Small-scale Farmers Adaptation to climate Change in North-Eastern and Eastern Uganda: Evidence for Policy

Climatic models for Uganda indicate that its climate is highly variable with frequent occurrence of extreme weather events such as flood, drought and intense rainfall, which will affect agricultural production and small-scale farmers’ livelihoods and adaptive capacity. Adaptation to climate change is panacea to address the adverse effects of climate change and varies from one area to another and farm to farm. Given the level of adverse effects and high amount of vulnerability of the small-scale farmers to climate change, adaptation is imperative to secure livelihoods and adoption of coping strategies to nutrilise the adverse effects of climate change. Different coping strategies can be designed to address effects of climate change which small-scale farmers already are doing. However, looking into the impact of climate change, in the past and the expected change in the future, it is imperative to understand how farmers perceive climate change and adapt in order to guide strategies for adaptation in the future.  Planning adaptation and adapting to climate change requires an understanding of the current situation, adaptive capacities, of small-scale farmers directly affected by climate change. The objective here was identify adaptation strategies at farm level and factors influencing adaptation choices. This study was comparative and set in Karenga (lowland) and Kapchesombe (highland) agro-ecological zones in the North-eastern and Eastern Uganda respectively and the location next to national parks makes the study important in that climate change effects on neighbouring communities could have livelihood and conservation implications. It investigated the determinants influencing the adoption of different coping strategies by the small-scale farmers in the study areas adjacent to the major national parks. A sampled data of 607 households heads and the study employed multistaged and systematically randomly sampled the small-scale farmers. The study used Multinomial logistic regression model to determine the likelihood of choice of adoption of coping strategies in relation to factors (determinants) affecting the choice of adoption of adaptation strategies to tackle adverse effects of climatic change and variability and found that small-scale farmers were already aware of changes in climatic variables over the past twenty years; and small-scale farmers employed water and soil conservation measures such as planted different crops, used different planting dates, planted different crop varieties, under took soil conservation, implemented crop diversification and shortened growing period. The results revealed that factors that were significantly associated positively in determining the likelihood of adoption of coping strategies included agro-ecological location, gender of the household head, knowledge of climate change policy, desire for natural resources from the national park due to the effects of climate change, main sources of income, and  the frequency of radio listenership on climate change. At bivariate level, the revelations of socio-economic characteristics significantly associated with adaptation were education, period of stay in community and income sources. The results revealed that the small-scale farmers were vulnerable to the effects of climatic changes and variability on agricultural production that is rainfed. Interventions need to be broad to address climate change challenges such as lack of awareness, inadequate and non-productive extension service and the in adequate access to relevant adaptive technology. In other words, it should encompass integrated and holistic programmes that address livelihoods, food security, climate-smart agricultural production and sustainable natural and environmental resources conservation that are gender sensitive fronting women empowerment in climate change adaptation decision-making with full agronomic support. Keywords: climate change, variability, adaptation options, determinants and policy.-

Effects of mountain gorilla foraging activities on the productivity of their food plant species

