The alarming echoes from the Lake Albert plain region in the Democratic Republic of Congo resonate like a cry of warning about the critical situation of agricultural production. Since 2018, insecurity has been rife, heavily impacting the activities of local farmers. The vast fields left abandoned bear witness to the dismay of farmers forced to flee to displaced people’s sites, mainly in the territories of Irumu and Djugu.
This situation has disastrous consequences for the region’s food self-sufficiency, giving way to a growing dependence on imports from Uganda. Local market stalls are overflowing with imported food products, relegating local production to the background.
The traditional chief of Bahema Sud, Jems Kataloho, highlights the scale of this problem which not only represents a major economic loss but also accentuates the territory’s dependence on Uganda. He emphasizes, however, that security stability would make it possible to reverse the trend, Djugu once being the breadbasket of Ituri province in terms of food production.
The Kasenyi shopping center welcomes more than 8,500 displaced people, forced to settle in precarious conditions. These poignant images illustrate the human and economic drama unfolding before our eyes, highlighting the urgency of finding sustainable solutions to revitalize agricultural production in this region.
In short, the current challenges of the Lake Albert plain highlight the need for urgent intervention to revive local agriculture, guarantee food security for populations and restore economic self-sufficiency in the region.