurrentstatusquo.

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2.3 Beneficiaryhouseholdcharacteristics

Table2: Householdcharacteristics(%)
Characteristics Total

Typeofhousing
Permanentunits
Semipermanentunits 6.7
Temporaryunits 93.3
Total 100.0
Sourceofwaterfordrinking
Safesources 74.4
Lessthan1Km(to&fro) 44.4
Lessthan1Hr(t0&from) 36.7
Sourceoflighting
Electricity
Paraffinlantern 10.0
Tadooba 90.0
Total 100.0
Cookingtechnology
Charcoalcookstove(sigiri)
Local3stonefirewoodcookstove 82.2
Improvedfirewoodcookstove 17.8
Total 100.0
Meansoftransport
Foot 77.8
Bicycles 22.2
Total 100.0
Householdfacilities
Haveavehicle
Haveamotorcycle
Haveabicycle 38.9
Havearadio 41.1
Haveamobilephone 12.2
Havechairswithcushions 5.6
Haveraisedbedwithmattress 45.6
Havegoodkitchenwares 76.7
Havebestclothes(foroccasions) 91.1
Householdeconomicabilities
Buysmeatwithease 3.3
Buyssugarwithease 3.4
Paysmedicalbillswithease 6.7
Paysschooldueswithease 7.8

Generally,thebenefitinghouseholdsasisshowninTable3belowareverypoorbecause:
9in10resideintemporaryhousingunits.
7in10usesafewatersources.
9in10relyonthesmokyparaffinlocallampsforlighting.
8in10useunimprovedfirewoodbasedlocalcookstoves.
8in10dependsontheirfootasthemainmeansoftransport.
Only4and1in10householdshavearadioandamobilephonerespectively.
Lessthan10%canafford,withease,theverybasicsoflifelikefoods(sugarandmeat)
andbasicmedicalcareandcostofeducationoftheirchildren.

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3 SUSTAINABLEAGRICULTUREPRACTICES
Thispartexploreshowthebeneficiaryhouseholdspracticefarmingtheirkeylivelihoodactivity.
It delves into how best farming practices are utilized, and what returns are attained from
currentfarmingpractices.
3.1 Mainfarmingsupportsystems
Table 3 below shows the main farming support systems. It reveals that the project
beneficiaries main source of extension information remains the neighbors (54.4%). In a
neighborhood where almost everybody is relying on indigenous technical knowledge, not
muchnewideascanbegenerated.Yet,thehouseholdshaveabigpotentialtobetappedinto.
Mostofthem(74.5%)have2.5acresofland,whichiftappedwell,cansustainthefoodsecurity
of the beneficiaries. One way of tapping such opportunity is by promoting optimal and
equitable utilization of everyones land size through pegging seed distribution to land sizes
opened.

Table3: Percentdistributionoffarmingsupportsystems
Characteristics Total
Mainsourceofextensioninformation
Radio 16.7
Printmedia
Communitymeetings 2.2
Neighbors 54.4
Extensionstaffs 25.6
Others 1.1
Total 100.0
Landsizeowned
Only1acre 12.2
25acres 74.5
>5acres 13.3
Total 100.0

3.2 Varietiesofcropsbeingplanted
EvidentfromTable4belowarefirst,accesstoimprovedseedsandplantingmaterialsislimited
intheprojectareagiventhatalmostallhouseholdsaregrowinglocalvarieties.Second,many
householdsdespitehavinglandarenotgrowingthesebasicfood(andincome)securitycrops(a
factor they attributed in the community meeting to lack of seeds). An elderly woman
remarked:

Who would not want to grow cassava, our main food crop? It is lack of cassava cuttings
that is forcing me not to plant cassava. Where will I get UGX 20,000 for buying just a
sack of cassava cuttings? I am not a beneficiary of NAADS [currently the main

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 government agricultural project]. Neither do I have a son who can buy such cassava
cuttings for me.

