Value chain analysis and mapping for groundnuts in Uganda, Socioeconomics Discussion Paper Series Number 14

Groundnut is grown on about 23.95 million ha worldwide with the total production of 36.45 million tons and an average yield of 1520 kg/ha in 2009 Developing countries in Asia, Africa and South America account for about 97% of world groundnut area and 95% of total production. It is one of the important legumes grown in Uganda, ranking second after beans. Its production is most common in Northern, Eastern and Southern parts of the country with higher volumes being produced in the Eastern part compared to the other two. The value chain for groundnuts in Uganda consist of many actors (individuals and institutions) including input suppliers and seed dealers, producers, market sellers, rural traders, urban traders, processors, exporters and consumers. The general objective of this study was to map the value chain for groundnuts, indicating the opportunities that value chain actors can benefit from and strategies that can be used to upgrade the chain. The specific objectives were to characterize the key actors along the groundnut value chain; determine the costs and value added along the groundnut value chain; determine the level of awareness of health problems associated with groundnuts; and determine the constraints and opportunities in the value chain and suggest ways to upgrade the chain. A cross sectional survey was conducted among the key actors in the value chain in 16 purposively selected districts in Uganda where groundnuts are predominantly produced marketed and/or consumed. The districts are Arua in North western Uganda, Lira in the North, Bugiri, Bukedea, Busia, Iganga, Jinja Kaberamaido, Mbale, Pallisa, Kumi and Tororo in Eastern Uganda; Soroti and Katakwi in the North east, Kampala and Wakiso in Central where a total of 145 wholesale traders, 209 retail traders wand 51 processors were randomly selected and interviewed. In addition, data collected by NARO from a total of 314 randomly selected groundnut farmers were used in this study.The data collected included socio-economic characteristics of the value chain actors, type and varieties of groundnuts handled, sales volumes and prices, trends in demand and supply, aflatoxins awareness and control, challenges, constraints and opportunities in groundnuts and trade policy related issues

Estimation of the aboveground biomass in the trans-boundary River Sio Sub-catchment in Uganda

The enormous land cover in Uganda is rapidly being depleted or encroached. To examine this, the study aimed at estimating the above-ground biomass in River Sio sub-catchment in Uganda. The study utilized an ortho-rectified Landsat TM/ETM image of 2004 which was classified using NDVI classification system for the aboveground biomass assessment in ILWIS 3.3 software. A total of 42 homogenous sampling sites were identified for biomass estimation along six laid transects measuring 500m long. The seven randomly selected sampling plots measured 50m X 50 m. The classification showed that Bushlands (0.17), wetlands (0.03) and small scale farming (- 0.29-0.03) had relatively more medium and low biomass ranges compared to grasslands (-0.41/-0.29) which mainly comprised of bare land. The above ground biomass was relatively higher in bushlands (4.9 tons) and wetlands (4.7 tons) compared to non-uniform small scale farming (farmlands) with 3.9 tons and grasslands with 1.6 tons. The variation in biomass shows that the sub-catchment requires an urgent need for land use/cover planning and management to prevent further degradation of land cover

Climatic trends, risk perceptions and coping strategies of smallholder farmers in rural Uganda

Smallholder farmers in Uganda face a wide range of agricultural production risks, with climate change and variability presenting new risks and vulnerabilities. Climate related risks such as prolonged dry seasons have become more frequent and intense with negative impacts on agricultural livelihoods and food security. This paper assesses farmers’ perceptions of climate change and variability and analyses historical trends in temperature and rainfall in two rural districts of Uganda in order to determine the major climate-related risks affecting crop and livestock production and to identify existing innovative strategies for coping with and adapting to climate-related risks, with potential for up-scaling in rural districts. The traditional coping strategies that have been developed by these communities overtime provide a foundation for designing effective adaptation strategies. Drought, disease and pest epidemics, decreasing water sources, lack of pasture, bush fires, hailstorms, changes in crop flowering and fruiting times were the major climate-related risks reported across the two districts. Farmers use a wide range of agricultural technologies and strategies to cope with climate change and climate variability. Mulching, intercropping and planting of food security crops were among the most common practices used. Other strategies included water harvesting for domestic consumption, other soil and water conservation technologies and on-farm diversification. Farmers often use a combination of these technologies and practices to enhance agricultural productivity. The average maximum temperatures increased across the two districts. Trends in average annual rainfall showed mixed results with a general decline in one district and a relatively stable trend in the other district. Perceived changes in climate included erratic rainfall onset and cessation, which were either early or late, poor seasonal distribution of rainfall and little rainfall. Farmers also reported variations in temperatures. Farmers’ perception of changing rainfall characteristics and increasing temperatures were consistent with the observed historical climatic trends from meteorological data

