Milk matters in Karamoja, Uganda

Households in the Karamoja region of northeastern Uganda have seen a sharp drop in access to animal milk in recent years. The declining milk supply affects livelihoods, food security and markets, but has the greatest impact on the nutrition of young children. A study by Elizabeth Stites and Emily Mitchard on Milk Matters in Karamoja: Milk in Children’s Diets and Household Livelihoods, published by Feinstein International Centre and Save the Children in October 2011, examines changes in milk supply and uses by households in pastoral, agropastoral and agricultural zones in Karamoja. It shows how significant the loss of milk has been to livelihoods and how households have responded to this: they prioritise feeding any available milk to children at the expense of milk for all other household members and all other purposes. But still, the overall reduction of milk in the diets of children continues to have serious nutritional consequences that warrant further attention in programming, policy and advocacy.

Posted on 5 November 2011 in Pastoralism & Marketing, Pastoralism, Gender & Youth