Every year on October 16th, the world pauses to reflect on one universal truth: food is life. This year, under the banner “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,” the call is louder than ever, let us move from slogans to systems, from discussions to decisions.
As the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) marks 80 years of global leadership, the world still grapples with a bitter paradox: 673 million people remain undernourished, even as obesity and food waste rise elsewhere. Hunger today is less about lack of food, it is about unequal access and broken systems.
Uganda is no exception. The most recent Uganda Demographic and Health Survey still records worrying levels of stunting among children, a sign that our progress is slower than our potential. We have increased awareness, improved health services, and strengthened community programs, yet our children continue to fall short of their growth potential. Why? Because nutrition is not just about feeding, it is about what, how and who gets fed.
As Ugandans, “better foods and a better future” demands three urgent shifts:
1. From Full Stomachs to Nourished Bodies
Too many households survive on starch-rich, nutrient-poor meals. A child may be fed three times a day yet still suffer hidden hunger. We must make diverse, nutrient-dense foods affordable and accessible, fruits, vegetables, legumes, eggs, fish, and fortified staples. Nutrition is not a luxury; it is the foundation of human capital.
2. From Fragmented Policies to Functional Systems
Agriculture plans rarely speak to health plans. Local governments track crop yields but not child growth. World Food Day must remind us that nutrition is everybody’s business. Districts should integrate nutrition targets into agricultural strategies, conduct joint supervision, and budget collaboratively across sectors. Real coordination happens in the field, not in conference rooms.
3. From Vulnerability to Resilience
Climate shocks, market fluctuations, and poverty hit smallholder farmers, women, and young families the hardest. Climate-smart farming, post-harvest loss reduction and value-chain development must become standard practice. Social protection schemes should reward healthy feeding practices, especially among pregnant women and adolescents.
Six Actions Uganda Can Take -Starting Now
- Make nutrition indicators part of agricultural success, not just tons harvested.
- Scale community growth monitoring with real follow-up, not just data collection.
- Promote household-level food diversity through small livestock, gardens, and legumes.
- Invest in post-harvest technologies and market infrastructure to stop food waste.
- Finance nutrition jointly across ministries with regular accountability reviews.
- Empower women and adolescent girls, because the best nutrition decisions start at home.
This is not a call for massive budgets, it is a call for better alignment, better data, and better leadership.
As a nutrition practitioner, I have seen what is possible when systems work hand in hand: children who recover, mothers who learn, communities that thrive. Uganda does not lack knowledge or passion, only consistent coordination and political will.
This World Food Day, let us move beyond speeches. Let us transform how Uganda feeds its people, not with charity, but with strategy.
Hand in hand, we can make better foods the foundation of a better future.
The Writer, Kamara Daniel, is a Nutritionist at Bwindi Community Hospital and Board Member, Allied Nutritionists Association of Uganda
The Source Reports.
We come to you.
Want to send us a story or have an opinion to share? Send an email to [email protected] or WhatsApp on +256742996036.
