By David Mafabi, journalist, the Daily Monitor, Uganda
In village after village despite the dry spell, gardens have areas of green; people can be seen in their gardens digging, what does this mean? Karimajong are slowly adapting to farming alongside the traditional pastrolism.
All these are potent symbols of a new and future Karamoja under the Karamoja Agro-pastoral Development Programme [KADP], an local NGO operating in Moroto and Nakapiripiriti districts.
KADP programme manager, Mr. Michael Kuskus says besides providing development services to facilitating and empowering the local communities to have a more sustainable development with improved livelihoods of Karimojong pastrolists, the NGO is re-directing the pastoral communities to farming as the basis of their livelihood.
Funded by Danchurch Aid-Denmark, KADP also targets ending cattle raids and creating a conflict free pastoral communities in Karamoja region.
Kuskus says that whereas their aim was to develop the capacity of local organizations to effectively support people centred efforts, especialliy the marginalized agro-pastrol groups for equitable development, with agriculture now taking centre stage KADP now intends to create a self reliant people through agriculture.
Patrick Dodoth from Tepeth who has adapted to farming says at first he wondered whether it was worth the effort dropping pastoralism to take on agriculture when KADP introduced it but that shortly he took it up reluctantly.
Dodoth while speaking to Daily Monitor 12 August at his garden revealed that he does not regret dropping pastorilism for pure farming because it has earned him money from the sell of agricultural products and his family has had enough to eat.
“I have discovered shortly that I had wasted a lot of time looking after cattle when farming pays within a short time and provides food for your family rather than depending on WFP food rations,” said Dodoth.
Philip Lotome another farmer in Bukora south says “There is a ray of hope for Karimajong to adapt to farming and other economic activities outside pastoralism but this is dependent on how government prepares the people right from the grassroots,”
Despite the long spells of drought in Karamoja sub-region, Daily Monitor noticed during the tour of some of the local farms that Karamoja region has vergin fertile soils that can support the growth of Sim Sim, Beans, Maize, Sunflower, Millet, Sorghum, Potatoes, Onions and Rice.
Kuskus says however that many a Karimojong are a lazy lot so much attached to cattle with a negative attitude towards farming, this explains why vast fertile land in Karamoja region has remained virgin to date.
The Vice Chairman LCV for Moroto, Ms Rose Adero says that the Many farms sprining in up in Karamoja region atest KADP’s commitment to transforming the region from traditional pastoralism community to a modern agro-pastoral community.
Adero revealed that despite being areas for nortorious cattle raiders, Lokopo, Lorikitae, Neipolim, Lodume, Lopeta, Apeitolim, Longalim, Dodoth, and Tepeth are slowly adapting to farming as the basis of their livelihood.
The Pokot, Pian and Chekwii in Nakapiripiriti district, the Labwar, Dodoth and the Jie tribes within Karamoja region known as the leading cattle raiders in the North East of Uganda and Western parts of Kenya are also changing to farming.
The Karamoja younger generation – more outward looking, better educated, a bit less tribal-minded less dependent on the pastoralism seem more inclined to transforming their area from traditional pastoralism to pure farming.
Mr. Dennis Lokawua an intern and student at Kampala Interntaional University says he has been seeing WFP in Karamoja ever since he was born and that he would like to impact on his people to change to farming to exploit the virgin fertile soils to end WFP existence in the region.
Most elders in Karamoja want government to view the disarmament as one of the many steps towards the developing of a comprehensive peace strategy that would see peace not only in Karamoja but also amongst their neighbours.
The young generation feels that rather than merely disarm the Karimajong, the government should have sought an overall objective of improving the living conditions of the Karimajong through provision water retaining centres, micro-finance and micro projects in areas of education, health, livestock agriculture, community and environmental development.
At KADP with centres at Nabilatuk, Lorengedwat, Lolachat, Nadenget, Katikekile, Rupa, Ngoleriet, Lotome, Matany, Lokopo, Lopei and Iriri, the general target is to have a culture of tilling their own land for farming for survival inculcated amongst all people rather than depending on cattle while looking unto government for free food supplies.
DanChurchaid and the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission are funding a drought preparedness program in the districts of Moroto and Nakapiripirit, which is helping the Karimojongs in developing their traditional way of living as agro-pastoralists. DanChurchAid has invited two journalists from the leading Ugandan newspapers, The Daily Monitor and The New Vision, to see the work of the local partner KADP.
DanChurchAid has a Framework Partnership Agreement with ECHO enabling DanChurchAid to implement ECHO funded projects worldwide in a broad range of sectors including water and sanitation, food aid, shelter, non-food item to humanitarian mine action. Visit website: ECHO