This paper was presented at National Climate Change Dialogue organized by PELUM-Uganda, 19th October 2012, Hotel Africana, Kampala Uganda. The theme of the dialogue was, 'National Climate Change Policy and its responsiveness to Small Holder Farmers.'

1. Major Climate Change Effects and its
Implications to Agriculture in Uganda
Dialogue Theme: National Climate Change Policy and its
responsiveness to Small Holder Farmers
By Joshua Zake, Doctoral Research Fellow at BOKU,
Vienna, Austria
Email: joszake@gmail.com; Tel: +256773057488
Presented at National Climate Change Dialogue
organized by PELUM-Uganda, 19th October 2012,
Hotel Africana, Kampala Uganda

2. Objective and methodology
• This presentation highlights major climate change
effects and their implications to agriculture in
Uganda. It also suggests practical recommendations
to address them
• Desk review and synthesis of relevant
reports/articles
12/11/2013
2

3. Lay out of presentation
• Definition of key terms and concepts;
• The key characteristics of Agriculture in Uganda;
• Main effects of climate change and their implications
on agriculture in Uganda;
• Practical recommendations for policy and practice
12/11/2013
3

4. Key definitions of terms and concepts in
respect to climate change
• Climate is the prevailing or average weather
conditions of a place as determined by the
temperature and metrological change over a period
of time. Various factors determine climate and the
most important are rainfall and temperature
• Climate change refers to any change in climate over
time, whether due to natural causes or as a result
of human activity
12/11/2013
4

5. Key definitions of terms and concepts in
respect to climate change
• Global Warming is the gradual increase in the
average temperature on the earth and affects all
sectors of development. It is the documented
historical warming of the earth’s surface based
upon the worldwide temperature records which
have been maintained by humans since 1880s. In
real terms, it is the historical and/or recent climate
change on the global scale
12/11/2013
5

6. Key definitions of terms and concepts in
respect to climate change
• Climate change adaptation refers to adjustments in
practices, processes, or structures to take into
account changing climate conditions, to moderate
potential damages, or to benefit from opportunities
associated with climate change.
• Greenhouse gases are gaseous elements of the
atmosphere that absorb and emit radiation. They
exist naturally in the Earth's atmosphere and are
part of what keeps the Earth warm and habitable.
E.g. Methane and nitrous acid
12/11/2013
6

7. Key definitions of terms and concepts in
respect to climate change
• Mitigation - refers to an intervention to reduce
green house gas (GHS) emissions or enhance GHG
sinks
• Smallholder farmers refers to their limited resource
endowments relative to other farmers in the sector
12/11/2013
7

8. Key characteristics of Agriculture in Uganda
• Uganda’s economy is principally an agricultural
one, with a number of crops (including exports of
fish) and a high level of subsistence fishing and
agriculture.
• Agriculture is still the most important sector in
Uganda’s economy considering that it employs the
largest proportion, 65.6% in 2010 of the
population aged 10 years and older.
• In 2010/11, the sector accounted for 22.5% of
total GDP. Agricultural exports accounted for 46%
of total exports in 2010.
12/11/2013
8

9. Key characteristics of Agriculture in Uganda
• Uganda has a total area of 241 500 sq km; of which,
236 000 sq km is land cover and 44 205 sq km is under
water (UBOS, 2006). By 2005, the land cover under
cultivation had increased to about 99,018 sq km (NFA,
2007).
• Agriculture in Uganda is practiced by 4.2 million
agricultural households and the average size of
agricultural holding of 1.3 hactares i.e. 3.25 acres
(UBOS, 2007).
• About 37% of the arable land is under subsistence
agriculture (UBOS, 2008).
12/11/2013
9

10. Key characteristics of Agriculture in Uganda
• Uganda's main food crops have are banana,
cassava, sweet potatoes, millet, sorghum, maize,
beans, and groundnuts. Major traditional cash
crops are coffee, cotton, tea, and tobacco,
although over time in some regions of the country
some food crops are also sold by smallholder
farmers as cash crops (for instance bananas,
maize) to meet household demands (Byrnes,
1990).
• Overtime, productivity of millet, simsim, cassava
and sweat potatoes ahs increased.
12/11/2013
10

