Strategies Employed by Refugees to Enhance Food Security in Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda

Limited livelihood opportunities, insufficient resources and reliance on humanitarian assistance severely affect the capacity of refugees to respond to the food needs of the household, making food insecurity a major challenge in protracted displacement. This study aimed to investigate the coping mechanisms used by refugees in Nakivale Refugee Settlement to improve food security. The aim of the study was to explore how refugees achieve food security in the face of scarcity, to understand the importance of the host community-refugee relationship for improving food security and to identify the obstacles to food security for refugees. The study was informed by the Refugee Aid and Development (RAD) Theory, which explores the relationship between refugee dependence, self-reliance and humanitarian assistance. The design of the study was qualitative and involved in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, direct observation, and document review with refugees, host-community members, local leaders, and humanitarian service providers. The study concluded that refugees use a range of strategies to improve food security, such as small-scale farming, accessing food in the market, engaging in income-generating activities, and knowledge sharing with host communities. But these efforts are hampered by restrictions on access to arable land and water, poor farm inputs, low capitalisation and legal and administrative problems. The study suggests that boosting refugees' livelihood capacities by providing access to productive resources, agricultural inputs, financial services and opportunities for sustainable income generation would help to improve self-reliance and household food security.