Assessment of the socio-economic impacts of climate change on smallholder farmers in Manafwa district, Mpologoma catchment

Abstract

Agriculture is the backbone of Uganda’s economy just like other African countries. In many developing countries, agriculture is very important for poverty alleviation and food security mostly in rural live-hoods. However, as the global temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, there is an urgent need for sustainable farming practices and other strategies to address the issue of socio-economic impacts of climate change. Manafwa District in Mpologoma River catchment in Uganda is one of the areas in the Eastern region which is highly affected by climate change. The current study analyzed the socio-economic impacts of climate change on smallholder farmers and the existing adaptation strategies used by the smallholder farmers in the catchment. The study employed mixed research approaches that is quantitative and qualitative research approaches. To further validate and strengthen the research’s conclusions, a descriptive approach of a cross-sectional study was employed. Data was collected through field surveys, interviews and direct field observations while descriptive data was analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The study findings show that climate change had numerous impacts on the smallholder farmers such as low land suitability, soil erosion, food insecurity, pests and diseases. A number of adaption strategies have been revised to minimize the impact of climate change for example different planting dates, irrigation, soil conversation, crop diversification and agroforestry. Adaptation is also determined by numerous determinants such as Age, Gender, Education level, Farm size. This implies that continuous adaptation to climate change existing strategies will lead to reduction on the socio-economic impact of climate change.