Having spent years uprooted by conflict, farmers in northern Uganda are again facing tough times – this time caused by the weather.
In late June, Joel Lacung and Margaret Ataro of Got-Ngur village in northern Uganda’s Nwoya district, laboured under the scorching sun as they drove two pairs of oxen to prepare their land for the approaching second rice-planting season.
They were among many rural farmers in Uganda whose livelihoods have been affected by increasingly erratic rainfall and high temperatures. Most were displaced by the years of conflict with the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and remain poor and unable to acquire farm inputs.
Jackson Odong, a research assistant with the Uganda Refugee Law Project, said helping these farmers was critical to restoring some normality in that part of the country.
"We no longer have enough food harvested compared to 30 years ago; these days when it rains, it sometimes falls too much, making the crops over-grow... [and not] germinate, and when the sun shines, sometimes it goes on for a long time, withering the crops."
Growing crops such as beans, groundnuts, sweet potatoes, sesame and millet had become difficult, he added.
For the past 20 years, the population in northern Uganda has depended on food aid because of the LRA conflict that forced about 1.2 million people into camps. The region, comprising savannah grass land and forests, is potentially very productive.
However, between May and June 2010, several farmers in the Acholi and Teso region in the north lost land to torrential rains that left fields water-logged, causing crops to rot.
In 2009, heavy rains in the first quarter and prolonged sunshine also left several farmers counting losses, undermining food reserves.
Uncertainty
"In the past, our grandfather could predict rain through cloud formations, direction of the wind and when certain trees begin to grow leaves," Lacung said.
Faced with the effects of the unpredictable weather, a group of 600 rural farmers in the districts of Amuru, Gulu, Nwoya, Pader, Kitgum and Lamwo are adapting to alternative farming methods.
The farmers, supported by the Catholic Relief Agency (CARITAS) in the Acholi sub-region through a community managed disaster risk reduction programme (CMDRR), are adapting by planting early and using quick maturing seeds.
Lacung said they also practised crop rotation, irrigation, inter-cropping and use of manure to help the soil regenerate.
Patrick Otto, a farmer from Kitgum, said the knowledge and support they had received had helped them improve their yields.
Jackson Lakor, an agricultural officer in Gulu, said farmers needed information on climate change to guide them in their daily farming activities.
He said the only way to minimize losses was to engage in activities that would help restore the environment, such as re-forestation and inter-cropping with perennial crops.
Longinous Olong Ogwang, CMDRR project officer, said the 300 million shilling (US$125,000) project would help farmers adapt to better methods through training and input provision.
Lessons learnt
Ogwang added that CMDRR hoped to replicate the project in more areas to help farmers become self-reliant.
"Here the farmers identify risks and we support them on how they can address these risks.
"If they identify delays in rain as a risk, we support them with knowledge on alternatives so that they are in a position to use seeds suitable for a given condition, and how to plant, when to plant," he said.
"The farmers identified inadequate capacity to till larger portions of farm land and we provided them with oxen and ploughs," he added.
Paul Isabirye, coordinator of the climate change unit in the Water and Environment Ministry, said the only way to help farmers cope with unreliable weather was to have a comprehensive programme that catered for all the sectors to address the different challenges.
"All government ministries have a role to play," he said, referring to roads, health, education and disaster preparedness, among others. "Climate change is the main cause of the intense rainfall we are receiving, its poor distribution and erratic [patterns]."
He said addressing the effects of climate change varied according to the farming practice.
"There are different levels of adaptation depending on the availability of resources and geographical set-up of a place," Isabirye added.
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In late June, Joel Lacung and Margaret Ataro of Got-Ngur village in northern Uganda’s Nwoya district, laboured under the scorching sun as they drove two pairs of oxen to prepare their land for the approaching second rice-planting season.
They were among many rural farmers in Uganda whose livelihoods have been affected by increasingly erratic rainfall and high temperatures. Most were displaced by the years of conflict with the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and remain poor and unable to acquire farm inputs.
Jackson Odong, a research assistant with the Uganda Refugee Law Project, said helping these farmers was critical to restoring some normality in that part of the country.
"We no longer have enough food harvested compared to 30 years ago; these days when it rains, it sometimes falls too much, making the crops over-grow... [and not] germinate, and when the sun shines, sometimes it goes on for a long time, withering the crops."
Growing crops such as beans, groundnuts, sweet potatoes, sesame and millet had become difficult, he added.
For the past 20 years, the population in northern Uganda has depended on food aid because of the LRA conflict that forced about 1.2 million people into camps. The region, comprising savannah grass land and forests, is potentially very productive.
However, between May and June 2010, several farmers in the Acholi and Teso region in the north lost land to torrential rains that left fields water-logged, causing crops to rot.
In 2009, heavy rains in the first quarter and prolonged sunshine also left several farmers counting losses, undermining food reserves.
Uncertainty
"In the past, our grandfather could predict rain through cloud formations, direction of the wind and when certain trees begin to grow leaves," Lacung said.
Faced with the effects of the unpredictable weather, a group of 600 rural farmers in the districts of Amuru, Gulu, Nwoya, Pader, Kitgum and Lamwo are adapting to alternative farming methods.
The farmers, supported by the Catholic Relief Agency (CARITAS) in the Acholi sub-region through a community managed disaster risk reduction programme (CMDRR), are adapting by planting early and using quick maturing seeds.
Photo: Charles Akena/IRIN |
| Growing crops such as beans, groundnuts, sweet potatoes, sesame and millet has become difficult in northern Uganda |
Patrick Otto, a farmer from Kitgum, said the knowledge and support they had received had helped them improve their yields.
Jackson Lakor, an agricultural officer in Gulu, said farmers needed information on climate change to guide them in their daily farming activities.
He said the only way to minimize losses was to engage in activities that would help restore the environment, such as re-forestation and inter-cropping with perennial crops.
Longinous Olong Ogwang, CMDRR project officer, said the 300 million shilling (US$125,000) project would help farmers adapt to better methods through training and input provision.
Lessons learnt
Ogwang added that CMDRR hoped to replicate the project in more areas to help farmers become self-reliant.
"Here the farmers identify risks and we support them on how they can address these risks.
"If they identify delays in rain as a risk, we support them with knowledge on alternatives so that they are in a position to use seeds suitable for a given condition, and how to plant, when to plant," he said.
"The farmers identified inadequate capacity to till larger portions of farm land and we provided them with oxen and ploughs," he added.
Paul Isabirye, coordinator of the climate change unit in the Water and Environment Ministry, said the only way to help farmers cope with unreliable weather was to have a comprehensive programme that catered for all the sectors to address the different challenges.
"All government ministries have a role to play," he said, referring to roads, health, education and disaster preparedness, among others. "Climate change is the main cause of the intense rainfall we are receiving, its poor distribution and erratic [patterns]."
He said addressing the effects of climate change varied according to the farming practice.
"There are different levels of adaptation depending on the availability of resources and geographical set-up of a place," Isabirye added.
ca/jk/js/mw
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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