Transition Or Stagnation? Everyday Life, Food Security and Recovery in Post Conflict Northern Uganda
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Transition or stagnation? Everyday life, food security and recovery in post-conflict northern Uganda Winnie W. Wairimu Thesis committee Promotor Prof. Dr D.J.M. Hilhorst Professor of Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction Wageningen University Co-Promotors Dr I. Christoplos Senior Researcher, Natural Resources and Poverty Research Unit Danish Institute for International Studies, Denmark Dr M.A. Slingerland Assistant professor, Plant Production Systems Group Wageningen University Other members Prof. Dr A. Niehof, Wageningen University Prof. Dr J. Herman, University of Groningen, the Netherlands Dr M. van Leeuwen, Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands Dr K. M. Witsenburg, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands This research was conducted under the auspices of the Wageningen School of Social Sciences (WASS). Transition or stagnation? Everyday life, food security and recovery in post-conflict northern Uganda Winnie W. Wairimu Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of doctor at Wageningen University by the authority of the Rector Magnificus Prof. Dr M.J. Kropff, in the presence of the Thesis Committee appointed by the Academic Board to be defended in public on Friday 20 June 2014 at 11 a.m. in the Aula. Winnie Wangari Wairimu Transition or Stagnation? Everyday Life, Food Security and Recovery in Post-conflict Northern Uganda, 188 pages. PhD Thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, NL (2014) With references, with summaries in Dutch and English ISBN: 978-94-6257-027-6 For Nancy and Paul, Acknowledgments This PhD process would not have been possible without the love, support, and encouragement of several people and institutions. Here is my heartfelt gratitude to those who made it possible, To my academic supervisors I want to say Thank You. Dorothea Hilhorst, dear Thea, it was a pleasure to be supervised by you. Your insights and deep knowledge of the issues this thesis is made of is something I greatly benefitted from. I do not forget the numerous times you read drafts that did not make sense yet. Many times, you saw the story line before it was very clear on paper, but you patiently waited for me to learn on my own while at the same time training me in this academic writing process. Often you encouraged me as we sat on your dining table discussing my work – days that ended with dinner made by Fred (Thank you Fred). Ian Christoplos, I found each of our discussions challenging and insightful. The numerous Skype calls left me questioning my own assumptions with the reminder to keep things simple. The visits to your home, first in Sweden and later in Italy were key in figuring and finalising this thesis respectively. I remember coming to Sweden after my first extended stay in northern Uganda and with a lot of data. I left at the end of that week with a clear picture on how the various pieces and papers fit together (A big Thank you to Ingrid for hosting Thea and I). Dear Maja Slingerland, my sincere thanks. If I regret anything it was not having involved you from the start. Despite so, you breathed life into the food security matters when you came on board. I enjoyed talking through my work with you as it often left me inspired. You made statistics look easy and for that I appreciate your help in curing my fear for numbers. Specifically, the quantitative aspect of my work was greatly enriched by your experience and expertise. I also appreciate, that you created time for me during the ‘crisis’ stage of submitting the manuscript. To the team at ZOA headquarters. First and foremost, this PhD would not have been possible without the funding from ZOA. Secondly, it is not usual for an organisation to fund a PhD but it is unusual to have the organisation’s staff go that extra mile to have that person feel a member of the ZOA ‘family’. I did not only receive funding but was also made to feel like a part of ZOA, often receiving Christmas presents from the organisation. Thirdly, smooth transitions ensured that I and my work were never affected, despite several organisational changes and restructuring. Dear Marius Stehouwer, I understood it was your persistence and interest that got ZOA into the IS Academy on Human Security in Fragile states. Beyond that, my first months into the PhD were characterised by a lot of negotiation and interaction with you. You were open to exploration of new ideas and areas of research. You insisted it was important that I could also pursue lines of inquiry of interest to me and for that my sincerest gratitude. Leo Den Besten, you took over from Marius and stayed on until almost the end of my