| dc.description.abstract | The agricultural sector is the major source of livelihood to rural communities in Uganda but is currently faced by climate change as a major challenge. This study investigated; (i) the effects of drought and flooding on the farmers, (ii) present agricultural practices being used by local farmers to adapt against drought and flooding, (iii) factors that influence small holder farmers’ adaptation decisions in Kisaikye village Namasagali sub county, Kamuli district. Data was collected through focus group discussions and a household survey using structured questionnaire. In order to achieve this, data was analyzed from 44 randomly selected households in Kisaikye Village. Regression model was used to find out factors affecting farmers’ adaptation decisions. The results show that 72% of farmers experienced crop reductions due to drought and 82% of the farmers experienced crop reductions by too much rain. Planting fast maturing crops is done by most farmers to adapt to flooding and soil water conservation technologies are being used to adapt to drought. The regression model indicated that age, gender, marital status, and support programs such as access to information from local leaders, indigenous knowledge, training by extension workers and local institutions the key factors determining farmers’ choice of adaptation practice.
In Kisaikye village-Kamuli district, climate change is a pressing problem, which is beyond the capacity of smallholders to respond to autonomously. Farmers’ capacity to choose effective adaptation options is influenced by household demography, as well access to information from local leaders, use of indigenous knowledge, access to markets, training by extension workers, education programs on radios and information from local institutions. This implies the need to support the indigenous adaptation strategies of the smallholder farmers with a wide range of institutional, policy, and technology support; some of it targeted on smaller, poorer or female-headed households. Moreover, creating opportunities for non-farm income sources is important as this helps farmers to engage in those activities that are less sensitive to climate change. | en_US |