Observationsduringthesurveyalsorevealedthatmostthecropswerenotdoingwellbecause
the old seeds had already lost their genetic vigor. For instance, the local varieties of cassava
had severely succumbed to cassava mosaic disease. Maize had succumbed to maize streak.
Theprovisionofimprovedseedsisthereforevitalifproductionistoimprovesignificantly

Table4: Percentdistributionofvarietiesofcrops
Varieties Total
Cassava
Improvedvariety 1.1
Localvariety 93.3
Bothvarieties
None 5.6
Total 100.0
Beans
Improvedvariety 1.1
Localvariety 85.6
Bothvarieties 4.4
None 8.9
Total 100.0
Maize
Improvedvariety 1.1
Localvariety 85.6
Bothvarieties
None 13.3
Total 100.0

3.3 Breedsoflivestockbeingreared

Table5belowshowsthatthereareveryfewlivestockintheprojectarea.Thereisnoimproved
goat.And,thefewlivestockavailablearelargelyoflocalbreed.

Goats and chicken arehighly valued because of the ease of conversion into cash. Neither do
theyneedasmuchattentionandfoodascattle,especiallyinanenvironmentwhereaverage
landholdingislow.Whilechickencanbeeasilyacquiredbyallhouseholds,butnotgoatsthus
theprovisionofgoatstoallhouseholdsbytheprojectcanboostthelivelihoodsecurityofthe
beneficiaries.

Table5: Livestockbreedsandquantityrearedbydistrict
Total
Livestock Totalnumberofcattle 10
distribution Cattleperhousehold 0.1
(Number) Totalnumberofimprovedgoats
Improvedgoatsperhousehold
Totalnumberoflocalgoats 143
Localgoatsperhousehold 0.6
Totalnumberofpoultry 182

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 Poultryperhousehold 2.0
Numberofcattle None 94.4
(%) Only1cow/bull 3.3
25cattle 2.2
Total 100.0
Numberoflocal None 37.8
goats(%) Only1goat 13.3
25goats 43.3
5+goats 5.5
Total 100.0
Numberof None 42.2
poultry(%) Only1bird 10.0
25birds 39.0
5+birds 8.8
Total 100.0

3.4 Utilizationofbestfarmingpractices

Table6: Utilizationofbestagronomicandlivestockhusbandrypractices(%)
Total
Agronomicpractices
Earlylandopening 18.9
Correctspacing 24.2
Soilandwaterconservation 15.6
Organicpestanddiseasecontrol
Improvedpostharvesthandling
Properfarmrecords 7.8
Livestockhusbandrypractices
Livestockhousing
Crossbreeding
Supplementaryfeeding
Parasite&diseasecontrol
Routinework
Livestockrecords 1.1

Programme beneficiaries were asked whether they were utilizing any recommended best
practices for at least any one crop they grow or on the animals they keep. Table 6 above
presentsasummaryoftheresponses.Evidentisthataverylimitednumberofhouseholdsare
selectively using some best practices in crop farming especially those that are tied to
traditional farming methods. Meanwhile for livestock farming, almost all recommended
practicesarenotinuse.

Inasituationoflimitedaccesstolanditisimportanttostresscropproductionpracticesthat
maximizereturnsonlandandlabourbutatthesametimeconserveandenhancesoilfertility.
This can be linked up with livestock production in such a way that crop residues are fed to
supplement diet for the goats. The goats also have to be improved through crossbreeding
sincetheoffspringsgrowfaster,biggerandthereforebringmoremeat/money.

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3.6 Naturalresourcesmanagement

Althoughfarmersrelyprimarilyonnaturalresourcesuse,fromFigure1belowitisevidentthat
theyareengagedinimpropermanagementoftheseresources.Thefarmersaresimplymining
thesoilwithoutcaringaboutthesustainedproductivityofthesoilsintothefuture.Dispensing
withthepracticeslistedwouldhavebeenappropriateinthepastwhenlandwasstillplentyand
onceapieceoflandwasexhausted,itwaslefttofallowandregainitsfertilityonitsown.But
withdwindlinglandsizepercapita,neglectingsoilnaturalresourceconservingandenhancing
technologiesisasurewaytoeverloweringfoodproductivityandhenceeverworseningfood
insecurity.
Figure 1: Utilizationofnaturalresourcesmanagementpractices(%)

120%
96%
100%

80%

60%

40% 30% 32% 34%

20% 12%
0% 0%
0%
Intercropping Crop rotation Soil erosion Energy saving Agro forestry Mulching/Manure Organic pesticide
control cook-stove

3.7 Yieldsfromcropfarming

Respondents were asked how much produce they harvested during the last harvest season.
Evident from their responses in Table 7 is that households are realizing very low yields from
their local varieties. Many are harvesting up to 100Kgs only which does translates into
inadequate food stocks let alone minimal income as part of the produce are sold to raise
incomesformeetingbasicneeds.

