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Welcome to Nabwigulu-online
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Background
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Nabwigulu sub-county is one of the seven sub-counties in Bugabula county of Kamuli District. It is surrounding the District headquarters with its headquarters located only 5 km from Kamuli town via the District headquarters. It has an area of 146.44 Sq km and is bordered by Balawoli sub-county in the North, Kitayunjwa sub-county in the South, Bugaya sub-county in the East and Butansi sub-county in the West.
Nabwigulu sub-county comprises of seven parishes, namely;
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Nabirumba
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Namkulyaku
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Namuningi
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Nabwigulu
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Kamuli-Namwendwa
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Kamuli-Sabawali
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Buwanume
LIIS operational parishes:
Nabirumba and Buwanume
HIV/AIDS
Prevalence in increasing mainly due to little awareness. The increase is indicated by:
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Increasing number of orphans, widows and widowers.
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High prevalence of opportunistic infections like tuberculosis, syphilis.
Fortunately there are VCT services in the community. Other interventions include:
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CHAI programme
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Provision of free condoms at health centres
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Awareness campaigns in terms of films and drama plays
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PMTCT
Latrins coverage is 45%. Main environmental issues include:
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Drug abuse (use of veterinary drugs for human treatment)
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Poor organic waste disposal resulting in high prevalence of worms and diarrhea diseases
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Poor use and disposal of polythene bags
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Lack of protective wear of people selling food stuffs
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Improper waste of medical wastes
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Public exposure of wastes generated at home e.g needles, used condoms and containers
Bridges
Nabirumba has one bridge and it is not in good condition.
Production and marketing
Most of the land is under customary tenure with average land size being 2-3 acres per household. Crop farming subsistence, the main food crops grown being maize, cassava, potatoes, millet, beans, bananas and rice. Among cash crops, cotton and coffee are grown. Given the average acreage, land tenure system and rudimentary tools used like pangas, hand hoes and oxen plough, production is still very low to have an economic significance. It is important to note that bananas have been doing well in the past as food and cash crops. Unfortunately, the out break of banana bacterial wilt (BBW), coffee wilt and African cassava mosaic disease (ACMD) has left the crops devastated and income has been lost. Worse still, post harvest handling of crops is in most cases poor and no proper storage and processing facilities in place. This results into farmers selling the little harvest at low prices and hence permanent poverty. On the whole, crop farming faces the environmental problems highlighted below:
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There is high prevalence of crop diseases and vermin like birds.
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Poor farming methods leading to increased soil erosion and decreasing soil fertility.
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Poor soil and water conservation measures.
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Unpredictable weather conditions.
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Wetlands degradation.
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Poor handling and use of agro chemicals.
Grazing is mainly communal. Main problems in livestock include:
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High prevalence of disease and disease vectors.
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High cost of treatment (expensive drugs and limited technical personnel in the community).
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Low prices for the livestock products.
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Farmers mainly have low yielding indigenous types.
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Pollution from animal wastes and drugs.
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Limited grazing land.
Wetlands
There are a few wetland and swamps in the community. These provide a wide range of services and goods essential for poverty reduction like grazing, cultivation, materials for construction, water filtration and climate modification. All these wetlands are seasonal and have been partially converted for rice production. The water quality in most of the wetlands has been compromised as a result of pollution through deposition of human wastes, agrochemicals and sediments in the wetlands. This stems from the low pit latrine coverage in the sub county and the rampant erosion washing agro-chemicals into these water bodies. Complementary to this, farmers have adopted a destructive system of paddy rice cultivation. Paddy rice cultivation and pollution of the water bodies have resulted into the following;
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Increase in water borne and water related diseases.
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Changes in and unpredictability of the hydrological cycle.
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Lowering of the water table due to wetlands drainage leading to drying up of bore holes.
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Destruction of biodiversity through habitat destruction
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Reduced crop yields due to decreasing soil fertility.
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Encroachment on protection zone of Lake Shoreline for agro-based activities like cotton growing.
Forests and farmlands
The sub county has mainly shrubs with sparse trees that are ruminants of the over exploited original woodland cleared for agricultural expansion and settlement. Forests offer many opportunities for poverty alleviation and economic development. In the community, the most obvious benefits of forests to the rural livelihoods are the provisions of energy for cooking and employment in the form of selling firewood and charcoal. In addition to the above, trees are used as sources of medicine, timber and poles for construction. The following are general problems facing the department;
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Indiscriminate (clear) felling of trees for agricultural purposes, timber and charcoal.
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Selective over exploitation of species used for timber eg. Muvule, musizi and those used for medicine making them endangered.
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Use of destructive /wasteful tools during for wood conversion.
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Harvesting of immature trees.
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High infestation of pastures with ticks, tsetse flies and other disease vectors.
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Land degradation due to overstocking.
As a result the following have been observed;
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Loss of forest cover.
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Reduced agricultural productivity due to reduced soil fertility.
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Intermittent and prolonged drought.
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Drainage and loss of wetlands.
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Increased poverty and diseases.
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Uncontrolled fires.
Suggested strategies to address them
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Establishment of tree nurseries at parish level by sub county.
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Sensitisation of village councils on environmental management and laws.
Challenges the sub county faces in addressing environmental issues:
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Poor rains and deteriorating soil fertility force people to cultivate the wetlands.
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Timber and charcoal provide sources of incomes to the communities.
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High levels of illiteracy hampers quick adjustment to changes let alone appreciating them.
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Lack of alternative sources of incomes by the communities leads to overexploitation of the few available resources.
Nabwigulu community challenges
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Poor feeder roads network
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Lack of enough classrooms
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Lack of enough farm land
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Poor quality of breeding materials
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Fluctuating weather conditions which affect agricultural production
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Poor farm implements
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Poor sanitation and hygiene (low latrine coverage about 45%)
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High illiteracy levels especially in women estimated between 65% to 70%.
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High level of HIV/AIDS prevalence
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Inadequate sources of clean water
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High rate of deforestation
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High rate of defilement and domestic violence.
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