Browsing by Author "Atube, Francis"

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    Determinants of smallholder farmers’ adaptation strategies to the effects of climate change: Evidence from northern Uganda
    (Agriculture & Food Security, 2021) Atube, Francis; Malinga, Geoffrey M.; Nyeko, Martine; Okello, Daniel M.; Alarakol, Simon Peter; Okello‑Uma, Ipolto
    Climate change poses a threat to the sustainability of food production among small-scale rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa that are dependent on rain-fed agriculture. Understanding farmers’ adaptations and the determinants of their adaptation strategies is crucial in designing realistic strategies and policies for agricultural development and food security. The main objectives of this study were to identify the adaptation strategies used by smallholder farmers to counter the perceived negative effects of climate change in northern Uganda, and factors influencing the use of specific adaptation strategies. A cross-sectional survey research design was employed to collect data from 395 randomly selected smallholder farmers’ household heads across two districts by the administration of a semi-structured questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the factors influencing farmers’ adaptation to climate change. Results: The three most widely practiced adaptation strategies were planting of different crop varieties, planting drought-resistant varieties, and fallowing. Results of the binary logit regression model revealed that marital status of household head, access to credit, access to extension services, and farm income influenced farmers’ adoption of planting drought-resistant varieties as an adaptation strategy while access to credit, annual farm income, and time taken to market influenced adoption of planting improved seeds. Gender of household head and farm income had a positive influence on farmers’ adoption of fertilizer and pesticide use. Farming experience, farm income, and access to extension services and credit influenced farmers’ adoption of tree planting. Household size, farming experience, and time taken to market had positive influence on the use of fallowing, while size of land cultivated significantly influenced farmers’ planting of different crop varieties as an adaptation strategy. Conclusion: Findings of the study suggest there are several factors that work together to influence adoption of specific adaptation strategies by smallholder farmers. This therefore calls for more effort from government to strengthen the provision of agricultural extension services by improving its climate information system, providing recommended agricultural inputs and training farmers on best agronomic practices to enhance their holistic adaptation to the effect of climate change.
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    An ethnobotanical study of plants used for the treatment of malaria in Budondo sub-county, Eastern Uganda
    (Ethnobotany Research and Applications, 2020) Malinga, Geoffrey M.; Baana, Kalori; Rutaro, Karlmax; Atube, Francis; Opoke, Robert; Opika-Opoka, Hector; Oryema, Christine
    Malaria is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in most developing countries, and in Uganda over 95% of the country is endemic with malaria. Given the increasing widespread resistance to current drugs, the use of herbal medicines is seen as a sustainable solution to malaria treatment. This study documented medicinal plants that are traditionally used for the treatment of malaria in Budondo sub-county, Eastern Uganda. Methods: The ethnobotanical survey was conducted between December 2017 to January 2018. A total of 273 household members were interviewed on knowledge and use of anti-malarial plants, using semistructured questionnaires administered in five parishes of Budondo sub-county. Voucher specimen of each plant species were preserved at the Makerere University herbarium, Uganda. Results: Overall, 97.5% of the respondents had knowledge regarding the plants used to treat malaria. A chi-square analysis shows a significant association between respondents’ knowledge regarding antimalarial plants and gender (p-value =0.008) and occupation (p-value =0.025) but not with age (p-value =0.379), educational status (p-value =0.066), average monthly income (p-value =0.419), and religious affiliation (p-value =0.064) of respondents. A total of 37 plant species, belonging to 25 plant families were used to treat malaria. The most cited plant was Vernonia amygdalina Delile (64.8%), followed by Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f. (41.9%), Callistemon citrinus (Curt.) Stapf (29.3%), Mormodica feotida Schumach (22.0%), Cyphostemma adenocaule (A. Rich) wild & Drumm. (16.1%) and Eucalyptus globulus Labill. (15.4%). Among the plant parts, stem bark (99.6%) and leaves (90.8%) were the most frequently used. The habits of the plants encountered were shrub, tree, herb, rhizomes and climber. The commonest modes of preparation included boiling in water, squeezing fresh leaves, crushing and pounding, and chewing. Oral route/drinking was the most common mode of administration, followed by steam inhaling of vapours from the aqueous extracts and skin bathing. Conclusion: The present study shows that the people living in Budondo sub-county traditionally use diverse flora to treat malaria. Further investigations are required to evaluate the potential toxicological effects and to isolate the active components of the reported plants whose antimalarial activities have not been investigated which could be developed into effective, safe and affordable anti-malarial medicines in the future.