Table7: Cropyieldslastseason(June2009)

Cassava Beans Maize

Number 80 79 65
Minimum 30 7 10
Maximum 1,500 450 580
Mean 310.83 54.94 96.14
Sum 24,866 4,340 6,249
Upto100Kgs 28.8% 88.6% 69.2%
101250Kgs 22.5% 8.9% 26.2%
251500Kgs 32.5% 2.5% 3.1%
>500Kgs 16.3% 1.5%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
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Thelowyyieldsaboveeareprobab blytheresultsoftheuseeoflocalseeedsthathavvelosttheirvigor
coupledwithpracticcesthataredetrimentalltosoilfertilitysustenance.Yet,evvenundercu urrent
(soil and rainfall) co
onditions a farmer
f he project area can exp
in th pect a minim
mum of 700kg of
maize peer acre insteead of the reported
r maaximum of 580
5 kg. Improved bean seeds undeer the
samesitu uationshouldyieldatleeast400kgaandcassavaatleast2,00 00kg.

3.8 M
Marketingp
practices

That povverty in manny farming households can be bettter fought tthrough thee effectiveneess of
farminga asabusinesss,thecorneerstoneford
doingsoisunnderpinnedbyhowfarm mersmarketttheir
produce..Figure2beelowshowsthatitisth hetraditionaalfarmmarketingpractticesbeingused.
Groupm membersselltheirproduceraw,soon nafterharveest,inbits,i nordertom
meetthepreessure
fordailynecessities..Yet,selling
gsmallunprrocessedpro oduceduring gharvesttim
mesimplybbrings
inlittlem
moneyasmaanyhouseho oldswillber
rushingtoseellatcheapeerpricestoo o.Morereturrnsto
farmersc caninpartb
begainediffarmersinc
collectivevaalueaddition n,throughfforinstance,,joint
bulking,storage,pro ocessingand dmarketingg(thatisposssibleforaggroupwith4 45householldsas
members).

Figure2: Prevailingmarketingpracticessbydistrict

98% 99%
%
100% 1
100%

80% 82%
60%
40%
20%
0%
%

Market individuually
Market in small
quantitiees Market raw
prodducts Market during
harvest time

3.9 In
ncomefrom
mfarming

Table8b
belowshowssthatwithin ntheprojecttareaincom
mefromfarmmingisextreemelylow.W Witha
majorityofhouseho oldshavingn
noincomesfrombothc cropsandlivvestock,especiallyinthelast
harvest season, it remains
r alarming how these housseholds con ntinue to su
urvive. Whilee the
averageincomefrom mcropswereeUGX12,14 43thatfromlivestockwaasUGX1,00 00.

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Table8: Incomefromfarming(atatJune2008)
Incomecategory(%) Farmenterprises
Crops Livestock
None 37.8 87.8
UptoUGX100,000 8.9 12.2
UGX100,001250,000 2.2
UGX250,001500,000
OverUGX500,000
Total 100.0 100.0

The above findings are not surprising given the type of practices they farmers have been
employing. Efforts should be increased in increasing crop and livestock productivity to levels
beyond household consumption. Fortunately now there is no distinction between cash and
foodcropsbecauseallcropsgrownforfoodcanaswellbringincash.Secondly,giventhatthe
farming systemisbased on nature (rainfall)andof late weather hasbecome moreandmore
unreliable,itisprudenttoexploreotheravenuesofgeneratingincomeinordertoreducetotal
relianceonfarming.

3.10 Nutritionpractices

Apartfromservingfoodwhenhot,inmanyhouseholdsthepracticeofsafefoodandnutrition
islacking.Table9showsthatthereisalsoinadequateknowledgeaboutbalancedietaswellas
limitedpracticesofrecommendedsafefoodhygiene.