Mountain gorillas subsist principally on foliage from the dense herbaceous understorey that is found throughout most of their habitat in the Virunga Volcanoes region. Their foraging activities cause considerable structural damage to this vegetation. Those plant species that are quantitatively most important in the gorillas' diet respond to this damage by increasing primary productivity. At a sample of spots at which gorillas had fed, these species showed significantly higher growth rates over a 6-month interval than they did at nearby spots that had not been touched by the gorillas. Stem densities of herbaceous food species at feeding spots increased markedly both in comparison to their original values and to values for the same species at untouched spots. As a result, spots at which gorillas have fed are likely to become very attractive as future feeding spots. It is unlikely that gorillas ‘manage’ their habitat in any specific fashion, largely because they do not have exclusive use of their home ranges. Their activities appear to maintain habitat productivity over the short term, on a time scale relevant to patterns of area revisits by social groups, and may contribute to long term beneficial alterations of regularly used areas, however. Effects of the type reported here may have been an important aspect of the adaptation by gorillas to terrestrial folivory. RÉSUMEÉ Les gorilles de montagne s'alimentent principalement de feuillages dans le sous-bois herbacÉ dense prÉsent presque partout dans leur habitat de la rÉgion des volcans Virunga. Leurs activitÉs alimentaires causent des dommages structurels considÉrables À cette vÉgÉtation. Les plantes des espÈces qui sont quantitativement les plus importants dans le rÉgime du gorille rÉagissent À ces dÉgats en augmentant leur productivitÉ primaire. Aux postes Échantillons oÙ les gorilles se sont nourris, ces espÈces prÉsentent des taux de croissance significantivement supÉrieurs sur un intervalle de six mois, par rapport aux postes voisins qui n'ont pas ÉtÉ touchÉs par les gorilles. Les densitÉs de tiges des espÈces herbacÉes appÉtÉes aux postes de nourrissage augmentent nettement aussi bien en comparaison avec leurs valeurs antÉrieures qu'avec celles de ces měmes espÈces dans des stations non touchÉes. En consÉquence, les postes oÙ les gorilles se sont nourris ont plus de chance de devenir des futurs postes de nourrissage trÈs attractifs. Il est peu probable que les gorilles ‘gÈrent’ leur habitat d'une quelconque faÇon, surtout parce qu'ils n'ont pas l'utilisation exclusive de leur domaine vital. Leurs activitÉs semblent maintenir À court terme la productivitÉ de leur habitat, sur une Échelle de temps comprenant les visites successives de groupes sociaux, et peuvent contribuer À long terme À des altÉrations bÉnÉfiques pour ces zones rÉguliÉrement frÉquentÉes. Des effets du type rapportÉ ici peuvent avoir ÉtÉ un ÉlÉment important de l'adaptation des gorilles À la folivorie terrestre.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75171/1/j.1365-2028.1987.tb01102.x.pd

Population exposure to trace elements in the Kilembe copper mine area, Western Uganda: a pilot study

The mining and processing of copper in Kilembe, Western Uganda, from 1956 to 1982 left over 15 Mt. of tailings containing cupriferous and cobaltiferous pyrite dumped within a mountain river valley. This pilot study was conducted to assess the nature and extent of risk to local populations from metal contamination arising from those mining activities. We determined trace element concentrations in mine tailings, soils, locally cultivated foods,house dust, drinking water and human biomarkers (toenails) using ICP-MS analysis of acid digested samples. The results showed that tailings, containing higher concentrations of Co, Cu, Ni and As compared with world average crust values had eroded and contaminated local soils. Pollution load indices revealed that 51% of agricultural soils sampled were contaminated with trace elements. Local water supplies were contaminated, with Co concentrations that exceeded Wisconsin (US) thresholds in 25% of domestic water supplies and 40% of Nyamwamba river water samples. Zinc exceeded WHO/FAO thresholds of 99.4 mg kg−1 in 36% of Amaranthus vegetable samples, Cu exceeded EC thresholds of 20 mg kg−1 in 19% of Amaranthus while Pb exceeded WHO thresholds of 0.3 mg kg−1 in 47% of Amaranthus vegetables. In bananas, 20% of samples contained Pb concentrations that exceeded the WHO/FAO recommended threshold of 0.3 mg kg−1. However, risk assessment of local foods and water, based on hazard quotients (HQ values) revealed no potential health effects. The high external contamination of volunteers' toenails with some elements (even after a washing process) calls into question their use as a biomarker for metal exposure in human populations where feet are frequently exposed to soil

Observations on the Nile monitor lizard (Varanus niloticus, L.) in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda

The daily activity, feeding habits and intra- and interspecific relationships of the monitor lizard Varanus niloticus (L.) were studied from 07.00 to 17.00 h. The lizards basked in the mornings (07.0049.30) and afternoons (14.30-15.10). They are scavengers and predators