Climate change and poverty
Climate impacts in Uganda diary - part 1
30 April 2008
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John Magrath |
However, when asked what climate changes he has observed since he began farming in 1965, he looks puzzled and then says "I must refer your question to my wives". In Uganda, as in most of Africa, women are of course the main farmers. The men may break up the land to sow the seeds, but the women usually plant and do all the work of tending the crops from day to day throughout the growing season.
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Mbejuna Lazaro and Florence Madamu |
The reason, she says, is climate change. "Because of the current weather changes the yields have completely gone down. All this is a result of long spells of sunshine - the sun is prolonged until the end of September - and whenever it rains it rains so heavily it destroys all our crops in the fields. You can plant a whole acre or two and come out with nothing".
How does she adapt her farming methods? She throws her hands up. "We've stopped even adopting seasonal planting, because it's so useless" she says. "Now we just try all the time. We used to plant in March and that'd be it. Now we plant and plant again. We waste a lot of seeds that way, and our time and energy. We regret it so often, why we planted. Then we have to plan to acquire other seeds, and the seeds here are very costly.
"Sometimes you feel like crying. Sometimes you've hired labour and you end up losing all that money for preparing your land".
John Magrath, climate change researcher
A new Oxfam report on the impacts of climate change upon poor people in Uganda will be published in late June.
Comments
Ocero Ogola | May 9, 2008 9:26 AM
Thanks for this report it is great. Karamoja is experiencing serius climatc chages which is affecting the livelihoods of the community bearing in mind that the vein for the survival of the pastoralist herein is a cow. There is need for OXfam GB to mainstream into her programming issues of climate change and address the environmental degradation. The Karimojong believe that the 'spirits which bring rain always stays in the trees' if cut then they move and look for areas where trees are located.
Ocero Ogola | May 9, 2008 9:24 AM
Thanks for this report it is great. Karamoja is experiencing serius climatc chages which is affecting the livelihoods of the community bearing in mind that the vein for the survival of the pastoralist herein is a cow. The comunity also realised that there is serious changes in the rainfall pattern and sffecting their productivity. There is need for OXfam GB to mainstream into her programming efforts issues of climate change and address the issues of environmental degradation. The Karimojong believe that the 'spirits which bring rain always stays in the trees' if cut then they move and look for areas where trees are located. Purposeful tareting the protecton of environment will bring back rain as noted by an elder from Rengen in Kotido District.
John Magrath | May 6, 2008 3:18 PM
Thanks Mercy and Lucy. I hope the diary will appear in 5 or 6 parts, one a week; I think next week is another from Rwenzori and then, yes, there will be stories from Karamoja and from Teso. John.
Mercy Alidri | May 6, 2008 8:15 AM
John
Thanks for the report. It was educative to read on the impact of climatic change in Bundubugyo, hoping you will have the same documentation on Karamoja region in Uganda. The information will enhance our programming at the field level.
Lucy Davies | May 1, 2008 11:28 AM
I often see 'climate change' as global catastrophe in the waiting, but this brings home that people are already living with the consequences, with less rain and more sun directly impacting on what people are able to grow. Nice reminder too of the fact that the majority of the world's farmers are women!