Assessing the effects of drought on the livelihoods of crop farmers in Namasagali sub-county, Kamuli district.

Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to assess the effects of drought on the livelihoods of crop farmers in Namasagali Sub County, Kamuli district. This study was guided by mainly three objectives which included; to identify the impact of drought on the livelihoods of crop growers in Namasagali Sub County, to find out the causes of drought in Namasagali Sub County and to identify some of the existing and potential mitigation measures to drought in Namasagali Sub County, Kamuli district. The study was conducted in mainly three villages namely; Bususwa, Kabaganda, and Kabanyoro that were sampled to obtain accurate data. A descriptive survey research design was adopted and it relied mostly on primary data. Primary data was collected from the respondents by closed and open-ended questionnaires, interviews and direct observation from surveys conducted in the study areas above. The study used both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. It was found that reduced plant growth was the major impact of drought on crop farmers’ livelihoods. This resulted into an increased loss of income by the largest percentage of respondents thus affecting the affordability and availability of food for crop farmers. The study also revealed water stress as another impact of drought on the livelihoods of crop farmers as this resulted into the crops drying up thus low yields. Infestation of pests and diseases in Namasagali Sub County was another impact of drought. This is due to the prolonged drought conditions that favor pests like monkeys which destroy crops like maize, cassava, sweet potatoes and vegetables. The findings indicate that there are coping mechanisms adopted by crop farmers to manage the impacts of drought on their livelihood. These include; changes in planting times that was being practiced by most of the farmers, followed by use of drought resistant crop varieties, alternative income sources, crop rotation and drip irrigation. Also, the government of Uganda has programs in place to assist crop farmers during the drought for example the Parish Development Model and Emyooga, climate smart agriculture and others.