KAMPALA – Social protection is a crucial component of national development strategies for achieving inclusive and equitable growth. In real terms, social protection goes beyond safety net mechanisms to provide durable interventions that support the population to maintain a minimum acceptable level of consumption and a dignified life free of poverty, hunger, and deprivation of social necessities, Dr Antonio Querido, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations – FAO Uganda Country Representative has said.
Dr Antonio was on Tuesday speaking during the Regional Policy Dialogue on Social Protection for Rural Populations in Africa in Kampala.
He noted that social protection is a core game-changer for the transformation of Uganda’s food systems and shock-responsive social protection for vulnerable farming households, access to agricultural resources and financing, as well as inclusive labor-saving technologies are necessary to reduce the gap in gender and youth inclusion in agriculture and food production.
“Making social protection a priority is particularly important since vulnerability and inequalities remain key development constraints in Uganda. While agriculture, forestry and fisheries are the third contributing factor to household income, the Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) 2019/2020 indicated that 20.3% of the population were living in poverty and 39% still relying on the subsistence economy.”
“Despite attaining lower-middle-income status, approximately 26% of Ugandans, equivalent to over 8.3 million people, still live below the poverty line, while income inequality, with a Gini coefficient of 0.41, remains a prevalent issue,” he added.
Dr Antonio said FAO plays a pivotal role in linking social protection to agriculture and livelihoods by supporting governments and other stakeholders in establishing inclusive and sustainable social protection systems that synergize with agrifood systems and rural transformation strategies.
The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) Executive Secretary – Patrick Okori noted that over 50% of Africa’s population depends on agriculture for their living, and the sector contributes approximately 35% of the continent’s GDP.
“The prospects for growth of Africa’s agriculture sector are immense, with studies showing that Africa’s food and agriculture market could increase from US$280 billion a year in 2023 to US$1 trillion by 2030, according to the African Development Bank.”
He said that the continent’s agricultural growth is the fastest growing sector across all continents, witnessing a 4.1% growth from 2000-2020 compared to 2.7% worldwide.
However, he noted that despite this, many individuals continue to be marginalised and/or exposed to environmental and socioeconomic difficulties.
“Many African rural farming populations are exposed to the consequences of climate-change and increased weather variability, which affects their livelihood options. As a consequence, about 556 million people live in multidimensional poverty, 82 % of them staying in rural areas and mostly practicing various forms of agriculture.”
Mr. Okori underscored that the Africa We Want as espoused in Agenda 2063 and approved by The AUC Summits, leans strongly on ensuring that social protection and its floors support delivery of the continent’s vision.
Dr. Haile-Gabriel Abebe – Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa FAO Regional Office decried that Africa is off track to achieve the food security and nutrition targets of Sustainable Development Goal 2 as well as the Malabo targets of ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2025.
“Recent estimates in 2022 reveal that approximately 282 million Africans representing about 20% of the population, were undernourished marking a stark increase of 57 million since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“We must acknowledge the pervasive nature of poverty across our continent, particularly in rural areas. Despite significant advancements in agricultural production over the past two decades, the benefits of this growth have been unevenly distributed, leaving behind small-scale farmers and other vulnerable agri-food-dependent communities, thus exacerbating rural poverty,” he said.
He is afraid that climate change introduces a new dimension of risk, probably more intense than Covid 19, necessitating preparedness and adaptive social protection measures to cushion the most vulnerable from shocks, safeguard agricultural productivity and enhance resilience particularly among rural communities.
He said, “Social protection emerges as a fundamental instrument in our efforts to mitigate the complex, multifaceted challenges faced by rural populates while fostering sustainable development in Africa. Through its preventive, protective, promotive, and transformative functions, social protection plays a pivotal role in addressing the root causes of poverty and vulnerability.”
Officiating at the event, the Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development, Betty Amongi Ongom agreed with the experts on the pivotal role of social protection not solely within Uganda but across the African continent and globally.
She noted that Uganda upholds social protection as an inherent human right. “It is thus our duty as government to ensure that all members of our society enjoy access to fundamental social protection benefits. These benefits encompass vital services such as healthcare, education, housing, income support, and other necessities, thereby facilitating dignified livelihoods.”
“You will recall that in 2015, the Government of Uganda approved the National Social Protection Policy which provides a framework for the implementation of social protection programmes in the country. “
In recognizing social protection as a right, Minister said her Government’s vision for social protection is a society where all individuals are secure and resilient to risks and shocks.
“In realization of this vision, the Government has focused on building a well-coordinated national social protection system for the provision of comprehensive and inclusive social protection provisions geared towards; Increasing access to social security; comprising direct income support and contributory social insurance, Enhancing care, protection and support for vulnerable people; and Strengthening the institutional framework for social protection service delivery.”
Despite the hard work of Ugandans to provide food, Minister Amongi said they often face numerous multidimensional challenges and vulnerabilities as well as socioeconomic exclusion, which threatens their well-being and livelihoods, calling for investing in social protection as a moral imperative.
“By supporting rural populations, we can boost agricultural productivity, promote sustainable livelihoods and contribute to food security and poverty reduction. Ultimately, a robust social protection system can help create a more inclusive and resilient agrifood systems that benefit both rural farmers and consumers alike.”
Amongi commended the work of FAO in supporting the expansion of social protection to rural population and agrifood system workers, including women, making up the majority of those living in poverty in Uganda and other countries in Africa.