Seasonal variation of food security among the Batwa of Kanungu, Uganda

Climate change is projected to increase the burden of food insecurity (FI) globally, particularly among populations that depend on subsistence agriculture. The impacts of climate change will have disproportionate effects on populations with higher existing vulnerability. Indigenous people consistently experience higher levels of FI than their non-Indigenous counterparts and are more likely to be dependent upon land-based resources. The present study aimed to understand the sensitivity of the food system of an Indigenous African population, the Batwa of Kanungu District, Uganda, to seasonal variation. A concurrent, mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) design was used. Six cross-sectional retrospective surveys, conducted between January 2013 and April 2014, provided quantitative data to examine the seasonal variation of self-reported household FI. This was complemented by qualitative data from focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews collected between June and August 2014. Ten rural Indigenous communities in Kanungu District, Uganda. FI data were collected from 130 Indigenous Batwa Pygmy households. Qualitative methods involved Batwa community members, local key informants, health workers and governmental representatives. The dry season was associated with increased FI among the Batwa in the quantitative surveys and in the qualitative interviews. During the dry season, the majority of Batwa households reported greater difficulty in acquiring sufficient quantities and quality of food. However, the qualitative data indicated that the effect of seasonal variation on FI was modified by employment, wealth and community location. These findings highlight the role social factors play in mediating seasonal impacts on FI and support calls to treat climate associations with health outcomes as non-stationary and mediated by social sensitivity

Estimation of the aboveground biomass in the trans-boundary River Sio Sub-catchment in Uganda

The enormous land cover in Uganda is rapidly being depleted or encroached. To examine this, the study aimed at estimating the above-ground biomass in River Sio sub-catchment in Uganda. The study utilized an ortho-rectified Landsat TM/ETM image of 2004 which was classified using NDVI classification system for the aboveground biomass assessment in ILWIS 3.3 software. A total of 42 homogenous sampling sites were identified for biomass estimation along six laid transects measuring 500m long. The seven randomly selected sampling plots measured 50m X 50 m. The classification showed that Bushlands (0.17), wetlands (0.03) and small scale farming (0.29-0.03) had relatively more medium and low biomass ranges compared to grasslands (-0.41/-0.29) which mainly comprised of bare land. The above ground biomass was relatively higher in bushlands (4.9 tons) and wetlands (4.7 tons) compared to non-uniform small scale farming (farmlands) with 3.9 tons and grasslands with 1.6 tons. The variation in biomass shows that the sub-catchment requires an urgent need for land use/cover planning and management to prevent further degradation of land cover. @JASE

Thinking through heterogeneous infrastructure configurations

Studies of infrastructure have demonstrated broad differences between Northern and Southern cities, and deconstructed urban theory derived from experiences of the networked urban regions of the Global North. This includes critiques of the universalisation of the historically–culturally produced normative ideal of universal, uniform infrastructure. In this commentary, we first introduce the notion of ‘heterogeneous infrastructure configurations’ (HICs) which resonates with existing scholarship on Southern urbanism. Second, we argue that thinking through HICs helps us to move beyond technological and performative accounts of actually existing infrastructures to provide an analytical lens through which to compare different configurations. Our approach enables a clearer analysis of infrastructural artefacts not as individual objects but as parts of geographically spread socio-technological configurations: configurations which might involve many different kinds of technologies, relations, capacities and operations, entailing different risks and power relationships. We use examples from ongoing research on sanitation and waste in Kampala, Uganda – a city in which service delivery is characterised by multiplicity, overlap, disruption and inequality – to demonstrate the kinds of research questions that emerge when thinking through the notion of HICs

