Climatic trends, risk perceptions and coping strategies of smallholder farmers in rural Uganda

This paper assesses farmers’ perceptions of climate change and variability and analysed historical trends in temperature and rainfall in two rural districts of Uganda in order to determine the major climate-related risks affecting crop and livestock production and to identify existing innovative strategies for coping with and adapting to climate-related risks, with potential for up-scaling in rural districts. The traditional coping strategies that have been developed by these communities over time provide a foundation for designing effective adaptation strategies.

There is a need to promote early maturing, drought tolerant and water efficient crops and crop varieties; pastures and fodder varieties; and rainwater harvesting and soil nutrient and moisture management technologies; and livestock management options and strategies that restore sustainable productivity. Research and farm development initiatives should foster integration of crops and livestock that exploit synergies of indigenous traditional practices and modern technologies and innovations. Efforts should be made to establish effective climate risk management information flow networks to inform farm-level decision making, taking into account the already existing communication channels or structures.

This Working Paper is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution – NonCommercial–NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.