Recommended daily allowance-based contribution of household’s own agricultural production to food and nutrition security in Karamoja sub-region of Uganda
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Date
2022-01-15
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Agriculture & Food Security
Abstract
Background: In Uganda, agriculture is the main pathway for dietary intake among the households. Karamoja sub region, located in Northeastern part of Uganda is the most food insecure in the country. Although agriculture contrib‑
utes greatly to Uganda’s food systems, there is inadequate evidence for household energy and nutrient intake from
agricultural production in the sub-region. Karamoja sub-region is typical because crop production has increasingly
become part of the agricultural system in a largely semi-arid environment, predominantly occupied in pastoralism.
Therefore, a cross-sectional study of 520 participants investigated the contribution of household’s own agricultural
production to dietary intake, seeking to answer whether or not own agricultural production translates into adequate
energy and nutrient intake.
Results: Own food production did not meet energy and nutrient requirements, contributed disproportionately
among the districts to household cumulated annual RDAs. This was refected in the higher proportion of house‑
holds in Moroto not attaining the cumulative annual RDA (energy: 100.0; protein 100.0; iron 86.5; and zinc 100.0%)
than in Abim (energy: 81.6; protein 53.3; iron 23.7; and zinc 59.9%). Overall in Karamoja sub-region, the total energy
and nutrients required by the household and supplied from their agricultural production were 15,589.7±10,230.6
and 4226.0±3980.1 kcal/day for energy, 317.6±202.6 and 154.4±153.7 g/day for proteins, 49.5±30.8 and
50.2±47.6 mg/day for iron, and 52.7±32.6 and 25.4±24.5 mg/day for zinc. Inter-household distribution of the
absolute diference between energy and selected nutrients required by the household and that derived from own
agricultural production showed defcits in household energy and nutrients needs. Further, polygamy, subsistence
farming by spouse, lack of formal education by spouse positively predicted energy and nutrient supplied from own
agricultural produce while lack of formal education negatively predicted energy nutrients supplied from agricultural
produce. Increase in household size increased energy and nutrient required from agricultural production.
Conclusion: Own agricultural production contributes limitedly to household energy and nutrient needs in the sub region. There are great variations in the households’ capacity to derive energy and nutrients from own agriculture
Description
Keywords
Household food security, Nutrient intake, Agricultural production, Agro-pastoralism, Karamoja sub-region, Semi-arid, Uganda
Citation
Muggaga, C., Basil, M., Okello-Uma, I., Kaaya, A. N., Taylor, D., & Ongeng, D. (2022). Recommended daily allowance-based contribution of household’s own agricultural production to food and nutrition security in Karamoja sub-region of Uganda. Agriculture & Food Security, 11(1), 1-15.