Uganda
The East African country of Uganda obtained independence in 1962 from Great Britain. The country which is slightly smaller than the state of Oregon has a population of 28,195,754. Uganda experiences significant problems of poverty, hunger, malnutrion and overall low human development.
- 82% of the population lives on less than one dollar per day
- 40% lack reliable access to sufficient healthy food
- 39% of children under the age of five are stunted
- 1.5 million Ugandans suffer from HIV/Aids
- Life expectancy: 46 years (men), 47 years (women)
- Main exports: Coffee, fish and fish products, tea, tobacco, cotton
- GNI per capita: US $280 (World Bank, 2006)
Uganda has struggled with civil war, economic disaster and notorious human rights abuses under Idi Amin. Since the late 1980s, Uganda has become more stable and drastically reduced the prevalence of HIV/Aids from 30% in the 1990s to 6%.
Uganda has mild temperatures year round and the landscape ranges from equatorial lowland tropic regions to temperate mountain areas. Soil fertility is declining and some areas have high population pressure. There are two rainy seasons, but recently rainfall has been more variable, unpredictable and limited.
CSRL works in the Kamuli district which is about 150 km northeast of the capital city of Kampala (on the country map, this district is north of Jinja and along the east side of the Nile).
The population is approximately 725,000 people, mainly from the Basoga ethnic group. Two sub-counties, Namasagali and Butansi, were identified through consultation with local leadership and communities to begin program implementation. Smallholder farming families in these areas have an average land holding of two hectares. Major crops grown include: maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, groundnuts, soy beans, beans, bananas, finger millet, rice, cotton and coffee. Principal livestock are cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and poultry. About 56% of the total land area in the district is used for cultivation, while water and swamps occupy approximately 24% and forests cover 0.3%.
Country map courtesy of www.theodora.com/maps and used with permission.
