Sustainable development

Humanitarian situation

The humanitarian crisis has long been forgotten. Since the Great Famine of 1980 during which 20% of the total population perished, several consecutive droughts have
elevated the risk of food insecurity. As of today, 560,000 people (almost 60% of the population) depend on
food distribution by the World Food Program (WFP).

Insecurity problems and the presence of weapons have
also caused serious displacement and humanitarian challenges, with hundreds of women and children
fleeing to major Uganda towns (Kampala, Mbale, Jinja, Soroti) to make a living by begging and most
vulnerable populations settling near urban centres with no source of income..

Breaking the vicious circle of unsustainable development

Karamoja is caught in a vicious circle of unsustainable development, characterized by:

The overexploitation of the forests (selling of firewood and charcoal) and lands by households which have lost their (pastoral) mobility and/or their cattle...

...which contributes to desertification...

... which contributes to further marginalizing these communities, with poor harvests...

... pushing the communities, for lack of alternative livelihoods, into further overexploitation of the natural resources...

It is essential to understand the patterns of unsustainable developments in order to prevent ill-advised development policies and, instead, to initiate policies that will help break the central vicious circle of desertification and food insecurity...