Climate Smart Agriculture in Uganda

Population growth, rapid urbanization, and dietary changes are placing tremendous pressure on food systems, particularly in developing countries. Based on current income, population and consumption trends, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that, by 2050, some 50 percent more food will be needed to satisfy the extra demand compared to 2013 (Alexandratos and Bruinsma, 2012). The challenges posed by rapid growth in food demand are intensified by the effects of climate change on agricultural systems, including crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries. Climate change effects will vary by region, country and location and will affect people differently depending on their vulnerability and capacity to adapt. Some areas are expected to become drier and more droughtprone, while others will witness more intense rains or altered rainfall patterns as well as mean temperature changes. In Uganda, climate projections based on the Global Climate Models (GCMs) used in the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicate the possibility of an increase in the country’s near-surface temperature in the order of +2°C in the next 50 years, and +2.5°C in the next 80 years using Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 scenarios (Zinyengere et al., 2016). They also predict a slight decrease in total annual rainfall in most of the country, with slightly wetter conditions over the west and north-west under both RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. These events threaten food production and the livelihoods of food producers, particularly those with the weakest adaptation capacity who are too often located in areas exposed to the most severe changes. Moreover, for agricultural systems to sustainably contend with climate change, their contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must also be addressed. Therefore, this added variability changes the conditions in which agriculture is practiced and requires context and site-specific strategies and responses

LAND USE/COVER CHANGE PATTERNS IN HIGHLAND ECOSYSTEMS OF LAKE BUNYONYI CATCHMENT IN WESTERN UGANDA

Land use and cover changes influence the livelihood and degradation of fragile ecosystems. The extents of these changes in pattern were investigated in Lake Bunyonyi Catchment which lies in the South Western Highlands of Uganda. The dynamics and magnitude of land use and cover changes were assessed using Landsat (TM/ETM+) satellite images and collection of socio-economic data through interviews. The images were processed and analysed using the mean-shift image segmentation algorithm to cluster and quantify the land use and cover features. The study noted that in the assessment period 1987-2014, the small-scale farmlands, open water and grasslands remained quasi constant; while the woodlots followed a quadratic trend, with the lowest acreage experienced in 2000. The tropical high forests and wetlands cover types experienced significant decline over the years (P<0.05). Patches of small-scale farmlands, woodlots, and wetland interchangeably lost or gained more land dependant on climate variability. Even though the tropical high forest lost more than it gained, it only gained and lost to small scale farmland and woodlots; while grassland mainly lost to small scale farmland and woodlots.L\u2019occupation du sol et les changements de couverture influencent la subsistance et la d\ue9gradation des \ue9cosyst\ue8mes fragiles. La tendance des niveaux de ces changements \ue9taient \ue9valu\ue9e dans le basin versant du lac Bunyonyi qui relie les r\ue9gions montagneuses du Sud-Ouest d\u2019Ouganda. Les dynamiques et l\u2019 envergure d\u2019utilisaton de la terre et les changements de couverture \ue9taient \ue9valu\ue9es en utilisant les images du satellite Landsat (TM/ETM+) et la collecte des donn\ue9es socio-\ue9conomiques \ue0 travers des interviews. Les images \ue9taient trait\ue9es et analy\ue9es en utilisant l\u2019algorithme de segmentation de passage-moyen-d\u2019image pour grouper et quantifier les occupations du sol et les caract\ue9ristiques de la couverture. L\u2019\ue9tude a montr\ue9 que dans la p\ue9riode d\u2019\ue9valuation de 1987-2014, la petite \ue9tendue de terres cultivables, l\u2019eau libre et les prairies sont demeur\ue9es quasi constantes; tandis que les terres bois\ue9es ont suivi une tendance quadratique, avec la plus petite superficie observ\ue9e en l\u2019an 2000. Les grandes for\ueats tropicales et les zones humides ont exp\ue9riment\ue9 un d\ue9clin significatif au cours des ann\ue9es (P<0.05). Les petites parcelles de terres agricoles, les terres bois\ue9es, et les zones humides indistinctement ont perdu et gagn\ue9 plus de terres d\ue9pendamment de la variabilit\ue9 climatique. Bien que la grande for\ueat tropicale aie perdu plus qu\u2019elle en a gagn\ue9e; elle a seulement perdu de tr\ue8s petites \ue9tendues de terres agricoles et bois\ue9es; alors que les prairies ont principalement perdu de tr\ue8s petites \ue9tendues de terres agricoles et bois\ue9es

Characterization of Historical Seasonal and Annual Rainfall and Temperature Trends in Selected Climatological Homogenous Rainfall Zones of Uganda

There is general lack of scientific consensus on the trend and distribution of annual and seasonal rainfall and temperature in Uganda. This study used both observational and AgMerra rainfall and temperature data for the period 1980-2010 to characterize the trend and variability in seasonal and annual rainfall, maximum and minimum temperatures across 12 different rainfall homogenous zones (K, H, ME, L, J, F, MW, D, E, A1, A2, and I) of Uganda. Trends analysis was done using regression method, while coefficient of variation and ANOVA techniques were used to analyze variability. The results show statistically significant increasing trends (P ≤ 0.05) in annual rainfall amount in zone A1 and a declining trend for zone K (P<0.05)

Characterization of Historical Seasonal and Annual Rainfall and Temperature Trends in Selected Climatological Homogenous Rainfall Zones of Uganda

There is general lack of scientific consensus on the trend and distribution of annual and seasonal rainfall and temperature in Uganda. This study used both observational and AgMerra rainfall and temperature data for the period 1980-2010 to characterize the trend and variability in seasonal and annual rainfall, maximum and minimum temperatures across 12 different rainfall homogenous zones (K, H, ME, L, J, F, MW, D, E, A1, A2, and I) of Uganda. Trends analysis was done using regression method, while coefficient of variation and ANOVA techniques were used to analyze variability. The results show statistically significant increasing trends (P ? 0.05) in annual rainfall amount in zone A1 and a declining trend for zone K (P<0.05)

Microbial Translocation Does Not Drive Immune Activation in Ugandan Children Infected With HIV

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