“Food Is Medicine”: LFAU Pushes Plant Foods, Urban Farming to Fight Uganda’s Nutrition Crisis.

By Paul Galiwango, Entebbe

Environmentalists and human rights defenders under Luv 4 All Foundation Uganda, LFAU, have launched a nationwide campaign that puts plant-based foods at the center of Uganda’s fight against malnutrition.

The launch, held at Lake Victoria Hotel Entebbe, drew local leaders, researchers, and community advocates who say small-scale urban farming could be a game-changer for nutrition in space-constrained communities.

The scale of the problem

LFAU director Mike Musisi opened with stark numbers from the 2025–2026 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report and UNICEF data:

Group	Estimated cases of acute malnutrition	Coverage
Children 6 months – 5 years	428,000	Across 43 districts
Pregnant or breastfeeding women	84,000	Across 43 districts

Musisi argued that Uganda, as a food basket for East Africa, shouldn’t be seeing these numbers. The gap, he said, is less about food availability and more about awareness, preparation, and waste.

What LFAU is proposing

1. Plant-powered nutrition on small plots
Musisi stressed that many nutrient-dense indigenous vegetables, legumes, and fruits are dismissed as “not food” or “poor people’s food.” Yet they can be grown on balconies, verandas, and tiny backyard plots. The campaign will train households on:

Which plant foods pack the most iron, protein, vitamin A, and zinc per shilling.

Intercropping and sack gardening for limited urban space.

Seed saving and organic pest control to cut costs.

2. Keep the nutrients in the pot
“How we cook matters as much as what we cook,” Musisi noted. Over-boiling greens, peeling nutrient-rich skins, and poor storage strip food of value. LFAU plans cooking demos that show:

Shorter cook times for leafy vegetables.

Pairing foods for better absorption, like adding lemon to beans for iron uptake.

Solar drying and preservation to reduce post-harvest loss.

3. Food as an immune booster
Agricultural researcher David Njuki pushed for framing food beyond calories. He called for “immune booster gardens” at health centers and schools, supplying facilities with fresh produce to supplement patient and student diets while reducing medical waste.

Voices from Entebbe

Former Entebbe municipal chairperson Richard Ssekyondwa and speaker Florence Kyanikol backed the urban farming angle. With land pressure growing in municipalities, they said, sack gardens, vertical farms, and rooftop beds are no longer optional. Kyanikol emphasized women and youths as key adopters since they manage most household meals.

Where the campaign goes next

LFAU will roll out in phases, beginning with Northern Uganda and Karamoja sub-region areas with high malnutrition rates and climate stress. Activities include:

Community dialogues: Engaging elders, mothers’ groups, and farmers on local food taboos and opportunities

Stakeholder clinics: Bringing in nutritionists, agronomists, and district health teams

Demo gardens: Set up at schools, health center IIIs, and markets to show what 3x3 meters can produce

School feeding advocacy: Pushing for beans, greens, and orange-fleshed sweet potato in term menus.

Why plant-based now

Uganda’s nutrition strategy already promotes dietary diversity, but Musisi argues animal protein is often expensive and inaccessible for vulnerable households. Plant foods offer a cheaper, faster, and climate-resilient path to fill micronutrient gaps while families work toward broader food security.

“Teach a community to grow and properly prepare Nakati, dodo, beans, and pumpkin, and you change health outcomes in one season,” Musisi said.

LFAU is calling on district leaders, CSOs, and private sector food processors to join the campaign, with a goal of cutting malnutrition-linked hospital admissions in target districts by the next IPC assessment.