Political Instability and Food Security in Uganda: A Case Study of Ogur Sub county, Lira District

ABSTRACT Although various attempts were being made by government and Nongovernmental organization to stop political instability in order to improve on food security in Northern Uganda, ensuring enough food for the people still remained the biggest challenge posed by political instability. There was a total breakdown of the agricultural production infrastructure in the war-affected areas. The people had resorted to surviving on food handouts from international relief agencies. This had greatly compromised the people's assurance of food. The main objective of the study was to examine the impact of political instability on food security and its interceding consequences in rural areas, more especially among households affected by political instability. To address the above issue 70 respondents were investigated. These included 30 men and 40 women who were used for the purpose of the study. The research employed both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis. The choice of both qualitative methods was dependent on the nature of the researrh that required the use of both simple random sampling techniques and purposive sampling methods of data collection respectively. The methods were used to get the magnitude of research problem. Quantitative and qualitative methods established the extent to which political instability affected food security. The study findings showed that political instability has had a negative impact on food security in Uganda, especially in Ogur Sub-county where there was strong evidence of food insecurity. The sustainability of the people's livelihood was in question if no urgent remedial actions were taken. The affected households were not only faced with insecurity but also malnutrition had compromised the economic growth and development in the area.