Roundup: Uganda strives to beat climate change impact on agriculture

As the world marked World Food Day on Sunday, farmers in Uganda with the help of government are adopting new farming technologies to beat the wrath of the adverse effects of climate change.

World Food Day was commemorated here in the northern Ugandan district of Lira under the theme "Climate is Changing. Food and Agriculture Must Too."

After counting losses over the seasons, farmers argue that it is no longer sustainable to stick to the old farming practices as rain seasons change.

Experts argue that increasing temperatures and unreliable rainfall that the country is facing are signals of the effects of climate change.

They argue that the changes are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of droughts, floods, and landslides, which will significantly impact on the livelihoods of local communities, who largely depend on agriculture and natural resources.

Agriculture in Uganda is mostly subsistence and dependent on rainfall, which makes it highly vulnerable to climate change. Those that are likely to be most affect are vulnerable households and small holder farmers.

Alhaji Jallow, UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Country Representative in Uganda, said agriculture should evolve in order to face the impacts of climate change.

He said over the next five years, FAO is going to focus on five strategic objectives, which include ending hunger, promoting sustainability, reducing rural poverty, improving markets, and building resilience.

"We need to waste less food, save our forests, protect the earth's precious natural resources like water and land, and consume less energy or use energy sources that cause less pollution, among other things," Jallow said.

Vincent Ssempijja, Uganda's minister of agriculture, said the government is undertaking feasibility studies for irrigation schemes countrywide.

"Irregular and erratic rains due to climate change calls for investments in irrigation. At individual farmer level, small holder family irrigation schemes are also being promoted to support crop, fisheries and livestock production throughout the year," he said.

Ministry of agriculture figures show that the government since last year has constructed 531 valley dams, providing one million cubic meters of water in the 56 water stressed districts.

Farmers are also being trained in hay, silage making and zero grazing to improve their skills in mitigating adverse impacts of climate change.

Ssempijja also said the government is promoting the use of drought tolerant, high yielding, pest and disease resistant crops and animal breeds. Use of fertilizers to increase productivity per unit area is also being promoted.

He said the government is recruiting extension officers to offer farmers with crop and livestock technical support.

"The extension staffs are to integrate natural resource management and climate change adoption interventions in district and sub-county development plans," he said.

FOOD SECURITY

Government figures show that Uganda is food secure. A food security report completed in August by the country's agriculture ministry shows that 83 percent of the population in Uganda is generally food secure.

Uganda also exports food to her neighboring countries that mainly face food shortages.

According to the UN World Food Program (WFP), Uganda is playing an important role in supplying food for the agency's life-saving operations throughout East Africa.

The food relief agency in a statement on Sunday said it has injected nearly 60 million U.S. dollars into the Ugandan economy this year through local food purchases, transport contracts and warehousing.

"By purchasing food within Uganda for distribution to needy areas within and beyond its borders, WFP is empowering small-scale farmers and private sector traders, and helping Uganda achieve the Sustainable Development Goals," said Mike Sackett, WFP Acting Country Director. Enditem