Vulnerability and adaptation to climate change, a case of farmers in Namasagali sub county, Kamuli district.

Abstract

Agriculture is one of the sectors most vulnerable to climate change impact. The impact is even stronger in Africa Uganda inclusive, where agriculture is truly important for the daily subsistence, and where adaptive capacity is low yet the sector entirely depends on climate conditions is therefore very important to increase the understanding or the actual climate change dynamics on agricultural activities and on the societies at the local levels. This study uses Namasagali Sub County, as a cage study and seeks to understand the vulnerability and adaptation mechanisms applied by farmers to cope up with climate change. It also answers the questions; how climate changes affect farmers, who are most vulnerable groups to the events, which are the farmers' adaptation strategies and what are the factors that constrain farmer’s adaptation strategies to climate change. The study uses semi-structured interview guide to gather data from local farmers, and secondary data from published sources and internet, and systematically analyzes this material both using qualitative and quantitative analysis. The result shows that though all households in the sub county are vulnerable to climatic crisis, the problem is more acute for the cultivator, children, men, large sized families and tenants. To cope with climate change impacts, farmers use off-farm employment, saving, on-farm diversification, changing growth season, livestock mobility, livestock sell, and social interconnectedness as their coping strategies. Government and NGOs such as V EDCO also provide support in form of seeds and other crop varieties to the farmers. The study shows that the existing local and institutional strategies are not sufficient and sustainable to cope with climatic stresses. Farmers' adaptability is constrained by unavailability and expensiveness of agricultural inputs, landlessness, unemployment, pests and diseases to crops and animals and water shortages in the Sub County. The study suggests a persistent need to address these challenges both from short and long-term policy perspective by the farmers, government and institutions.