Soil degradation threatens food security in Agago

30 September 2025, 9:58 PM

By Freeman Canogura

Farmers in Agago District say declining soil fertility is undermining food production, with years of over-cultivation leaving the land exhausted and harvests shrinking.

In Orina Parish, Laperebong Sub county, Okot Bosco, a 48-year-old father of seven, said his one acre of sorghum now produces barely half the yield it did five years ago. He explained that his family can no longer store enough grain to last through the year, forcing them to buy food from the market.

In Kuywee, widow Akello Margaret, 60, said she has been forced to buy fertiliser on credit to boost her bean harvests. But with rising prices, she is sinking deeper into debt. She warned that many widows and elderly farmers are being left behind as farming becomes increasingly commercialised.

From Adilang, Okwera Denis, 35, said land inheritance is driving the problem, as family plots are divided into smaller pieces across generations. He explained that younger farmers cannot afford new land, so they cultivate the same soil every season without rest, further reducing fertility.

District Agricultural Extension Officer Simon Odoch confirmed the trend, noting that more than 70 per cent of households in Agago farm on less than three acres. He urged farmers to adopt crop rotation, mulching, and intercropping with legumes, adding that the Parish Development Model is offering training sessions on sustainable practices.

A 2023 report by the Ministry of Agriculture estimated that Uganda loses up to 80 tonnes of topsoil per hectare annually due to poor land management. Experts warn that without urgent intervention, Agago could face more frequent food shortages, especially as climate change brings harsher droughts and floods.