Farmers’ education and food security at the household level in Lira City, Northern Uganda

Abstract

The study highlights the contribution of Farmers' Education to food security among selected households in one division of Lira City. The research questions addressed; the contribution of farmers' Education to food availability, the contribution of farmers' Education to food accessibility, and the effect of Farmers' Education on food utilization in Amuca Ward. A descriptive research design was adopted. The findings revealed that males dominated the study with a youthful population of 40% and were fairly literate though majority of the respondents (63%) were married, 16% were cohabiting, 9% were widows and 6% were divorced. 50.78% were farmers, followed by the business community (7.11%) and politicians were just 4.6% and civil servants were only 3.5%. It was revealed that the lead organizations that conducted farmers' education were government-aided (25%), followed by non-governmental organizations standing at 18%, while fellow farmers stood at 7% and private household arrangements at 27% and others (23%). This demographic made majority of the respondents to believe that continuous farmers education coupled with timely agri-inputs; and better government policies aimed to support food security interventions can guarantee household food security in Lira city. Basing on the findings, we recommended that Lira City pateners with other stakeholders in funding farmer Education programs and consider extending the program to its peri-urban areas. Key Words: Farmer education, Food security, Food availability, Food Accessibility, Food utilization.