Chapter 12 - Human settlements, infrastructure and spatial planning

Urbanization is a process that involves simultaneous transitions and transformations across multiple dimensions, including demographic, economic, and physical changes in the landscape. Each of these dimensions presents different indicators and definitions of urbanization. The chapter begins with a brief discussion of the multiple dimensions and definitions of urbanization, including implications for GHG emissions accounting, and then continues with an assessment of historical, current, and future trends across different dimensions of urbanization in the context of GHG emissions (12.2). It then discusses GHG accounting approaches and challenges specific to urban areas and human settlements. In Section 12.3, the chapter assesses the drivers of urban GHG emissions in a systemic fashion, and examines the impacts of drivers on individuals sectors as well as the interaction and interdependence of drivers. In this section, the relative magnitude of each driver's impact on urban GHG emissions is discussed both qualitatively and quantitatively, and provides the context for a more detailed assessment of how urban form and infrastructure affect urban GHG emissions (12.4). Here, the section discusses the individual urban form drivers such as density, connectivity, and land use mix, as well as their interactions with each other. Section 12.4 also examines the links between infrastructure and urban form, as well as their combined and interacting effects on GHG emissions. Section 12.5 identifies spatial planning strategies and policy instruments that can affect multiple drivers, and Section 12.6 examines the institutional, governance, and financial requirements to implement such policies. Of particular importance with regard to mitigation potential at the urban or local scale is a discussion of the geographic and administrative scales for which policies are implemented, overlapping, and / or in conflict. The chapter then identifies the scale and range of mitigation actions currently planned and / or implemented by local governments, and assesses the evidence of successful implementation of the plans, as well as barriers to further implementation (12.7). Next, the chapter discusses major co-benefits and adverse side-effects of mitigation at the local scale, including opportunities for sustainable development (12.8). The chapter concludes with a discussion of the major gaps in knowledge with respect to mitigation of climate change in urban areas (12.9)

Understanding Weather and Hospital Admissions Patterns to Inform Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in the Healthcare Sector in Uganda

Background: Season and weather are associated with many health outcomes, which can influence hospital admission rates. We examined associations between hospital admissions (all diagnoses) and local meteorological parameters in Southwestern Uganda, with the aim of supporting hospital planning and preparedness in the context of climate change. Methods: Hospital admissions data and meteorological data were collected from Bwindi Community Hospital and a satellite database of weather conditions, respectively (2011 to 2014). Descriptive statistics were used to describe admission patterns. A mixed-effects Poisson regression model was fitted to investigate associations between hospital admissions and season, precipitation, and temperature. Results: Admission counts were highest for acute respiratory infections, malaria, and acute gastrointestinal illness, which are climate-sensitive diseases. Hospital admissions were 1.16 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.31; p = 0.008) times higher during extreme high temperatures (i.e., >95th percentile) on the day of admission. Hospital admissions association with season depended on year; admissions were higher in the dry season than the rainy season every year, except for 2014. Discussion: Effective adaptation strategy characteristics include being low-cost and quick and practical to implement at local scales. Herein, we illustrate how analyzing hospital data alongside meteorological parameters may inform climate-health planning in low-resource contexts

Achieving global biodiversity goals by 2050 requires urgent and integrated actions

Governments are negotiating actions intended to halt biodiversity loss and put it on a path to recovery by 2050. Here, we show that bending the curve for biodiversity is possible, but only if actions are implemented urgently and in an integrated manner. Connecting these actions to biodiversity outcomes and tracking progress remain a challenge

What the latest science on climate change mitigation means for cities and urban areas.

The Summary for Urban Policymakers (SUP) initiative provides a distillation of the IPCC reports into accessible and targeted summaries that can help inform action at city and regional scales. Volume I in the series, What the Latest Physical Science of Climate Change Means for Cities, identified the ways in which human-induced climate change is affecting every region of the world, and the cities and urban areas therein. Volume II, Climate Change in Cities and Urban Areas: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of different adaptation options. To achieve climate resilient development, synergies between policies and actions for climate change adaptation, mitigation and other development goals are needed. This third volume in the series, What the Latest Science on Climate Change Mitigation Means for Cities and Urban Areas offers a concise and accessible distillation of the IPCC Working Group III Report for urban policymakers. The 21st century is characterized by a rapidly growing urban population, urban land expansion and associated rise in demand for resources, infrastructure and services. These trends are expected to drive the growth in emissions from urban consumption and production through 2100, although the rate of urban emissions growth will depend on the type of urbanisation and the speed and scale of mitigation action implemented. Aggressive and ambitious policies for transition towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions can be implemented in cities and urban areas, while contributing to sustainable development. Ultimately, mitigation action and adaptation are interdependent processes, and pursuing these actions together can promote sustainable development