‘The food is not enough’: disability and food aid technologies in a Ugandan refugee settlement

Abstract

In Uganda’s refugee policy framework, food aid targets the most vulnerable – among them people with disabilities – using a categorization system. This article explores the entanglements of this technology of food distribution with disabled people’s socialities. It reveals that the system does not achieve its proposed rationale of creating equal opportunities for people who are disadvantaged within Uganda’s refugee policy of self-reliance, and that it falls short in enabling disabled people to fulfil roles and responsibilities. Nevertheless, food aid is a significant contribution that allows refugees with disabilities to cultivate family and non-kin relationships. Exploring these interdependent relations around food aid calls into question the ideas of equality and independence as fundamental principles of living together.

Land access, livelihoods, and dietary diversity in a fragile setting in northern Uganda

“…The Ugandan refugee policy aims to promote self-reliance through cultivating allocated land, with food programs gradually scaling back assistance. The World Food Programme (WFP) provided rations based on the minimum caloric intake of 2,100 calories per day, with 100% of the ration being provided to extremely vulnerable individuals (Meyer et al, 2019;Schuler, 2022). Improving the food consumption scores of refugees would require strengthening the market chain for various crops and increasing access to fresh and animal-source foods through livestock rearing and food purchases.…”