study. My heartfelt gratitude for making collaboration easy and interesting. You took a personal initiative to often vii catch up on how I was fairing and often created platforms for me to share my findings. Arco van Wessel, we may not have interacted many times but when we needed approval for one thing after the other towards the end of my study, you acted kindly and swiftly. You also took interest in my work. Dear Timmo Gaasbeek, someone once told me that I should be thankful for you. Indeed you are the best liaison person I would have asked for and I am indebted to you. You showed great enthusiasm and took a keen interest in my work. I benefitted immensely from the numerous discussions we had on the preliminary findings. You asked the right questions and drew attention to issues I would have easily passed over, yet they were key. You also often looked out for and created opportunities to enable greater collaboration, integration of my work into ZOA’s practice and dissemination of my preliminary findings. Outside of work, your home was always open to me and I enjoyed spending time with Natasha and the boys and of course later when the girl came. And thanks for assistance during formatting of the thesis. I would also like to draw out Corita Corbijn, Willeke de Jager and Roelof van Til for collaboration in one way or the other. Koosje Bresser, you made arrangements for the sandwich sessions at ZOA. Thank you all. To the team at ZOA Uganda, Kampala office, my field site and choice of Uganda would not have been realised without your assistance and cooperation. Dear Guido de Vries, I remember when I wrote to a couple of countries, you showed interest in my research and accepted to host me. Over the following years, I became at times an extension of your field staff. Your door was always open to me. I remember when it took a call from you for the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) to accept to land at Pader when I had the accident in 2011. My sincere thanks. Astrid Alkema, I was fascinated by your creativity and insights in aid programming. Beyond the times we sat down to catch up on findings, my work and the ZOA Pader programme, you became a friend. I hope the future provides opportunities for us to work together. To all the staff in the ZOA Kampala office including James Pimundu, James, Liz Hoogland, Edisa, Barbara, Sylivia, Christine, thank you. Jane Twijukye, whenever I needed assistance with practical matters and logistics, you were a phone call away and always responded positively. Special thank you to Gerard Hooiveld. I am grateful for the cooperation and support you offered for the shooting of the film based on my research in Pader. To the team at ZOA Uganda, Pader office, I want to express my warm regards and thanks. You welcomed me as one of you. Wilfred Babanga and Lauben Mwetware, you were not only my hosts but also my housemates. It was always so refreshing to sit down with you after a day or week’s work in the villages and talk matters East African. You made my stay in Pader enjoyable. Thank you to Joseph and Thomas for logistical assistance when needed. James Opiro, Luteny, Mwaka, Pauline, Thomas, Akol, Henry, Alphonse, Justin, Claire, Thomas, Geoffrey, Joseph, CD, Dorothy, Jude, Catherine, I may not mention all your names but I say Apwoyo Matek for making me feel a part of the ZOA family. Geoffrey for the refresher course on riding a motorbike. The technical teams and field staff based in the various sub viii counties allowed me to join them on their field trips as well as indulging in my many questions on their work. You did not tire of my efforts to pick your mind on what you were implementing. These reflections enriched my work. To the many other institutions that enabled me gather data, kindly accept my gratitude. I specifically single out three; the Netherlands Embassy in Kampala for an opportunity to coordinate a review that resulted in data for my work, the Stabilisation and Humanitarian Aid (DSH) department of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and specifically Karin Boven for making the Kampala review possible and for opportunities to present and share my work at the Hague, and lastly, the production directorate in Pader (Mr. Onyoro and Betty) for allowing me to get an idea of what it means to work for the government of Uganda. To the families in Pader for opening their homes to me, and sharing their experiences on the war and recovery, I say Apwoyo Matek. Many often called me anyaka (daughter) and extended their generosity despite having little. Martin ‘Goddy’ Ochan, I came looking for a translator, but found a research assistant in you. You proved to be very reliable and I appreciate the insightful discussions we had, trying to make sense of what we heard and saw in the villages.