Only indigenous crops can end poverty

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original - new vision online

Only indigenous crops can end poverty

Publication date: Tuesday, 24th October, 2006

By Margaret Muhanga
The writer is the woman
MP for Kabarole District

ONE of the most crucial Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is poverty alleviation. The bulk of the Uganda’s poor live in rural areas. They survive on less than one US dollar per day.

Uganda’s development strategy now focuses on rural development; improving household incomes and people’s quality of life.

However, the most critical question is why are rural people poorer than their counterparts in urban areas?

New development thinkers have realised that poverty is far more than mere absence of income. Social exclusion, lack of status in society and disempowerment are some of the other factors that can explain this phenomenon.

In African setup, many people thrive on social capital. Whether or not one has money they can at least eat, have shelter, clothing and perhaps live more a comfortable life than people in gainful employment who lack social capital. However, in Western societies social capital is not important. People live on their own and need cash or credit facilities to survive. This calls for a different approach to poverty alleviation in that setup.

Rural-urban migration in the developing countries is increasing very fast. The trend is worrying because, unlike the developed countries, there are few industries to absorb immigrants in towns.

People are attracted to urban centres because they assume they will get better housing, hospitals, schools, communications, consumer goods, jobs, higher salaries and career prospects. Rural-urban inequalities need to be sorted out because one does not necessarily become rich because they have moved to cities and towns. Some people’s living conditions become when they arrive in the towns.

However, there is urgent need for poor countries to invest in the poorest segments of their population in terms of education, health and access to credit.

Part of the reasons we have lost focus on rural development is the perception that promotion of exotic knowledge as opposed to indigenous the way to go. No-one attempts to research on the indigenous knowledge. The Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA) is one of the examples of the global trend of trying to imitate what cannot solve our immediate problems.
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