President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged leaders in Teso Sub-region to prioritize combating land fragmentation as a strategy for sustainable development. Speaking on November 18, 2024, during a visit to the home of Vice President Jessica Alupo in Katakwi District, Museveni called for proactive leadership to address the pressing issue.
“Land fragmentation destroys family wealth. When a family head dies, everything they built is divided and wasted. This is not how Europeans handled it. They found a way to divide resources without destroying them,” President Museveni said.
The President highlighted land fragmentation as a major challenge, proposing agricultural reforms like the four-acre model for small landholders. He explained that this approach balances intensive and high-value farming to increase incomes.
Museveni also shared a personal analogy to illustrate resource management. “I told people in Kabale, ‘I have one water pot and five homes. Should I break it into fragments or distribute water?’ They said, ‘Distribute the water.’ That’s how the Europeans managed land,” he narrated.
Vice President Jessica Alupo showcased her model farm, featuring poultry, fish farming, dairy production, and irrigation-fed banana farming. She highlighted the farm’s adherence to Museveni’s vision of preventing land fragmentation and boosting agricultural output.
“The land was shared among nine siblings, but we agreed to pool all farm income into a joint account to sustain productivity. This aligns with the President’s advocacy for the four-acre model,” Alupo explained.
She detailed the farm’s production success, revealing it generates approximately UGX 333 million annually from enterprises like poultry, dairy, bananas, fish farming, and piggery. The farm also plans to introduce a hatchery and training programs for local leaders to promote modern farming practices.
President Museveni expressed optimism about the region’s progress. “I’m glad people are waking up to socio-economic transformation,” he said, urging Teso leaders to act on his vision.
The event, part of Museveni’s wealth creation assessment tour in Teso, was attended by local leaders, religious figures, and community members.
