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DEFENDING LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

Why UN Food systems summit is irrelevant to Uganda’s smallholder farmers: A case of capitalism pushing the poor away from family land

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3 years ago

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Some of the community members affected by land grabbing in Kiryandongo District

By witnessradio.org team.

As the United Nations, is striving to end hunger, achieve food security through sustainable agriculture what they termed as one of the 17 sustainable development goals by 2030, Uganda still grapples with mass forced evictions being aided by International development financiers being hosted and protected by big nations.

In Uganda, the ‘development financing’ has exacerbated poverty, hunger among the local populations, threatened food security, and forced inhabitants to migrate to urbanized cities or working as laborers on large plantation farms established formerly on their land as the only means of looking for survival.

Ever since the mandate to set up the Food Systems Summit was taken over from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) by the UN secretary-general’s office in close partnership with the World Economic Forum, a private sector organization fronting corporate interests, the summit lost its relevance as far as smallholder farmers concept in Uganda is concerned.

The governance of the summit is under capture by “experts” known to be staunch defenders of industrial agriculture, and wealthy nations, which host many of the large multinational corporations and International Development Financiers, to drive their agenda.

In a bid to translate these aspirations into tangible results, the United Nations’ three-day pre-summit in Rome, which ended on the 28th day of July 2021…. in a lead up to the UN Food Systems Summit in September in New York City, US, made no mention of peasant agroecology, or indigenous ecological knowledge and it’s feared by smallholder farmers to be fronting corporates’ interests.

In a survey conducted by Witness Radio-Uganda on development projects (agribusiness, afforestation, carbon offset projects, mining, and infrastructure development) being financed by members of the World Economic Forum for the last ten years, both COVID-19 lock-downs inclusive, estimate that 1, 257,200 (one million two hundred, fifty-seven thousand and two hundred peasant families have been forcefully evicted or threatened with eviction from more than 5 million Ha.

Approximately 98.2% of the grabbed land or on the verge of being grabbed was agricultural land being used for subsistence farming by local peasants.

As we write this story, Nalumunye Betty, not real name, a small-holder farmer in Kawaala who grows yams to feed her family fears that an eviction facilitated by World-Bank financing of the expansion and construction of Lubigi Channel under the Kampala Institutional and Infrastructure Development Project (KIIDP-2) Project will take away her cheap and sustainable source of food.

She is not alone, there are many other smallholder farmers across the country including Kiryandongo district, 122 Km away from Kampala facing a related quandary. They are battling multi-national companies, including, Agilis Partners Ltd through its Asili Farms that received USD 1,200,000 from the Netherlands-based Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), a basket fund that gets part of its money from the European Union. Agilis Partners Limited is using the development finances to forcefully evict thousands of peasants off their land.

“Every eviction has a ripple effect and this country will have to pay dearly for it soon”, Mrs. Joan Bulyelari, one of the legal officers with Witness Radio – Uganda, noted with great concern.

“It is a double-edged sword. It takes away a live hood and leaves communities hungry. It breeds domestic violence, breaks families, forces children out of school. Just look at what is happening in Kiryandongo. Employees of multi-national companies are raping mothers and defiling children to defeat their spirited efforts to reclaim their land from multi-nationals”, she added.

By and large, agriculture plays a vital role in the Ugandan economy, and most of the persons evicted are smallholder farmers whose land is being targeted constitute 68% (sixty-eight percent) of all working Ugandans are employed by agriculture.

Small-holder farmers account for 89% (eighty-nine percent) of all land users in Uganda. They contribute up to 80% (eighty percent) of the annual total agricultural output, this includes food crops.

Conversely, this contribution seems to have been overlooked by key stakeholders’ aggressive advocacy, and blind funding by international financial institutions of large-scale mechanized agriculture without prioritizing the land rights of smallholder farmers, which is an affront to food security that has been guaranteed by small-holder farmers through their 80% (eighty-percent) contribution to the annual total agriculture.