11. Key characteristics of Agriculture in Uganda
• Productivity of maize, cotton, coffee and bananas has
declined in recent years for different reasons including
changes in climate patterns (especially drought), crop
pests and diseases, poor soils management among others
(EMU, 2007).
• High levels of soil fertility depletion/degradation - top soil
losses of as much as 5 tons per hectare being reported in
some areas (DSIP, 2010).
• Low application and use of fertilizers - Ugandan
smallholder farmers on average use 1 and 6.8 Kg per
hectare of inorganic and organic fertilizers, respectively.
12/11/2013
11

12. Key characteristics of Agriculture in Uganda
• Overall, 96% of the parcels in Uganda depend on
rain as their main source of water while 3% parcels
were using swamps/wetlands as their main water
source (2.9%) and only 1% was using irrigation as
their main source of water.
• Of the parcels that had irrigation as their main
water source, the Central Uganda region had the
highest percentage of 44.5%, followed by the
Western region with 38.9%, the Eastern region with
13.6% and the Northern region with the lowest at
3.0% (UBOS, 2007).
12/11/2013
12

13. Main effects of climate change in Uganda
•
•
•
•
•
Floods;
Prolong droughts;
Heavy rains with hailstones;
Heavy rains with strong winds;
High temperatures – scotching sunshine – Global
warming;
• Increased incidence/severity of pests and diseases
for crops and livestock;
12/11/2013
13

14. Drought in Mubende, 2009. Ben T.
Teso floods, 2007. Pilgrim
Nakasongola .
Teso floods, 2007. Pilgrim
Iguluibi village, L.
Victoria basin.
Science direct
L. Mwamba,
Western Uganda
Eastern Uganda, 2012 Tabu

15. Impacts of climate change on Agriculture
• Declining crop yields due to prolonged droughts,
unreliable rainfall patterns , floods, hailstones …could
leave hundreds of millions without the ability to
produce or purchase sufficient food – household food
insecurity, malnutrition, poor health eventually
resulting in death.
• Furthermore, droughts lower the country’s productive
capacity; reducing her agricultural exports, increasing
food prices leading to food shortages, nutritional
deficiencies and an unstable macro economy. For
instance, it’s uncertain that increasing temperature rise
will affect coffee production in Uganda.
12/11/2013
15

16. Impacts of climate change on Agriculture
• Floods destroy infrastructure such as roads, bridges –
thus limiting access of agricultural produce to markets;
• Floods promote water borne diseases (cholera,
malaria…) which affect farming community thereby
reducing their performance/output on their farms;
• Climate variability increases incidence and severity of
crop and livestock diseases (Wilts, Mossaic, Newcastle,
Swine fever…) results in higher expenses on treatment
costs and at extreme loss of crops and livestock
• Climate change/variability reduces country gross
domestic product (GDP) and loss of livelihood of
communities’ dependant on agricultural production;
12/11/2013
16

17. Practical recommendations for policy and practice
• More targeted awareness and training of smallholder
framers about climate change impacts, possible adaptation
and mitigation techniques/practices and early warning
actions;
• Research – early maturing and drought resistant crop
varieties;
• Support farmers to access and multiply these technologies;
• Promote and support indigenous drought resistant crop
varieties (arrow roots, yams…);
• Support farmers to access appropriate technologies for
irrigation;
• Strengthen early warning early action – systems at
community , local and national levels;
12/11/2013
17

18. Practical recommendations for policy and practice
• Support trees on farm (for instance planting trees
along/around farm boundaries) and agro-forestry (trees,
crops, livestock, apiary based on an appropriate farm land
use plans);
• Support and promote soil and water conservation
techniques and practices on farm;
• Support and promote improved fertilizer (both organic and
inorganic) management and application techniques and
practices;
• Support and promote household water harvesting during the
rainy season including water tanks, construction of water
points for livestock
12/11/2013
18

19. IITA
UCDA
URCSF
ADEKE
DTC
FAO

20. Thank you for Listening!!
Mwebale nnyo!!