Table9: Utilizationofsafenutritionpractices(%)
Eatbalancediet 22.2
Eatfoodattherecommendedtimely 23.3
Cookfoodwithintherecommendedtime 5.6
Servefoodwhenhot 95.6
Storefoodsafely 46.7

Theprojectareaisknownforgrowinggreenvegetables,butunfortunately,greenvegetables
aretraditionallyassociatedwithapoormansdiet.Thelocalslookdownuponanyfooditem
otherthanfishandmeatwhichtheyrarelyeat.Itisthereforeimportantforthemtounderstand
whatbalanceddietentails.Theyshouldalsoopenupwaysofcookingfoodinsuchawaythat
conservesthenutrientvaluesinadditiontoembracingnontraditionalfoods,forinstancesilver
fish.Ofcourse,balanceddietalonewithoutproperfoodhygieneisstillnotgoodenough.

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4 FOODSECURITYSTATUS
Farmingasacorelivelihoodactivityisthebasisforfoodsecurityinmanyfarmfamilies.This
part, therefore, focuses on analyzing to what extent current project beneficiaries are food
secure.

4.1 Foodsecurityconcept

AFARDseesfoodsecurityasbasedonEquitableandsustainable4AsAvailability,Adequacy,
Acceptability,andAffordabilityofqualityfoodsatalltimesbyallhouseholdmembersregardless
ofsocialcategorisation.Thisimpliesthatpeopleshould,always,beabletoeitherproduceor
buytherightfoodtheyneed.Andgiventhatownproductionismarginalinrespectofallfood
needs people should access other foods from the market. Yet, food utilization should be
withoutdiscriminationagainstespeciallywomenandchildren.

Assuch,foodsecurityisinterlinkedwithahouseholdsability,atalltimes,toproduceenough,
purchase deficits or what it cannot produce, and accept to eat equitably diverse foods as is
shownbelow.

Focus Component Variable

Abilitytoproduce FoodAvailability Havefoodthroughouttheyear
enoughfood
neededinthe FoodAdequacy Numberofmealseatenperday
household
Abilitytopurchase FoodAffordability Buyenoughrequiredcategoryof
whatahousehold foods(carbohydrates,proteinandvitamin)
lacksfromthe
market
Abilitytoshare Food Eatingnontraditionalfoodasamainmeal
foodequitablyand Acceptability Eatingculturallyforbiddenfoodsby
diversifyfoods childrenandwomen
eaten Equalsharingoffoodamongall
householdmembers

4.2 Foodsecuritystatus

Usingtheabovecriteria,overall,theprojectbeneficiaryhouseholdsarelargelyfoodinsecure.
Table10belowshowsthatonly1inevery10householdsisfoodsecure.Thecriticalsituations
arethatfoodinnotalwaysavailablebetweenfarmingseasons.Whatmanyhouseholdshave
aretooinadequateforeveryhouseholdmembersconsumption.Besides,thefoodpurchasing
powerislimited.

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Asaresult,householdshaveadoptedmanyresponsestrategiestothelimitedfoodavailability
status. Hardly do they eat 3 meals a day in order to spread the limited food quantity over a
longerperiodofdays,saidanoldman,withthehopethatovertimethingsmayimproveashe
concluded.Besides,inmanyhouseholdsthewomenreported,thetendencyofbeingunableto
sharefoodequitablyforallthehouseholdmemberscontinuestoincrease.

Table10: Foodsecuritystatusbydistrict
Keyvariables Total
Foodavailability Havefoodallyearround 5.6%
Foodadequacy Eatatleast3mealsaday 11.1%
Foodaffordability Ablybuysrequiredfoods 14.4%
Foodacceptability 34.8%
Eatnonstaplefoodforamainmeal 20.0%
Eattraditionallyforbiddenfoods 70.0%
Sharefoodsequally 14.4%
Total 16.5%

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5 MONITORINGANDEVALUATIONFRAMEWORK
Inordertoeffectivelymonitorandevaluatetheprojectwithinitsimplementationspan,below
is the framework that will be used to ensure that the food security status of the population
improves.Thisframeworkisdesignedtohelpassesstherealizationoftheenvisagedchanges
aswellastoaccountfortheefficacyoftheproject.Worthytonoteisthatasacomplementto
thefigurebasedframework,lifestoriestoowillbecollectedtoshowtheinherentmeetingsin
eachchange.

