The Agriculture Minister has urged Ugandans to prioritise agricultural production over prolonged land ownership battles, arguing that underutilised farmland threatens food security despite the country’s vast agricultural potential.
Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze has questioned why Ugandans engage in prolonged court battles over land ownership while large areas of potentially productive farmland remain uncultivated, warning that failure to utilise available resources could worsen food insecurity.
Speaking during World Food Day celebrations at the Mbarara Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MBAZARDI), Tumwebaze said Uganda had significant agricultural potential but was not making sufficient use of its available land.
“Out of 40 million acres of arable land that God gave us, and which people fight over in court, titles, land disputes—why do you fight over land you don't use? We are only using less than 2 million [acres] now,” Tumwebaze said.
He cited government survey figures indicating that only about 35.38% of targeted productive zones were in effective agricultural production, which he said represented less than two million acres.
The minister argued that leaving potentially productive land idle undermines efforts to strengthen food security and improve agricultural output, urging landowners to focus on putting their land to productive use rather than engaging in protracted ownership disputes.
Tumwebaze also warned that environmental degradation could worsen the consequences of failing to invest in agriculture, particularly if communities allow productive land to deteriorate.
“So if God turns our area into a desert and you get hungry, shall we complain? You see, I sometimes tell people, don't disturb God. Only pray when it's necessary. Just become serious,” he said.
He challenged Ugandans to combine faith with practical work, saying agricultural success requires farmers to plant crops and invest effort before expecting a good harvest.
“I see people fighting in court, over titles. Plant on your land. Pray to God to give you a good harvest when you have planted. But if you have not planted, God gives us a miracle using your work to produce a miracle,” Tumwebaze said.
The celebrations also marked MBAZARDI’s 100-year milestone in agricultural research, providing a platform for calls to embrace modern farming techniques, improve land utilisation and strengthen the country’s food production capacity.
Tumwebaze’s remarks place renewed emphasis on the challenge of translating Uganda’s agricultural potential into actual production, particularly amid concerns about food security and the environmental sustainability of farming.