Rockefeller convening presentation by NARO's Everline Komutunga

1. CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND
AFRICAN AGRICULTURE GRANTEE CONVENING
24-25 February 2011
Project Name: Strengthening NARO’s Capacity to
Develop Climate Change Adaptation Interventions and
Policy Recommendations that ensure their Adoption
Grantee : NARL/NARO
Presenter : E. Komutunga and A. Agona
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2. Brief Background of the Institution
NARL is one of the 15 Public Agricultural Research Institutes (PARIs),
established by the NAR Act (2005) under the aegis of NARO
NARL-Kawanda is mandated to carry out research in aspects of Soils
& Agro-meteorology, Biotechnology, Plant Genetic Resources, Bio-
control, Post-Harvest, Food Biosciences, Agricultural Engineering
and Appropriate technology, and Agricultural Informatics
Mission: To generate and promote agricultural technologies and
approaches that improve productivity, value addition, income, food
and nutrition security
Vision: A Centre of excellence generating and promoting appropriate
agricultural technologies
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3. Your other projects/programs on climate change
adaptation
• Lack of resilience in African smallholder farming: Exploring measures to enhance the
adaptive capacity of local communities to pressures of climate change "Integrated Soil
Fertility Management and alternative crops as coping strategy for erratic weather
pattern in Tororo district, Eastern Uganda" [Kayuki C. Kaizzi] (IDRC/GoU)
• Sustainable land management research (D.N. Mubiru) GoU
• Determination of cereal crops productivity trends under changing weather patterns in
West Nile Agro-Ecological Zone (G. Iwe) GoU
• Assessment of the potential effects of climate change and identification adaptation
and mitigation strategies (A.Nakiganda) GoU
• Effects of water levels on fish breeding/nursery areas in Lake Victoria GoU
• Enhancing Food Security through Improved Seed Systems of Appropriate Varieties of
Cassava, Potato and Sweet potato Resilient to Climate Change in Eastern Africa
(BioInnovate) Sida
• Enhancing the resilience of Mid Western Zone agricultural production systems to
climate change (E. Zziwa E.) ATAAS
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4. Your other projects/programs on climate change
adaptation
• Assessing the productivity and carbon sequestering potential of major land
use types GoU
• Conservation Agriculture for improved land management and livelihoods of
smallholder farmers GoU
• Identification and mapping of Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) in Lake
Victoria (LVEMP II)
• Demonstration and popularization of DTM in the MWZ of Uganda (E. Zziwa)
CIMMYT
• Drought tolerant varieties being adapted at Abi Zonal Agricultural Research
Institute West Nile ( sorghum, pearl millet, cassava and ground nut, agro-
forestry activities) GoU
• Targeting gene based marker systems in Cassava “ Millennium Science
Initiative” (MSI)
• Water efficient Maize for Africa (G. Asea) AGRA
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5. Objectives of the Rockefeller Foundation Grant
Objective 1: Mainstream awareness and understanding of climate change
adaptation concepts throughout NARO by working with management,
researchers and implementers across the 15 units of NARO in order to
prepare NARO to be a champion for climate change adaptation
Objective 2: Deliver agro-meteorological data and analyses to customers, and to
support regional climate risk management and adaptation research
Objective 3: Capture demand of farmers and other stakeholders and translate
their needs into the development of relevant interventions in order to
increase uptake of effective climate change adaptation technologies
Objective 4: Develop and present policy recommendations that address climate
change adaptation at the organizational, local, national and regional levels in
order to facilitate the passage of policies that promote food security and well
being for the region’s population
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6. Key Activities Related to the Grant
Objective 1:
• Establish National Steering Committee on CC
Adaptation that reports to NARO Secretariat (Year 1)
• Strategy and a framework for developing community
of climate change adaptation champions (Year 1)
• Conduct Workshops that increase awareness and
integration of CC adaptation issues into R4D of
interventions (On-going since Year 1)
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7. Key Activities Related to the Grant
Objective 2:
Partnership with Makerere University to train key researchers on CC
data analysis and agro-meteorology – using train the trainer approach
(Year 1)
 Training researchers and field workers on CC data analysis and agro-
meteorology (Year 1)
 Documentation of available climatic data from agricultural estates,
livestock farms, NARO institutes, etc. (Year 1)
 Digitization of hard copy data through outsourcing – to use these and
other data for future climate variability and change studies, e.g.,
definitive datasets (Year 1)
 Revamping data collection infrastructure: newly equipped weather
observing stations at NARO institutes. (Year 1 and 2)
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8. Key Activities Related to the Grant
Objective 3:
Technical advisor in CC research that builds institutional capacity and a
change agents within NARO (Year 1)
Workshops with external stakeholders, such as CC agricultural experts,
policy makers etc. (Year 1)
CG fund that invests in climate change “ground-truthing” (adaptation in
action) and CC modeling and forecasting (Ongoing since Year 1)
