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Refugees and host communities in Bidibidi refugee settlement in Uganda's northwestern district of Yumbe have turned to climate-resilient and fast-maturing crops as a way of enhancing food security and reduced malnutrition.

These crops include sorghum, cowpeas, groundnuts and soybeans.

Following the reduction of food rations and complete weaning off some refugees in the region by the UN World Food Programme, the rate of starvation with associated malnutrition had more than doubled in Bidibidi, according to authorities.

This also forced some refugees to return back to South Sudan.

The Bidibidi settlement is hosting the largest number of refugees in Uganda.

Uganda is among the leading refugee-hosting countries in the world, with over 1.5 million refugees as of 2023.

In village three of Bidibidi's zone four, Manasseh Woja is optimistic that their group, Pajimugu B, will thrive in farming and go into value addition in the next planting season.

He also acknowledged the harmonious living between the refugees and the host community.

Woja is one of the beneficiaries of an intervention of engaging in commercial production of climate-resilient and fast maturing crops, including sorghum.

It follows the implementation of a one-year project implemented by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (NORAD).

It is aimed at achieving improved food security, economic growth, and self-reliance through increase in local climate-resilient food production, increase in local value creation and incomes for food producers and reduced malnutrition and undernutrition.

Stephen Sala of the Unity farmers group in village three in zone four, was excited to see their three acres of sorghum thrive.

He believes this is the hope that they have after the categorization approach that has seen many refugees forced to return to South Sudan.

“Like me, I am in category three, where I do not get any food and yet I have a family to take care of," said Sala.

"I see this intervention by NRC as lifesaving because our major challenge has been getting the land from the host community because here if you do not have money, you cannot get land.

"We are hoping to pool more resources together as a group and make sure that we acquire more land on top of the five acres," said Sala.

Zubedda Okuvuru, a resident of Bangatuti parish in Odravu sub-county in Yumbe, is a member of Amaecora farmers group, a demonstration farm.

A woman standing in her sorghum plantation in Bidibidi refugee settlement.

She said they have acquired five acres of land at a cost of sh160, 000 per acre. They have so far opened one acre since the project came towards the end of the planting season.

Dixon Odur, the media and communication coordinator of NRC, said as part of the project's strategy, the farmers have been provided with cash to acquire and open up farm lands for increased production.

He said the project’s ultimate goal is to see a healthy community that is empowered socially and economically through commercial production and value addition.

Gard Feni, the district agricultural officer of Yumbe, said the district is currently implementing the agro-industrialization policy aimed at boosting food security.

He said what NRC is doing is enhancing Government's efforts in ensuring a hunger-free community.