More rural, poor Ugandans still suffer from food stress- Twaweza report

As Uganda joins the rest of the world to commemorate the World Food Day today October 16, 2019, it has been revealed that Ugandan households suffered less food stress in 2018 than in 2017.

This is according to Twaweza’s Sauti za Wananchi data released early this year on Citizens’ views and experienced on poverty and livelihoods in a brief titled: More Food Less Money.

There was a notable reduction in food stress at the household level in 2018: citizens were less likely to report not eating for a whole day (37% compared to 49% in 2017) and running out of food because of a lack of money (69% compared to 53% in 2017).

However, more rural and poor Ugandans suffer from food stress than their wealthier and urban compatriots. Even so, one out of four wealthier Ugandans (25%) went without eating for a day in the past three months.

“Across six different measures, households report that they experienced fewer signs of food insecurity in 2018 than in 2017. This includes households reporting that they went without eating for a whole day in the previous three months (down from 49% to 37%), that they were hungry but did not eat (down from 67% to 50%), or that they ran out of food (down from 69% to 53%),” the report stated.

The report further revealed that when asked about the most serious problem facing the country and their household, the largest proportion of citizens named poverty.

Nationally, the proportion of citizens naming poverty as the most serious issue had doubled from 14% in 2017 to 29% in 2018. Similarly, lack of employment was the third most named problem, named by twice as many people in 2018 (12%) as in 2017 (6%). Overall fewer citizens were concerned about public services, like health, education and water, and more are worried about poverty and economic issues. Additionally at household level, half of Ugandans were concerned about the gap between rich and poor.

“Three out of ten citizens (29%) cite poverty or the rich-poor gap as the most serious problem facing Uganda today, more than for any other issue. This is followed by corruption (13%) and a lack of employment (12%). The most-named issue from 2017 – health – now ranks in fourth place, cited by half as many citizens in late 2018 (8%) compared to late 2017 (16%).

“Four out of five Ugandan households (81%) say their household income does not meet daily expenses. These figures are similar to 2017,” the report disclosed.