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Knowledge4Policy
Knowledge for policy
Supporting policy with scientific evidence

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  • Publication | 2021
Tackling the Issue of Land Rights as a Pathway to Food Security in Uganda
Global Food and Nutrition Security

Amplifying the voices of women farmers is proving an effective way to help tackle gender inequality and promote agroecology, helping small-scale farmers take back power over their land.

In the Adjumani and Amuria districts of Uganda, women are responsible for 75% of agricultural labour. Only 30% have rights over the land that they farm. 

Male ownership of property is culturally ingrained in these communities. Women only have secondary rights through their male family members, which are often lost through circumstances out of their control, such as the death of a husband or a family dispute. 

With limited knowledge of the law, women farmers are vulnerable to both corporate land-grabbing and domestic violence. In turn, they are less likely to apply the sustainable agroecological practices that ensure greater food security. 

Many turn to short-term solutions that produce food faster. They reject indigenous crops in favour of new seeds and chemicals that create a lower yield, are detrimental to the soil and are less resilient in the face of climate change.