Browsing by Author "Sekajugo, John"

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    Disaster risk reduction measures and farmers choices: a discrete choice experiment in Uganda
    (Informa UK Limited, 2024-10-15) Mutyebere, Rodgers; Vanermen, Iris; Ruymbeke, Kato Van; Nkurikiye, Jean Bosco; Twongyirwe, Ronald; Sekajugo, John; Kabaseke, Clovis; Kanyiginya, Violet; Kagoro-Rugunda, Grace; Kervyn, Matthieu; Vranken, Liesbet
    Climate change induces high and erratic rainfall which triggers landslides and floods. With the increasing population and food needs, households in mountainous, densely populated areas turn fragile ecosystems into farms. This exacerbates landslide and flood risks requiring Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) measures. Tree planting and diversion channels are among the recommended measures for farmers but their adoption remains low. Current studies assessing barriers to adoption ignore farmers’ opinions regarding the kind of trees or diversion channels preferred. We apply a Discrete Choice Experiment to evaluate how information delivered through videos impacts preferences for the DRR measures. Plot-level data were collected from 319 farmers from Kasese, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi and Buhweju in Uganda – districts prone to landslides and floods. The mixed logit model reveals a general preference for risk-reducing attributes of DRR measures. Using the conditional logit model to analyze split samples reveals that information influences preferences for tree planting, while preferences for diversion channels were hardly changed. Plot characteristics did not strongly explain the differences in preferences. Our study indicates that information specific to DRR measures in extension programmes would increase the adoption of such measures.
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    Does the farmer’s social information network matter? Explaining adoption behavior for disaster risk 2 reduction measures using the theory of planned behavior
    (Theory of Planned Behavior, 2022) Mutyebere, Rodgers; Twongyirwe, Ronald; Sekajugo, John; Kabaseke, Clovis; Kagoro-Rugunda, Grace; Kervyn, Matthieu; Vranken, Liesbet
    Smallholder farmers’ vulnerability to climate-related disasters in Sub-Saharan Africa is increasing, partly due to land-use changes and limited information about the adoption of farm-based Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) measures. Classical agricultural extension workers are increasingly less trusted because they tend to transfer information not targeted to DRR, and rarely reach remote areas vulnerable to disasters. By extending the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study assesses whether Social Information Networks (SIN) can shape farmers’ perspectives regarding the adoption of DRR measures. Cross-sectional data were collected from 602 randomly selected households from Rwenzori and Ankole in Western Uganda, the sub-regions that are prone to landslides and floods. Results from the structural equation modeling demonstrate TPB as a strong framework to explain adoption behavior for DRR measures. Results show Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC) as a stronger driver of intentions than subjective norm and attitudes. Intentions to apply DRR measures are significantly associated with actual adoption. Farmers’ adoption behavior to control landslides and floods is directly correlated since the same location might simultaneously be at risk of such interacting disasters. Furthermore, SIN significantly predicts adoption intentions directly, and indirectly through PBC, subjective norm, and attitude. PBC and professional networks being the main drivers of adoption intentions suggests that the role of extension services cannot be substituted by informal social networks but the two should be complementary. Thus, the study shows the need to build the technical capacity of extension staff and informal networks in DRR measures to train and transfer information to farmers.