| dc.description.abstract | Climate variability and change is increasingly becoming a major issue in highland communities owing to rapid changes it is causing to rural livelihoods. This study examined the influence of landscape mosaic on adaptation to climate variability and change among households in Bukinda Sub-county Rukiga district. It specifically focused on assessment of the influence of landscape mosaic on adaptation to climate change. The study assessed the climate trends, identified the landscape mosaics, and determined how landscape mosaics contribute on adaptation to climate variability and change. Climate data from secondary data source were obtained from NASA power data. Cross-sectional survey was used to collect primary data using semi-structured questionnaires. Climate data was descriptively analyzed to obtain climate trend for rainfall and temperature. Mann Kendal tested the significance of the trend. Descriptive statistics was also used to characterize landscape mosaics while correlation analysis was used to establish the relationships between landscape mosaics and climate change adaptation. Results revealed variations in both rainfall and temperature, decrease in rainfall and an increase in minimum and maximum temperature over the period of analysis (1991-2020). Nine landscape mosaics were identified including; hills, gardens, homesteads, wetlands, forests, fields, grassland, orchards and fields in the area. It was revealed that presence of grasslands and wetlands reduce occurrence and impacts of climate change and variability in the area. Hence the study has shown that there is climate change in the area and communities utilize the landscape mosaics to adapt to climate variability and change. It is recommended that there is need to raise people’s awareness on how landscape mosaics contribute on adaption to climate change and enhance integration of indigenous knowledge with improved technology to increase adaptability to climate change and variability. | en_US |
