Bushenyi District
Encyclopedia
Bushenyi District is a district
in Western Uganda
. Like many other Uganda
n districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Bushenyi
, where the district headquarters are located.
to the northwest, Buhweju District
to the northeast, Sheema District
to the east, Mitooma District
to the south and Rukungiri District
to the west. The largest town in the district, Ishaka
, is located 75 kilometres (46.6 mi), by road, northwest of Mbarara
, the largest city in the sub-region
. The coordinates of the district are:00 32S, 30 11E.
All that changed on 01 July 2010 when, by Act of Parliament, the old Bushenyi district was split into six (6), new smaller districts, namely:
The district is part of the larger Ankole sub-region
, constisting of nine (9) districts, and home to an estimated 2.2 million Banyankole
in 2002, according to the national census conducted at that time.
{| style="font-size:100%;"
|-
| width="100%" align="center" | Kabale District Population Trends
|- valign="top"
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"
! style="width:2em;" |Year!! Estimated Population
|-
|2002||205,700
|-
|2003||211,900
|-
|2004||218,200
|-
|2005||224,800
|-
|2006||231,500
|-
|2007||238,500
|-
|2008||245,600
|-
|2009||253,000
|-
|2010||260,600
|-
|}
Ranching for beef and dairy farming
for milk production are widely practiced on both subsistence and commercial scales in Bushenyi District. Hybrid cattle
are widely raised on farms in the district. The hybrids produce more milk per animal and yield more beef per carcass and therefore are more profitable that the local breeds.
Soil degradation, poor marketing and processing systems, and frequent out break of crop and livestock diseases are some of the challenges that the farmers in the district face.
Districts of Uganda
Uganda is divided into 111 districts and one city across four administrative regions. Most districts are named after their main commercial and administrative towns....
in Western Uganda
Western Region, Uganda
Western Region is a region of Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...
. Like many other Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
n districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Bushenyi
Bushenyi
Bushenyi is a town in Western Uganda. It is the 'chief town' of Bushenyi District and the district headquarters are located there. The district is named after the town, in keeping with the practice in most of the districts in the country.-Location:...
, where the district headquarters are located.
Location
Bushenyi District is bordered by Rubirizi DistrictRubirizi District
Rubirizi District is a district in Western Uganda. Like most Ugandan districts, the district is named after its 'chief town', Rubirizi, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
to the northwest, Buhweju District
Buhweju District
Buhweju District is a district in Western Uganda. It is named after its 'chief town', Buhweju, the location of the district headquarters.-Location:...
to the northeast, Sheema District
Sheema District
Sheema District is a district in Western Uganda.-Location:Sheema District is bordered by Buhweju District to the north, Mbarara District to the east, Ntungamo District to the south, Mitooma District to the southwest and Bushenyi District to the west...
to the east, Mitooma District
Mitooma District
Mitooma District is a district in Western Uganda. It is named after its main municipal, administrative and commercial center, Mitooma.-Location:...
to the south and Rukungiri District
Rukungiri District
Rukungiri District is a district in Western Uganda. It is named after its 'chief town' of Rukungiri where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
to the west. The largest town in the district, Ishaka
Ishaka
Ishaka is a town in south-western Uganda. It is one of the municipalities in Bushenyi District.-Location:Ishaka is located in Igara County, Bushenyi District, in Western Uganda. It is located approximately , by road, west of Mbarara, the largest city in the sub-region...
, is located 75 kilometres (46.6 mi), by road, northwest of Mbarara
Mbarara
Mbarara is a town in Western Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of Mbarara District and the location of the district headquarters. It is also the largest urban centre in Western Uganda.-Location:...
, the largest city in the sub-region
Ankole sub-region
Ankole sub-region is a region in Western Uganda that consists of the following districts:* Buhweju District* Bushenyi District* Ibanda District* Isingiro District* Kiruhura District* Mitooma District* Ntungamo District* Rubirizi District...
. The coordinates of the district are:00 32S, 30 11E.
Overview
Prior to 2010, Bushenyi District is one of the most western of Uganda's districts, by location. It covered an area of approximately 4292.5 square kilometre, of which 8.6% was open water, 2.2% was wetland and 18.3% was protected national forest reserve.All that changed on 01 July 2010 when, by Act of Parliament, the old Bushenyi district was split into six (6), new smaller districts, namely:
- Buhweju DistrictBuhweju DistrictBuhweju District is a district in Western Uganda. It is named after its 'chief town', Buhweju, the location of the district headquarters.-Location:...
- Busheny District - New and smaller
- Mitooma DistrictMitooma DistrictMitooma District is a district in Western Uganda. It is named after its main municipal, administrative and commercial center, Mitooma.-Location:...
- Rubirizi DistrictRubirizi DistrictRubirizi District is a district in Western Uganda. Like most Ugandan districts, the district is named after its 'chief town', Rubirizi, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
- Sheema DistrictSheema DistrictSheema District is a district in Western Uganda.-Location:Sheema District is bordered by Buhweju District to the north, Mbarara District to the east, Ntungamo District to the south, Mitooma District to the southwest and Bushenyi District to the west...
The district is part of the larger Ankole sub-region
Ankole sub-region
Ankole sub-region is a region in Western Uganda that consists of the following districts:* Buhweju District* Bushenyi District* Ibanda District* Isingiro District* Kiruhura District* Mitooma District* Ntungamo District* Rubirizi District...
, constisting of nine (9) districts, and home to an estimated 2.2 million Banyankole
Ankole
Ankole, also referred to as Nkore, is one of four traditional kingdoms in Uganda. The kingdom is located in the southwestern Uganda, east of Lake Edward. It was ruled by a monarch known as The Mugabe or Omugabe of Ankole. The kingdom was formally abolished in 1967 by the government of President...
in 2002, according to the national census conducted at that time.
Population
In 2002, the district, as configured after July 2010, had a population of about 205,700, according to the national census bureau. The population growth rate in the district was estimated at 3.0%. It is estimated that the population of the district in 2010 was approximately 260,600. See table below:{| style="font-size:100%;"
|-
| width="100%" align="center" | Kabale District Population Trends
|- valign="top"
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"
! style="width:2em;" |Year!! Estimated Population
|-
|2002||205,700
|-
|2003||211,900
|-
|2004||218,200
|-
|2005||224,800
|-
|2006||231,500
|-
|2007||238,500
|-
|2008||245,600
|-
|2009||253,000
|-
|2010||260,600
|-
|}
Economic activities
Bushenyi District is fairly endowed with natural resources. The district has relatively low poverty levels among its residents. The economy of the district depends mainly on agriculture. Agriculture is a source of food for the population, subsistence income for most families and provides direct employment to 86.7% of the district population, as well as supplying raw materials to industries. The majority of the people are involved in subsistence agriculture with some engaged in commercial production of crops including:- CoffeeCoffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
- TeaTeaTea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
- Sweet bananas
- Matooke
Ranching for beef and dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
for milk production are widely practiced on both subsistence and commercial scales in Bushenyi District. Hybrid cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
are widely raised on farms in the district. The hybrids produce more milk per animal and yield more beef per carcass and therefore are more profitable that the local breeds.
Soil degradation, poor marketing and processing systems, and frequent out break of crop and livestock diseases are some of the challenges that the farmers in the district face.