Vulnerability and adaptation options to climate change for rural livelihoods – a country-wide analysis for Uganda

Open Access Article; Published online: 15 July 2019Rural households in sub-Saharan Africa earn a substantial part of their living from rain-fed smallholder agriculture, which is highly sensitive to climate change. There is a growing number of multi-level assessments on impacts and adaptation options for African smallholder systems under climate change, yet few studies translate impacts at the individual crop level to vulnerability at the household level, at which other livelihood activities need to be considered. Further, these assessments often use representative household types rather than considering the diversity of households for the identification of larger-scale patterns at sub-national and national levels. We developed a framework that combines crop suitability maps with a household food availability analysis to quantify household vulnerability to climate-related impacts on crop production and effects of adaptation options. The framework was tested for Uganda, identifying four hotspots of household vulnerability across the country. Hotspots were visually identified as areas with a relatively high concentration of vulnerable households, experiencing a decline in household crop suitability. About 30% of the households in the hotspots in (central) southwest were vulnerable to a combination of 3 °C temperature increase and 10% rainfall decline through declining suitability for several key crops (including highland banana, cassava, maize and sorghum). In contrast only 10% of the households in West Nile and central northern Uganda were negatively affected, and these were mainly affected by declining suitability of common beans. Households that depended on common beans and lived at lower elevations in West Nile and central north were vulnerable to a 2 to 3 °C temperature increase, while households located at higher elevations (above 1100–2000 m.a.s.l. depending on the crop) benefited from such an increase. Options for adaptation to increasing temperatures were most beneficial in northern Uganda, while drought-related adaptation options were more beneficial in the southwest. This framework provides a basis for decision makers who need information on where the vulnerable households are, what crops drive the vulnerability at household level and which intervention efforts are most beneficial in which regions

What works where and for whom? Farm Household Strategies for Food Security across Uganda

East Africa's smallholder agriculture is expected to be strongly affected by climate change, which, together with a growing population and pressure on natural resources, will result in an increasing challenge to achieve food security for households and regions. Policy makers need information on what works where for which farmers in order to guide their decision making and prioritise investment for agricultural interventions to increase food security. For this, we must better understand how smallholder farm strategies for achieving food security differ across regions and farm types and what drives these strategies. In this study we present new analyses at country and farm household level that quantify drivers of productivity and food security, and that can be used to prioritise agricultural interventions. Uganda was chosen as a case study because of data availability but the approach can be applied to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. First, we quantified how food security and farm types varied across Uganda, and which key factors drive this variability. We used household level data from the Living Standard Measurement Study – Integrated Survey on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) of the World Bank and developed an approach to map and quantitatively explain food security and agricultural land use across Uganda. The resulting maps showed where which crops and livestock activities are important for which types of farm households. Subsequently, the effects of agricultural interventions on food security of different farm types were assessed. Second, we used this information to select contrasting sites and farm households for detailed interviews, which aimed at identifying drivers of farmers' decision making, assessing farmers' vulnerability to climate change and how proposed interventions match with the farmers' socio-ecological niche. The spatial approach we developed is a novel way to use farm household level information to generate country-wide patterns in farming systems and their productivity. It generates useful information for a quantitative assessment of what might happen to the food security of smallholder farmers in Uganda under climate change and for a country-wide targeting of agricultural interventions that aim at mitigating the effects of climate change

Making the most of imperfect data: A critical evaluation of standard information collected in farm household surveys

Household surveys are one of the most commonly used tools for generating insight into rural communities. Despite their prevalence, few studies comprehensively evaluate the quality of data derived from farm household surveys. We critically evaluated a series of standard reported values and indicators that are captured in multiple farm household surveys, and then quantified their credibility, consistency and, thus, their reliability. Surprisingly, even variables which might be considered ‘easy to estimate’ had instances of non-credible observations. In addition, measurements of maize yields and land owned were found to be less reliable than other stationary variables. This lack of reliability has implications for monitoring food security status, poverty status and the land productivity of households. Despite this rather bleak picture, our analysis also shows that if the same farm households are followed over time, the sample sizes needed to detect substantial changes are in the order of hundreds of surveys, and not in the thousands. Our research highlights the value of targeted and systematised household surveys and the importance of ongoing efforts to improve data quality. Improvements must be based on the foundations of robust survey design, transparency of experimental design and effective training. The quality and usability of such data can be further enhanced by improving coordination between agencies, incorporating mixed modes of data collection and continuing systematic validation programmes

Extensor tendon release in tennis elbow: results and prognostic factors in 80 elbows

Purpose The objectives of this study were to evaluate the results in the outpatient treatment of recalcitrant lateral epicondylitis with release of the common extensor origin according to Hohmann and to determine any prognostic factors. Methods Eighty tennis elbows in 77 patients with a characteristic history of activity-related pain at the lateral epicondyle interfering with the activities of daily living refractory to conservative care for at least 6 months and a confirmatory physical examination were included. Clinical outcome was evaluated using the QuickDASH score system. Data were collected before the operation and at the medians of 18 months (range 6–36 months; short term) and 4 years (range 3–6 years; medium term) postoperatively. Results The mean QuickDASH was improved both at the short- and the medium-term follow-ups and did not change significantly between the follow-ups. At the final followup, the QuickDASH was improved in 78 out of 80 elbows and 81% was rated as excellent or good (QuickDASH\40 points). We found a weak correlation between residual symptoms (a high QuickDASH score) at the final follow-up and high level of baseline symptoms (r = 0.388), acute occurrence of symptoms (r = 0.362), long duration of symptoms (r = 0.276), female gender (r = 0.269) and young age (r = 0.203), whereas occurrence in dominant arm, a work-related cause or strenuous work did not correlate significantly with the outcome. Conclusion Open lateral extensor release performed as outpatient surgery results in improved clinical outcome at both short- and medium-term follow-ups with few complications. High baseline disability, sudden occurrence of symptoms, long duration of symptoms, female gender and young age were found to be weak predictors of poor outcome

