Climate change and adaptation options in Karamoja
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Date
2010
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Organ: Food Agric
Abstract
Agriculture is the backbone of the Uganda’s economy and the livelihood of many people. However,
most of the agriculture in Uganda depends on rainfall and therefore inherently sensitive to climate
conditions. This makes agriculture one of the most vulnerable sectors to the risks and impacts of
climate change and variability. It is projected that crop yields from rain-fed agriculture in some
countries in Africa could be reduced by up to 50% by 2020 as a result of climate change.
Natural resources constitute the primary source of livelihood for the majority of Ugandans and the
economy of Uganda depends on exploiting its natural resources. Management of these natural
resources is therefore important and critical to Uganda’s long-term development. Climate is a key
determinant of the status of Uganda’s natural resources, such as agriculture, forestry, water
resources, wildlife, etc. However, climate change, which has started manifesting itself through
intense and frequent extreme weather events, is posing a serious threat to the country’s natural
resources, and social and economic development.
The impacts of climate change create challenges and impose severe losses and hardships on the
poorest communities as their livelihoods are likely to be more sensitive to adverse impacts of
climate change. The most dominant and widespread disaster due to climate change is drought,
whose frequency is observed to be on the increase. Drought has severely affected the agricultural
sector leading to impacts such as famine, malnutrition, low production and productivity of crops and
animals, etc.
Although all the agro-ecological zones of Uganda are grappling with the effects of climate change
and variability, the Karamoja sub region is most affected. This is attributable to the fact that it is the
least socially and economically developed in Uganda, even among the generally poorer parts of
northern Uganda as a whole. It is characterized by a combination of acute poverty, vulnerability to
drought, poor infrastructure and basic services delivery, limited marketing opportunities, natural
resource degradation, social and cultural marginalization, long-standing dependency on external
aid and most importantly chronic insecurity.
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Citation
Mubiru, D. N. (2010). Climate change and adaptation options in Karamoja. Organ: Food Agric.