Lockdown measures in Uganda have cost small-scale farmers a huge percentage of their livelihoods, according to Heifer International’s recent report on impact of Covid-19.
It was learnt that the Covid-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the incomes of an overwhelming majority (97 percent) of small-scale farmers.
More than 87 percent of those surveyed by Heifer Uganda reported that their income has been cut in half since March.
Men and women who once earned an average of 100,000 shillings ($27) a month are now surviving on a mere $13.
With a view to learning the true extent of the pandemic’s effect on the men and women we work with, Heifer Uganda said that it surveyed small-scale farmers in different parts of the country.
‘The report shows that Covid-19 is hitting rural communities around the world hard. We are seeing signs of a hunger pandemic, hot on the heels of Covid-19 and that’s a source of great concern’, President of Heifer International, Pierre Ferrari, said.
‘The findings are informing our response to Covid-19 and the investments we are making in support of farmers, ensuring the agribusinesses Heifer International works with can withstand future crises, protecting the farmers who grow the food we eat’.
On his part, the Uganda Country Director for Heifer International, William Matovu, said, ‘Savings and loan programmes provide essential funds for farmers to invest in building their businesses, but they also provide much-needed funds at difficult times.
‘This survey clearly shows the importance of strong mechanisms, including community-level support systems, to increase the resilience of farmers to withstand unexpected shocks. Building and strengthening these interventions is a core part of Heifer International’s work and is critical to the success and wellbeing of smallholder farming families’.
Heifer International’s programmes in 21 countries, including Uganda, support farmers to close the living income gap by building sustainable farming businesses that prevent families from slipping back beneath the poverty line when hardships occur.
Source: Heifer
Photo source: Heifer