 Tested technologies that address climate change adaptation farmer
needs e.g. water harvesting and storage (Ongoing since Year 1)
Evaluation of effectiveness of adaptation technologies on productivity,
fitness for consumption i.e. taste, ease of processing; involving external
stakeholders in the process; frequency of evaluation depends on length
of growing season (Year 2)
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9. Key Activities Related to the Grant
Objective 4:
Technical advisor in CC policy that builds institutional capacity and is a
change agent within NARO (Year 1)
Revision of NARO’s existing policies and development documents that
incorporates CC adaptation (Year 1)
A Policy sub-group of the regional community of practice/ network that
includes additional CC adaptation policy experts from Makerere and KARI,
as well as established policy advocates, i.e. ASERECA and IFPRI (Year 1)
Recommendations for incorporating CC adaptation into Ugandan national
bills currently being written, i.e. Biotechnology and Safety and PGRFA
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10. Key Activities Related to the Grant
 List of prioritized policy interventions (Year 1)
 Memos that provide recommendations for climate change adaptation around
priority areas for intervention (Ongoing since Year 1)
 Feedback forums on climate change adaptation policy recommendations
which include members or parliament (Ongoing since Year 1)
 Recommendations for a comprehensive climate change adaptation strategy
for Ugandan agriculture, working within DSIP for agriculture, approved by
the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries. (Year 2)
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11. Highlight on the Progress to date
Progress
• National Steering Committee formed (18 members)
• Strategy of community of CC adaptation Champions in
place
• Sensitization/awareness campaigns conducted
• ToT conducted (15 technicians trained to Level II)
• 2 MSc registered at MAK
• 8 Automatic weather stations established
• New Climate Expert recruited
• 3 competitive grant projects at various implementation
stages
• Results of farmer perception disseminated in various fora
• Drafts from Policy Expert available
• Climate data digitized
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12. Early Findings (optional)
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13. Number os recording stations
0
1
3
4
5
6
7
2
8
01/02/1953
01/02/1955
01/02/1957
01/02/1959
01/02/1961
01/02/1963
01/02/1965
01/02/1967
01/02/1969
01/02/1971
01/02/1973
01/02/1975
01/02/1977
01/02/1979
01/02/1981
Years in Record
Early Findings (optional)
01/02/1983
01/02/1985
01/02/1987
01/02/1989
01/02/1991
Tmax historical record in Uganda 1953-2001
01/02/1993
01/02/1995
01/02/1997
01/02/1999
01/02/2001
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14. Number of stations in the record
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
01/02/1953
01/02/1955
01/02/1957
01/02/1959
01/02/1961
01/02/1963
01/02/1965
01/02/1967
01/02/1969
01/02/1971
01/02/1973
01/02/1975
01/02/1977
01/02/1979
01/02/1981
Years in Record
Tmin of Uganda
Early Findings (optional)
01/02/1983
01/02/1985
01/02/1987
01/02/1989
01/02/1991
01/02/1993
01/02/1995
01/02/1997
01/02/1999
01/02/2001
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15. Early Findings (optional)
No of days when daily max temp is greater than 25oC at
Mbarara south western Uganda
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16. Early Findings (optional)
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17. Key Challenges
• Sustainability of current initiative after project expiry
• Coverage weather stations limited to 8 instead of 15 to
cover all AEZ
• Conflict of interest between Meteorology Dept and NARO
in popularizing/disseminating climate data
• Climate data gaps
• Non-cohesion between partners
• Recommendation for experts to source other funding too
ambitious
• Time lost in recruitment of Climate Change Expert
advisor
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18. Lessons Learnt
• Research activities requires a number of replications in various
AEZs to yield conclusive results on CC adaptation
• Climate change research requires long term funding
commitment to sustain activities
• Multi-sectoral approach is key sustainable CC adaptation and
mitigation
• A consortium of partners working in tandem is paramount to
achieving long lasting results
• Establishment of “One-stop-adaptation villages” enhance rapid
adoption of CC technologies
• Integration of ITK with modern technologies encourages greater
community involvement
• Most actors on CC adaptation and mitigation are mainly
involved in advocacy/policy issues other technology generation
• CC issues are not well-mainstreamed in most of the existing
policy
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19. Emerging Opportunities for Collaboration
• Mentoring of institution with similar agenda within the Network
and beyond
• Collection and dissemination of climate in collaboration with
MTN
• Integration of locally generated climate data with advance
global modelling systems for e.g. forecasting yields, pestilence
and disease outbreaks
• Scaling up/ rolling out CC adaptation technologies, knowledge
and/or information
• Implementation of developed strategies e.g. CC Champions,
communication, capacity building etc.
• Policy dialogues at all levels
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20. Next steps
• Finalising current activities
• Sourcing for further funding
• Forging of partnerships
• Mentoring other institutions on invitation
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