80 percent of the registered 26100 farmers under the National Agricultural Advisory Services [NAADS] program in Jinja have resorted to crop farming to boost food security in the district.
Most of the farmers who benefited from first phase of the NAADS program in Jinja were involved in animal husbandry. But this year, most of the farmers have resorted to plant crops such as maize, beans and bananas.
Daniel Muwanga, chairman Jinja Farmers Association says that previously most of the farmers practiced animal husbandry at the expense of crop farming which affected food production in the district.
He says those two months ago, they embarked on a campaign to sensitize farmers in all the 261 parishes in Jinja on the benefits of food production.
Muwanga says that they put a lot of emphasis in the sub counties of Busedde, Buyengo, Butagaya and Budondo which were badly affected by food shortage.
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Steven Kiwemba, Jinja production officer says that under the NAADS phase 2 program farmers should access extension services and be taught how to store their food after harvest.
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He urges farmers to explore local ways of storing food for longer times in case of drought and hunger.
Paul Kigenyi, Jinja NAADS coordinator says that the procurement process is already on going.
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Jinja is one of the districts in Uganda that is food insecure because most of the land is used for sugar cane growing.
