UGANDANS NOT FREELY ENJOYING THE RIGHT TO ADQUATE FOOD
By Damba Rogers
Though is clearly spelt in the global rights declaration that human beings have the right to access to food, this has not been the case to a bigger percentage of ugandans a country that has been branded the food basket in the region and continent something that continues to worry experts and activists.
As evidence, in the 2017 global global hunger index ranks Uganda 103 out of 119 countries that are hunger stricken with 54% Ugandan adults facing standed growth, 66% school children can not access food, 16% households undernourished, and 37% ugandans can not afford three meals a day which has continued to impact negatively on the growth and health of this mother nation.
Its upon this that Dr. Milton Peter, Rukundo from kyambogo university and Dr. Lajuru Wilfred from makerere university want the agriculture budget increased from the current 3% allocation to better funding coupled with better policies on food and nutrition to address the nutrition deficiency impacts.
The Uganda medical association president,Dr. Obuku Ekwaro warns that with the continued food and nutrition deficiency among ugandans, families will continue to spend most of their incomes in treating nutrition related diseases.
And activists led by the executive director food rights alliance, Agnes Kirabo are reminding Ugandans to collectively put pressure on govt to fully act to address the issue of acute food shortage in the country if the right to adequate food for ugandans is to be fully realized.
This was raised at a meeting where food rights activists were discussing the right to food as the country joins the rest of the world to mark the global human rights day.
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