According to the Country Director, Witness Radio-Uganda, Mr. Wokulira Geoffrey Ssebaggala, “It is time we rethink, and jealously protect the smallholder farmers’ contribution to food sovereignty, but that debate will only make sense if key stakeholders; governments, financial institutions, and international bodies take up the responsibility to finance community-led projects that cater for the protection  of land rights of smallholder farmers.”

“They should not just throw money at large-scale agricultural and development projects, especially, if they will involve the forceful land acquisition. These development finances are aiding instability in Uganda and worsening food insecurity yet it should alleviate such issues. This is akin to throwing pearls to pigs. International financiers, among other solutions, should set independent supervisory and audit units to ensure that there is prior, adequate, fair, and prompt compensation before any evictions ”, he advised.

In Rome, the priorities of the UN Food Systems were emphasized on paper as “hunger and nutrition, climate change and inclusion and equity but such can only be achieved if the summit remains an independent space for all to find lasting solutions to food security.

Earlier this month, one of Uganda’s dailies, The Daily Monitor, reported that a total of 36 civil society organizations (CSOs) in Uganda and across Africa under the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) had ruled out their participation in the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) scheduled for September 2021 in New York, USA.

UNFSS is accused of excluding the critical views of indigenous farmers in defining suitable food systems, “We are deeply concerned that the current rushed, corporate-controlled, unaccountable, and opaque process for this summit will not lead to the transformation we envision of sustainable and healthy food systems.”, its statement read in part.

Globally, the International Peasants Movement, while christening the UNFSS as a ‘Scientific Group’ also views it as a composition of “corporate-sponsored actors who legitimize corporate-owned knowledge and technology systems, and hold peasant agroecological practices in contempt.”

Witness Radio Uganda will not take part in the Food Systems Summit, later in September 2021 in New York, instead joins other actors to reaffirm the need of the UN and other stakeholders to rethink approaches that have left smallholder farmers landless and threatening food security.

 

Related posts:

UNFSS loses significance as critical issues affecting smallholder farmers are not mentioned – Criticized by Rights groups and experts Thousands of smallholder farmers in Uganda have forcefully lost their land in exchange for carbon offset projects. The United Nations Food Systems Summit is a corporate food summit —not a “people’s” food summit Uganda government ignores its directive on COVID evictions, evicts thousands of smallholder farmers, artisanal miners. UN Food Systems Summit: The Battle Over Global Food and Agriculture Governance

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DEFENDING LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

Breaking: Buganda Road Court grants bail to 15 stop EACOP activists after 30 days in prison.

Published

1 week ago

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December 11, 2024

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By Witness Radio team.

The Magistrate at Buganda Road Court has granted non-cash bail to 15 stop EACOP activists from Kyambogo and Makerere University Business School (MUBS) Universities. They spent 30 days in detention at Luzira Maximum Security Prison on charges of common nuisance.

After the defense lawyers successfully applied for bail, on 10th December, the trial magistrate, Her Worship Nankya Winnie, granted a non-cash bail of 500,000 Uganda Shillings (approximately 136.50 USD) for each activist and their sureties.

The hearing of the bail application for the EACOP activists flopped yesterday. It was adjourned after it was reported that the then-presiding magistrate, Her Worship Sanula Nambozo, had been transferred to another duty station and replaced by Her Worship Nankya Winnie.

The accused activists are all young students from the universities mentioned above. The students include Simon Peter Wafula, Gary Wettaka, Martin Sserwambala, Erick Ssekandi, Arafat Mawanda, Akram Katende, Dedo Sean Kevin, Noah Katiti, Oscar Nuwagaba, Oundo Hamphrance, Bernard Mutenyo, Nicholas Pele, Shadiah Nabukenya, Shafiq Kalyango, and Makose Mark.

They were arrested in early November 2024 for protesting the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project in Kampala, Uganda’s capital. The EACOP project, a major oil pipeline, has been controversial due to its potential environmental impact, including the risk of oil spills and deforestation, and the alleged human rights violations associated with its construction, such as forced evictions and land grabbing.

