By Ezaruku Draku Franklin

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards has simplified food standards into easy-to-use guidelines and translated them to local languages in Alur and Acholi to ease uptake and implementation of standards by Micro Small and Medium Enterprises.

With support from Advance Afrika under the Action for Livelihood Enhancement in Northern Uganda (ALENU) Project, the easy-to-use awareness materials were developed from 26 standards that include code of practice for hygiene, specficiations for food items including; Apiary, Local Poultry, Beans, Soy Beans, Tomatoes, Onions, Groundnuts, Freshware potatoes, Moringa and Vegetables, and have been translated to Acholi and Alur languages.

The 40-month action focuses on improving livelihoods through increased and diversified food production, enhanced market opportunities and better maternal and child nutrition in six districts of the West Nile and Acholi sub-regions.

Mr. Andrew Othieno, the  Manager – Standards at UNBS said the target audience for these materials is in six districts of Agago, Amuru and Omoro in Acholi sub- region, Nebbi, Pakwach and Zombo in West Nile sub-region, with a focus on improving livelihoods through increased and diversified food production, enhanced market access oppportunties and better maternal and child nutrition.

“Standards are technical documents. For them to be well understood, it is important that we simplify them by writing them in a language that is easily understood to ease their uptake and implementation. That way, the benefits are realised by ,“ he said..

Innocent Sheila, the Director of Finance and Administration at Advance Afrika, said the Action for Livelihood Enhancement in Northern Uganda project funded by the European Union under Government of Uganda Programme – Development Initiative for Northern Uganda to tune of  Euros 4.4 million is aimed at improving livelihoods of 35,000 people.

She said the focus will be on making sure the users understand the minimum food standards so that what they produce can attract market.

“In addition to simplifying and translating the food standards, we are going to train farmers in the selected districts on how to use them, because products must meet the standards to access markets,“ she said.

Sheila said the programme will consolidate stability in Northern Uganda, eradicate poverty and under-nutrition and strengthen the foundations for sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development.

It will according to her increase food security, improve maternal and child nutrition, and enhance household incomes through support to diversified food production and commercial agriculture and through improving household resilience and women empowerment.

Mr. Akera Dophline, Consortium Coordinator at CARITAS, one of the implementing partenrs said the intervnetion will diectly benefit 200 farmers in the six districts.

“This intervention is focusing on production, marketing, health and nutrition for 200 farmer groups which translates to 5000 households, with each house hold having an average of 7 beneficiaries,” he said.

He said the standards were developed by a number of experts including UNBS, Applied Agribusiness Innovations, Chemiphar Uganda Ltd, Consumer Education Trust, DK Soya Company, East African Basic Foods Ltd, House of Dauda, Kyambogo University, Makerere University – School of Agricultural Sciences, Makerere University – School of Food Technology, Nutrition and Bio-Engineering, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry & Fisheries, Department of Entomology,

others are; Nakku Food Safety Consult Ltd, National Agricultural Advisory Services, National Agricultural Research Organization, Ugachick Poultry Breeders Ltd, Uganda Fruits and Vegetable Exporters Association (UFVEPA), Uganda National Farmers Federation (UNFFE) and Uganda Poultry Breeders Limited.