Famine Disaster Causes and Management Based on Local Community's Pe rce ption in Northe rn Uganda

Th is s tu d y examined th e p er c e p tio n o f famine by local p eo p le in Lira an d Kitg u m d is tricts in Northern Uganda in September 2007. The aim was to develop an analytical framework for prediction and management of famine disaster. Two hundr ed a nd ni nety one respondents were interviewed us ing questionnaires. The m ajority defined famine a s a s tate o f food insecurity. Chi-square t est showed no significant d ifference in perception of famine i n the t wo districts. The l ogistic r egression model showed that younger and less educated respondents are l ikely to suffer the c onsequences of famine. The l ocal people coped with famine by gat h e rin g edible wild vegetables, fruits and roots; working for f ood from other families; planting short-term variety crops and reduction in the number and quantity of meals eaten in a day. We recommend that the government of Uganda should have a clear famine disaster management plan as a preparednes s s trategy to addres s the problem.