Table11: Themonitoringandevaluationchecklistandtargets
MonitoringIndicators Baseline Target Method Responsible
2009 2010
Impact1:Householdfoodsecuritystatusimproved
Foodavailabilityhavefoodallyearround 5% 50% Survey PD&FISM
Foodadequacyeatatleast3mealsaday 11.1% 60% Survey PD&FISM
Foodaffordabilityabletobuydifferentfoods 14.4% 35% Survey PD&FISM
Foodacceptabilityshareequitablybetweenallmembers 14.4% 50% Survey PD&FISM
Food acceptability eat nontraditional staple foods for 20.0% 65% Survey PD&FISM
mainmeal
Foodacceptabilityeattraditionallyforbiddenfoods 70.0% 90% Survey PD&FISM
Outcome5:Safenutritionalpracticesincreased
Eatbalancediet 22% 80% Survey PHM&FO
Eatfoodtimely 23.3% 65% Survey PHM&FO
Cookfoodtimely 5.6% 80% Survey PHM&FO
Servesfoodwhilewarm/hot 95.6% 100% Survey PHM&FO
Storefoodinsafeplaces 46.7% 80% Survey PHM&FO
Outcome4:Incomesfromfarmingincreased
Earns(UGX500,000)fromcropproductionperseason 35% Survey FISM&FO
Earns ( UGX 500,000 ) from livestock production per 25% Survey FISM&FO
season
Outcome3:Improvedmarketingpractices
Sellssomefarmproductsingroups 2% 15% Survey FISM&FO
Sellssomefarmproductsinbulk 1% 15% Survey FISM&FO
Sellssomefarmproductsafterprocessing 0% 5% Survey FISM&FO
Sellssomefarmproductsoffharvestseason 18% 35% Survey FISM&FO
Outcome2:Yieldadvantageincreased
Numberofimprovedgoatsraised(5)perannum 0% 55% Survey FISM&FO
Numberofchickensraised(5)perannum 8.8% 50% Survey FISM&FO
Outcome1:Adoptionofsustainablefarmingpractices
Useofimprovedcassavastocks(evenwithowncash) 1.1% 90% Survey FISM&FO
Usesoilandwaterconservationmeasures 15.6% 80% Survey FISM&FO
Practicesupplementaryfeeding 0%% 25 Survey FISM&FO
Usemulch/manure 12% 25% Survey FISM&FO
Note:PD=ProgrameDirector;FISM=FoodandIncomeSecurityManager;andFO=FieldOfficer

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Rapid Baseline Study Report, July 2009
6 WAYFORWARD
The findings above presents the deplorable food insecurity status the people in Patek
parisharefacedwith.Equally,itvalidatesthejustificationofManosUnidasfundingtothe
area.However,therelevanceofsuchsupportwereidentifiedduringtheActionPlanning
sessionwhereinmembersofbothbenefitinggroupsdiscussedhowbestthisstudyresult
canaddvaluetotheirproject.Ascriticalentrypoints,theyresolvedthat:

Technologies designed to improve on food security should take cognizance of the

education level of the people, their current knowledge and aim to build on them for
eventualmovementawayfromstatusquo.

Improved seeds and breeds should be supplied so as to relieve the farmers of their
geneticallyexhaustedlocalvarieties.

Food security shouldnotonly relyonfood production,alternativesources ofincome
should be sought in order to ensure food security in a situation where crop failure is
everlikely.Agroupruncreditschemeinitiatedwiththeirownfundsbesupported.

Practical knowledge about proper nutrition and safe practices must be provided so
thatpeoplecaneatbalanceddietforhealthyliving.

Whiletheaspectofmarketingiscriticalinimprovingfoodaffordability,moreeffortin
the meantime be placed on increasing household food production capacity. And in
light of different land sizes, it was resolved that members should be provided with
seedandplantingmaterialsasperthesizesoftheirlandinsteadofaflatdistribution
approach(thatpromoteswaste).

Environmental conservation should also be promoted so that land productivity is
improved.

In all, the Jangokoro Food Security Project is targeted to the deserving poor. Its
components are in line the critical needs for every household struggling to build food
security status inputs with skills. What remains important are first, the localarea
responsiveness of the project deliverable, and second the continuous mentoring of
beneficiaries by AFARD staffs in order to promote an effective translation of easy to
achieve inputsoutputs into sustainable outcomesimpacts. Equally, achieving such
sustainabilitywillentailamorethanoneoffprojectsupport(thatshouldbediscussedwith
ManosUnidas).

19 | Jangokoro Food Security Project

Rapid Baseline Study Report, July 2009