### Over 2,500 rice farmers in Bukedi abandon wetlands

The government has welcomed a decision by over 2,500 rice farmers in Bukedi to abandon the wetlands and move to dry ground. This comes in the wake of a call to grow the upland variety of rice on dry land, instead of interfering with the wetlands. Last month, President Museveni called on the farmers to leave the wetlands, and those who agreed to move have received compensation from the government. Over 140km of wetland have been demarcated for restoration in the five districts of Kibuku, Butaleja, Budaka, Namutumba, and Kaliro, where over 270,000 farmers had been cultivating rice in the wetlands.