By ,Saaba Damalie Martha Kibuuka
According to the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Uganda, like mostAfrican nations, has per capita emissions of below 1ton of Carbon dioxide and as such has a low carbon footprint. It however, also like most developing countries, suffers the most adverse effects of Climate Change. This Article therefore looks more at its vulnerability to climate change and mitigation rather than its contribution towards the quantity of Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
The Ugandan economy is largely dependant on rain-fed agriculture which contributes upto 40 percent of the GDP with a large part of its population found to be self-employed in agriculture. A change in Climate may therefore reduce the Country’s Agricultural sector performance which could result in higher food prices, lower domestic revenues and widening of the current account deficit due to lower export earnings together with increased inflation and increased external debt. Crop sensitivity to climate variability and change in Uganda also varies with the ecological zone. In particular, the uncertainty in onset and cessation of rainfall seasons, which is high in northern Uganda, affects agricultural production. Agricultural performance not only fluctuates with changes in weather conditions, it is also adversely affected by poor market conditions, storage and infrastructure (Orindi, V.A and Eriksen S: 2005). Timing of rainfall in relation to cropping calendars is crucial for farmers. Robertshaw and Taylor found, for example, that the El-Nino induced high rainfall in 1997/98 destroyed many crops in Kitara region, contrary to the common belief that increased rainfall necessarily results in greater crop yields. The El-Nino rains also resulted in the death of 1,000 people from flood-related accidents; and displacement of 150,000 people from their homes and had damage to trunk and rural road infrastructure estimated at US$400 million. Recently, there’s been an increase is volumes of rainfall experienced in Uganda which have resulted in events such as the floods in Kasese district and the flooding of Lake Victoria.
Furthermore, even though 15 per cent of Uganda’s total area is covered with water, the distribution is highly geographically differentiated, which means that large parts of the country, especially semi-arid areas in the North-East, face problems of water scarcity. These areas face severe water shortages particularly during drought periods. The cyclic and increasingly frequent periods of drought have had an adverse effect on both the quantity and quality of water resources. Increased competition in the drier areas where perennial rivers are lacking is likely to escalate, especially during dry periods among the different livelihood groups. In the process, some groups may be marginalized and find it difficult surviving in such environment. Inequality, marginalization and exclusion from access to water resources may be critical to determining vulnerability among population groups in these areas. Access rights are a particular pertinent issue in determining vulnerability given the process of privatization of water resources currently taking place.
What can be done?
Although there isn’t much that can bedone about the expected heavy rains since it is a natural phenomenon, farmers can take steps to mitigate the loss. This is through mechanisms such as Product Improvement /Value Addition which not only increases the quality, but also the shelf life of their produce thus preparing them for tough times ahead. Setting up a Disaster Preparedness Fund both nationally and in their respective farmers’ Co-operative Societies will help provide relief and re-instatement after the disaster has passed.
Farmers in semi-arid and arid areas should engage in alternative farming methods suitable for arid areas such as drip and sprinkler irrigation, bunding which is basically contouring the landscape; Strip cropping to control soil erosion; summer fallowing; mulching; practicing intertillage; crop rotation; as well as growing trees along with the crops which has been proved according to Harsh and Tewani (1993) to increase the total productivity per unit of land as compared to sole arable cropping in arid areas.
Lastly, the government should invest in more research into the agricultural sector to see that more invention and innovation is made towards mitigation of the climate change effects in agriculture. It should also support nationalization of water resources rather than their privatization to ensure maximum accessibility and utilization by all.
Saaba Damalie Martha Kibuuka
Is a Lawyer, Enterpreneur, Philanthropist and Climate Change Advocate