Despite the risks, the activists marched to Uganda’s Parliament to meet the Speaker and raise concerns about the EACOP project. The peaceful march reiterated numerous concerns raised by civil societies and the European Parliament about the project’s negative impacts.

The EACOP project, which will transport crude oil from Uganda’s Albertine region to Tanzania’s Tanga seaport, has been criticized for delayed compensation for affected persons and secretive agreements. The potential impact on the environment and human rights is a cause for concern.

On 11th November, the accused were charged with common nuisance. Section 160 (1) of the Penal Code Act states that anyone charged with common nuisance is liable to one-year imprisonment on conviction. This charge, frequently imposed against individuals peacefully protesting in Uganda, has notably been used against Stop EACOP activists. While common nuisance addresses acts causing inconvenience or disruption to the public, it is crucial to emphasize that the accused were engaged in peaceful protest, causing no harm or disturbance.

The prosecution alleges that on 11th November 2024, the accused gathered at Parliamentary Avenue, peacefully expressing their dissent and causing no harm. Yet, they were charged with common nuisance, which seems unjust given their peaceful protest. It’s important to note that their protest was non-violent and aimed at raising awareness about the potential negative impacts of the EACOP project.

The court has adjourned the case to 16th January 2025 for a hearing.

Related posts:

Buganda Road Court will hear a bail application for 15 EACOP activists today. Breaking: The Bail Application for the 15 EACOP Activists flops for the second time, as the trial magistrate is reported to have been transferred. A bail application for the 15 EACOP activists failed to take off, and they were remanded back to Prison. Breaking: 15 Anti-EACOP Activists have been charged with common nuisance and remanded to Luzira prison. Breaking: Mwanga II Court grants bail to two defenders and a Project Affected Person (PAP).1
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DEFENDING LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

Breaking: The Bail Application for the 15 EACOP Activists flops for the second time, as the trial magistrate is reported to have been transferred.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

December 10, 2024

By

By Witness Radio team.

A bail application for the 15 EACOP activists from Kyambogo and Makerere University Business School (MUBS) Universities currently on remand at Luzira Maximum Prison on charges of common nuisance has flopped for the second time due to the absence of the presiding magistrate.

The prosecution stated that the bail application could not proceed because the presiding magistrate, Her Worship Sanula Nambozo, had been transferred to another court. As a result, the case file was allocated to a new magistrate, Her Worship Nankya Winnie. She rescheduled to hear the bail application for today, October 10th, 2024, at 9 a.m. EAT.

The bail application for the 15 activists has faced yet another setback, marking the second failed attempt.

This delay in the bail application process means that these young students continue to be held in remand at Luzira Maximum Prison, a situation that is undoubtedly taking a toll on them. On November 16th, 2024, the bail hearing was disrupted due to the absence of two student activists, Wafula Simon and Kalyango Shafik. During that court session, the prosecution informed the court that both individuals were unwell, suffering from red eyes, and had been placed in isolation at the prison hospital.

The activists on remand, all young students, include Simon Peter Wafula, Gary Wettaka, Martin Sserwambala, Erick Ssekandi, Arafat Mawanda, Akram Katende, Dedo Sean Kevin, Noah Katiti, Oscar Nuwagaba, Oundo Hamphrance, Bernard Mutenyo, Nicholas Pele, Shadiah Nabukenya, Shafiq Kalyango, and Makose Mark.

The 15 were arrested in early November 2024 for protesting against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project in Kampala, Uganda’s capital. The EACOP project, a major oil pipeline, has been a subject of controversy due to its potential environmental impact and the alleged human rights violations associated with its construction.

Despite the risks, the activists marched to Uganda’s Parliament to meet the Speaker of Parliament and raise concerns about the EACOP project. Their persistence in the face of adversity is truly inspiring.

