Child Growth in Karamoja, Uganda: Effects of Armed Conflict, Subsistence Change, and Maternal Behavior

Gray, Sandra

doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-1795-9_40

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…A climax to this situation was reached in 1964 with the introduction food relief [20,21]; food aid has since then not left the subregion. By 2009, the general food distribution peaked with 1.15 million individuals, an estimated 90% of the entire population receiving food relief [2].…”

Section: Open Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of drought early warning system on household food security in Karamoja subregion, Uganda

et al. 2017

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Background: Drought is regarded as a leading cause of food insecurity affecting about 220 million people in subSaharan Africa. Drought early warning systems (DEWSs) have the potential to strengthen capacity of communities in managing and reducing drought effects through building preparedness and providing coping strategies. The Karamoja subregion is the only region with a functional DEWS in Uganda. The subregion suffers from effects of recurrent episodes of drought with negative impacts on food security. Despite having DEWS in place, the subregion remains the most food insecure in the country. The extent to which DEWS has contributed to household food security in the subregion remains unclear. This study determined the effect of DEWS on agro-pastoral household food security in the subregion. The study was conducted in Nakapiripirit and Kotido districts of the Karamoja. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 305 participating and non-participating households in DEWS. The effect of participating in DEWS on food security was analyzed using the generalized linear model. The level of food security and nutrition were measured using the household food insecurity access score and household dietary diversity score (HDDS), respectively. Results:Findings showed that all respondents had experienced food insecurity during the course of the year. Drought was indicated as the main cause of food insecurity in the households. Participation in DEWS significantly (p < 0.01) reduced the threat of food insecurity by 23.7% and increased the level of household nutrition by 30%. Better nutrition was realized in DEWS participating households (HDDS = 9.0) compared to non-participating households (HDDS = 6.6). Conclusion:Owing to intermittent drought events in the Karamoja subregion, DEWS contributes to household food security and nutrition by providing households with information on timely planting, crop diversification, farm equipment, drought management and drought-tolerant crop varieties. There is need for DEWS practitioners to focus on information dissemination, provision of drought-tolerant crops and provision of training opportunities to communities for increased production in semi-arid areas.

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Section: Open Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of drought early warning system on household food security in Karamoja subregion, Uganda

et al. 2017

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“…We have identified increased vulnerability of the Karimojong in several adaptive domains (Thomas ). To date, these include demographic structure, human health and disease, child growth and development, and women's reproductive health (Gray , ; Gray, Akol, and Sundal ; Gray, Akol, and Sundal ; Gray et al. ).…”

Section: Human Adaptability In Karamojamentioning

confidence: 99%

“Milk Has Gone”: Dietary Change and Human Adaptability in Karamoja, Uganda

Gray

Sundal

2017

American Anthropologist

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This article examines changes in dietary strategies among Karimojong agropastoralists in northeast Uganda. We recorded food selection, procurement, processing, and consumption in twenty-eight female-headed Karimojong households during a four-month period in 2004. Plant foods comprised the bulk of the diet, whereas less than 12 percent of dietary intake came from the herds. Milk contributed no more than 5 percent of total dietary energy. These findings present a striking contrast with ethnographic reports of the Karimojong and related Turkana pastoralists in the mid-to late twentieth century. We argue that dietary change, particularly the lack of milk and butterfat in most households, is symptomatic of a weakened pastoralist sector-a consequence of the convergence of multiple external and internal stressors. We conclude that the disruption of the pastoralist system, the lack of sustainable alternatives, and the growing dependency on agriculture have set the Karimojong on a trajectory toward permanent impoverishment, compromising human adaptability and population resilience. [African pastoralists, livelihood change, dietary strategies]RESUMEN Este trabajo examina los cambios en estrategias dietéticas entre los agro-pastoralistas karimojong en Uganda nororiental. Registramos la selección de alimentos, obtención, procesamiento y consumo en 28 hogares karimojong con mujeres como cabeza de familias durante un período de cuatro meses en 2004. Los alimentos plantas comprendieron la mayoría de la dieta, mientras que menos del 12 por ciento del consumo dietético provino de los rebaños. La leche contribuyó a no más del cinco por ciento de la energía dietética. Estos hallazgos presentan un sorprendente contraste con reportes etnográficos de los karimojong y los relacionados pastoralistas Turkanas de mediados a fines del siglo veinte. Argumentamos que el cambio dietético, particularmente la falta de leche y grasa de leche en la mayoría de los hogares, es sintomático de un sector pastoril debilitado-una consecuencia de la convergencia de múltiples factores de estrés externos e internos. Concluimos que la disrupción del sistema pastoril, la falta de alternativas sostenibles, y la dependencia creciente en la agricultura han sentado a los karimojong en una trayectoria hacia un permanente empobrecimiento, comprometiendo la adaptabilidad humana y la resiliencia de la población. [pastoralistas africanos, cambio de subsistencia, estrategias dietéticas] For Rada: Kape robo. HUMAN ADAPTABILITY IN KARAMOJASince the mid-1990s, we have been engaged in a study of human adaptability in the Karamoja subregion of northeast Uganda (Figure 1). We have worked mostly among the Karimojong, who, like most societies in the area, are

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Child Growth in Karamoja, Uganda: Effects of Armed Conflict, Subsistence Change, and Maternal Behavior

Cited by 2 publications

References 14 publications

Effect of drought early warning system on household food security in Karamoja subregion, Uganda

Effect of drought early warning system on household food security in Karamoja subregion, Uganda

“Milk Has Gone”: Dietary Change and Human Adaptability in Karamoja, Uganda

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