Buganda Kingdom Calls for Traditional Farming to Fight Poverty and Safeguard Heritage

The Buganda Kingdom has strongly urged households across the region to return to traditional farming practices as an effective strategy to combat rising poverty levels, boost food security, and preserve cultural heritage.

This call to action was made by the Kingdom’s Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperatives, Hajj Amisi Kakomo, while representing the Katikkiro at the 16th Traditional Foods and Seeds Exhibition. The event, held at Hotel Africana in Kampala, was organised by Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM).

Speaking to attendees, Kakomo emphasized that the Kabaka and the Buganda Kingdom place immense value on ensuring reliable food supplies and protecting the environment through indigenous crop cultivation. He noted that traditional seeds are much more than mere sustenance; they embody cultural identity, ancestral knowledge, and historical wisdom.

“Indigenous seeds are more than just a source of food. They represent our cultural heritage, our knowledge of the environment and the skills our ancestors passed on to us,” Kakomo remarked. He encouraged communities to actively preserve, store, and share these seeds to protect their health and strengthen social ties.

Echoing these sentiments, PELUM Board Chairperson Edward Mukiibi stated that Uganda’s traditional foods are a distinct national treasure capable of driving economic growth if properly promoted. PELUM Uganda Country Coordinator Josephine Akia Luyimbazi added that modern dietary habits have shifted dramatically from the past, making events like the exhibition vital for renewing public interest in sustainable agricultural practices.

Running under the theme, “Our Seeds, Our Food, Our Culture: Strengthening Resilience to Climate Change Through Our Culture and Traditions,” the week-long exhibition drew participants nationwide to promote sustainable farming and celebrate indigenous foods.

For more details on this initiative, read the original report on Nile Post.