The EACOP project, which will transport crude oil from Uganda’s Albertine region to Tanzania’s Tanga seaport, has been criticized for delayed compensation for affected persons and secretive agreements. The potential impact on the environment and human rights is a cause for concern.

On November 11th, the accused were charged with common nuisance. Section 160 (1) of the Penal Code Act states that anyone charged with common nuisance is liable to one-year imprisonment on conviction. The charge of common nuisance is often used in cases where individuals are accused of causing inconvenience or disruption to the public, but it is important to note that the accused were peacefully protesting and causing no harm.

The prosecution alleges that on November 11th, 2024, the accused gathered at Parliamentary Avenue, peacefully expressing their dissent and causing no harm. Yet, they were charged with common nuisance, a charge that seems unjust given their peaceful protest.

The third attempt for the bail application of the 15 activists has been rescheduled for hearing today at 9 a.m. EAT before Her Worship Nankya Winnie of the Buganda Road Court.

Related posts:

Buganda Road Court will hear a bail application for 15 EACOP activists today. A bail application for the 15 EACOP activists failed to take off, and they were remanded back to Prison. Breaking: 15 Anti-EACOP Activists have been charged with common nuisance and remanded to Luzira prison. Breaking: 15 Anti-EACOP Activists Arrested in Kampala While Marching to Parliament Breaking: Mwanga II Court grants bail to two defenders and a Project Affected Person (PAP).1
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DEFENDING LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

Buganda Road Court will hear a bail application for 15 EACOP activists today.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

December 9, 2024

By

By Witness Radio team.

A bail application for the 15 EACOP activists from Kyambogo and Makerere University Business School (MUBS) Universities currently on remand on charges of common nuisance will take off today.

On November 16, 2024, attempts to apply for bail for the 15 students flopped due to the absence of two activist students in court.

The prosecution informed the court that Wafula Simon and Kalyango Shafik were sick and suffering from red eyes. They were placed in an isolation room in the prison hospital, thus causing a setback to earlier bail application attempts.

The activists on remand, all young students, include Simon Peter Wafula, Gary Wettaka, Martin Sserwambala, Erick Ssekandi, Arafat Mawanda, Akram Katende, Dedo Sean Kevin, Noah Katiti, Oscar Nuwagaba, Oundo Hamphrance, Bernard Mutenyo, Nicholas Pele, Shadiah Nabukenya, Shafiq Kalyango, and Makose Mark.

They were arrested in early November 2024 for protesting against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project in Kampala, Uganda’s capital. The activists, undeterred by the risks, were marching to Uganda’s Parliament to meet the Speaker of Parliament and raise concerns about the EACOP project, including the continued gross human rights violations/abuses, the significant threat it poses to the environment, and the criminalization of the mega project’s critics.

The EACOP project will transport crude oil from Uganda’s Albertine region to Tanzania’s Tanga seaport. The project has been criticized for delayed compensation for affected persons and secretive agreements.

On November 11, the accused were charged with common nuisance. Section 160 (1) of the Penal Code Act states that anyone charged with common nuisance is liable to one-year imprisonment on conviction.

The prosecution alleges that on November 11, 2024, the accused gathered at Parliamentary Avenue, peacefully expressing their dissent and causing no harm, yet they were charged with common nuisance. They were accused of causing disruption and inconvenience by holding an unauthorized demonstration on the road while displaying placards and banners opposing the oil pipeline.

The bail application for the 15 activists will be presented before Her Worship  Sanula Nambozo the Grade One Magistrate of Buganda Road Court.

Related posts:

Some of the 15 activists standing in the court dock.
A bail application for the 15 EACOP activists failed to take off, and they were remanded back to Prison. Breaking: 15 Anti-EACOP Activists have been charged with common nuisance and remanded to Luzira prison. Mubende Land Grab: Anxiety as court finally fixed a date to hear bail application for seven Formasa victims Mubende Land Grab: Judge declines to hear bail application, sends suspects back to prison Breaking: 15 Anti-EACOP Activists Arrested in Kampala While Marching to Parliament
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