Overall, Acholi Sub-Region is the best performing sub-region of Greater Northern Uganda, in terms of household food security.

About half of households in Acholi Sub-Region are food secure and this is throughout the sub-region, with the exception of Lamwo District.

The state of food security in Acholi, by district, and in order of the most food secure is as follows:

• 58.7% of households in Amuru District are food secure.
• 54.3% of households in Nwoya District are food secure.
• 53.1% of households in Gulu District are food secure.
• 50.0% of households in Kitgum District are food secure.
• 49.7% of households in Agago District are food secure.
• 48.7% of households in Pader District are food secure.
• 48.5% of households in Omoro District are food secure.
• 39.0% of households in Lamwo District are food secure

With a population of over 2 million it means thousands of people of Acholi have difficulties accessing sufficient food. Since, half of households in Acholi experience:

“Frequent and prolonged periods of insufficient food intake due to lack of money and other resources, forcing members of those households to skip meals or go an entire day without a meal.”

An “IPC Acute Food Insecurity and Acute Malnutrition Analysis, Jul 2024-June 2025,” published on reliefweb, gives qualitative insights into why low household food security in Lamwo, in comparison with the other districts of Acholi.

Poor harvests and reduced purchasing power are widening food consumption gaps.

The sate of food security in Acholi, nearly 50% of households that are food insecure, is consistent with the finding that 12.8% of persons aged 10 years and above in Acholi have “probable general psychological distress.”

Be that as it may, even though only half of households in the sub-region have food security, the people of Acholi have a life expectancy of 70 years.

Information herein is extracted from the most recent Uganda National Population and Household Census Report, by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics. A PDF copy of the report is available to download free here.

Uganda Bureau of Statistics measures food poverty using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale.

The state of food security in Acholi, indeed, justifies the joint intervention of the Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) and CPAR Uganda, the Dr. Paul Hargrave Memorial Center Human Development Project that is intended to benefit disadvantaged communities of Greater Northern Uganda, of which Acholi is among.

To LEARN MORE about the work of CPAR Uganda and MAKE A DONATION click here.

Norah Owaraga did the analysis and authored this post on behalf of CPAR Uganda.