Assessing Perceptions of Farmers on Climate Change in Kabarole District

Abstract

Rural farmers are vulnerable to climate change and variability. They are the most hit hardest by the impacts of changes in climatic conditions in Uganda. The major impacts of climate of change affecting farmers include drought and floods, which lead to reduced agriculture production, death of livestock, food insecurity, increased pest and disease invasions, poverty among others. This study assesses farmers’ perception of climate change, analysis of historical climate trends observed over Kabarole district. It also identifies adaptation strategies adopted by farmers on the local level. The primary data on farmers’ perception of climate change and variability and adaptations was collected from the household’s survey through farmer interviews using household questionnaires which were administered to randomly sampled respondents. Historical climate data (temperature and rainfall) was downloaded from NASA POWER website. Different methods were applied in analyzing both historical and questionnaire data. they included linear regression and Mann Kendall trend test. Temperature trends indicate an increase in annual average maximum and minimum. Rainfall trend analysis presents a declining trend in mean annual rainfall. Adaptation measures mostly implemented by farmers include; soil and water conservation practices such as mulching, terracing, crop diversification and water harvesting. The study shows farmers' perception in changes in climate correspond to observed historical temperature and rainfall. Farmers ‘perception is vital in climate policy formulation and designing of appropriate adaptation strategies. Keywords: perception, adaptation, NASA POWER, Kabarole