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    Experiences with Green Charcoal: A Gender Consideration of Rural and Urban Households in Gulu District
    (East African Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2024) Okello, Simon; Agatha, Alidri; Mbazalire, Ezekiel; Aoyo, Christine; Atube, Francis; Okello, Collins; Okumu, Charles Nelson
    The study focused on the use of green charcoal, a sustainable cooking fuel made from agricultural residues, in Gulu District, to highlight the experiences households have encountered, from a gender perspective. The study followed a cross-sectional design using qualitative approach which included the use of one-on-one interviews, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and ethnographic observations for data collection. The findings show that households in Gulu District use a combination of cooking fuels such as firewood, wood charcoal, green charcoal, or gas. Furthermore, the study established that there were cases where both men and women had shared experiences in cooking, for example, knowledge of the faster cooking rate, cleanliness, and much ash content involved while using green charcoal. However, to a larger extent, there were gendered differences in cooking activities: while women predominantly handle cooking, men often influence decisions about what and how to cook, revealing underlying gender and power dynamics within households. Key findings indicate that green charcoal is favored for its affordability relative to traditional black charcoal, prolonged burn time, and higher heat output, though it is also harder to light and produces more ash. It is particularly popular in rural Owoo Sub-County, where residents are more involved in its production compared to their urban counterparts in Gulu City. The study concluded that positive experiences with green charcoal have facilitated its adoption and recommends further actions to promote its use. These include increasing awareness of its environmental, health, and financial benefits, improving product quality, and involving women and girls as advocates to expand its utilization
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    Farmers’ perceptions of climate change, long‑term variability and trends in rainfall in Apac district, northern Uganda
    (CABI Agriculture and Bioscience, 2022) Atube, Francis; Malinga, Geoffrey M.; Nyeko, Martine; Okello, Daniel M.; Mugonola, Basil; Omony, George William; Ipolto, Okello‑Uma
    Climate change poses severe threats to smallholder farmers’ agricultural livelihoods and food security in Sub Saharan Africa. Understanding long-term rainfall trends of variability and extremes at local scales and perceptions regarding long-term changes in climate variables is important in planning appropriate adaptation measures to climate change. This paper examines the perception of farmers in Apac district regarding long-term changes in climate variables and analyzes the trend of occurrence in seasonal and annual rainfall in Apac district, northern Uganda. A cross-sectional survey design was employed to collect data on farmers’ perceptions regarding long-term changes in climate from 260 randomly selected smallholder farmers’ households across two sub-counties in Apac district by administering semi-structured questionnaires in February 2018. Monthly rainfall data sets from the Uganda Meteorological Authority (UMA) for the period 1980 to 2019 for Apac district were also used to analyze trends of occurrences in seasonal and annual rainfall in the study area. The non-parametric Sequential Mann–Kendall (SMK) tests were employed at a 5% significance level to detect mean seasonal rainfall trends and abrupt change points. Results: The majority of the respondents (87%) perceived a decrease in precipitation over the past 39 years. The plot of forward regression u(ti) values and backward regression u’(ti) values showed interactions indicating rainfall trends, rainfall lower and upper limits and abrupt change points in the different cropping seasons. Analysis of historical series of mean monthly and annual rainfall showed an abrupt change in rainfall in March, April, May (MAM) season in 1982. Although the September, October and November (SON) season did not show a significant abrupt change, there was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in rainfall above the upper limit from 1994 to date. Conclusion: The mean seasonal rainfall for MAM and SON cropping seasons in Apac district were highly variable from different time points within the past 39 years (1980–2019), while June, July, and August (JJA) did not realize a significant change in rainfall within the same study period that the two cropping seasons (MAM and SON) in the district experienced remarkable variations in rainfall. This, therefore, provides a basis for the government to strengthen the provision of an effective climate tailored agricultural advisory service to aid farmers’ adaptation planning at the local level and to assist smallholder farmers and land-use managers in developing effective adaptation management strategies to the effects of climate change.