The Rural Household Multiple Indicator Survey, data from 13,310 farm households in 21 countries

The Rural Household Multiple Indicator Survey (RHoMIS) is a standardized farm household survey approach which collects information on 758 variables covering household demographics, farm area, crops grown and their production, livestock holdings and their production, agricultural product use and variables underlying standard socio-economic and food security indicators such as the Probability of Poverty Index, the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, and household dietary diversity. These variables are used to quantify more than 40 different indicators on farm and household characteristics, welfare, productivity, and economic performance. Between 2015 and the beginning of 2018, the survey instrument was applied in 21 countries in Central America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The data presented here include the raw survey response data, the indicator calculation code, and the resulting indicator values. These data can be used to quantify on- and off-farm pathways to food security, diverse diets, and changes in poverty for rural smallholder farm households

Production variability and adaptation strategies of Ugandan smallholders in the face of climate variability and market shocks

Climate-related variability in crop production and market price variability affect food and income security of Uganda's rural households. We used household surveys from two contrasting sites in Uganda to quantify the relationships between crop production variability, adaptation strategies and household resource characteristics. Variability of production was large for all crops with almost doubling of yields under good conditions and halving of yields in bad years. Ex-post adaptation strategies were common, and the most frequent were relying on off-farm income, selling livestock, and reducing food consumption. Using off-farm income or selling livestock to compensate for crop damage were not feasible for 25–50% of the population. Few households applied ex-ante adaptation strategies, and those who did used strategies that required little financial investment, such as switching crops. The restricted application of ex-ante adaptation strategies and the fact that major ex-post adaptation strategies were inaccessible for large parts of the population is alarming considering that climate change studies show that weather variability and extreme weather events are expected to worsen and to jeopardize crop production. Interventions must aim to reduce households’ sensitivity to variability in crop production and prices by increased preparedness to shocks, strengthening the asset base, and diversifying the livelihood portfolio. Social protection programmes are important for the poor who have no means to cushion effects from climate or price variability

The contribution of integrated crop–livestock systems in combatting climate change and improving resilience in agricultural production to achieve food security

This chapter illustrates through a contrasting set of examples how current crop–livestock systems contribute to the food security and diverse diets of smallholder livelihoods. It also highlights how farmers use these systems to cope with a variable climate. The chapter provides a short overview of analyses and approaches focusing on climate change and mixed crop–livestock systems in recent scientific literature. It also presents analyses that quantify how in crop–livestock systems food security and dietary diversity are being shaped. The chapter then reviews analyses of short-term climate variability coping strategies that farmers currently apply in mixed crop–livestock systems, as well as highlighting adaptation options to climate change in mixed farming systems. It concludes by consolidating these findings to provide a review of the resilience of mixed crop–livestock systems in the face of existing and future climate variability

A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial About the Influence of Kyusho Jitsu Exercise on Self-efficacy, Fear, Depression, and Distress of Breast Cancer Patients within Follow-up Care

Introduction Breast cancer survivors are faced with several psychological issues. We report the influence on self-efficacy by a holistic orientated training schedule based on the Kyusho Jitsu martial art and explore the effects on self-efficacy, distress, fear, and depression. Methods Breast cancer survivors (N = 51) were randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 30) or control group (n = 21). The intervention group participated in a Kyusho Jitsu intervention twice a week over a period of 6 months, the control group received no intervention. Patients from both groups were measured at baseline, 3 and 6 months on level of self-efficacy (German General-Self-Efficacy Scale, SWE), stress (Perceived Stress Questionnaire, PSQ20), and fear and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS). Results Analysis of the original data showed a significant difference between both groups regarding the subscale joy (P = .018). Several significant results within the intervention group were seen in self-efficacy (P = .014), fear (P = .009) and the overall score for fear and depression (P = .043). Both groups improved significantly within worries (intervention P = .006, control P = .019) and the PSQ20 overall score (both P = .005). The control group also significantly improved in the subscale for demands (P = .019). Conclusion To summarize, our pilot study showed that Kyusho Jitsu training is safe and feasible. Though, the intervention alone cannot be considered as being effective enough to help breast cancer survivors regarding relevant psychological issues, but might be an important supplement offer within follow-up care

Food availability and livelihood strategies among rural households across Uganda

Despite continuing economic growth, Uganda faces persistent challenges to achieve food security. The effectiveness of policy and development strategies to help rural households achieve food security must improve. We present a novel approach to relate spatial patterns of food security to livelihood strategies, including the contribution of on- and off-farm activities to household food availability. Data from 1927 households from the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study were used to estimate the calorific contribution of livelihood activities to food availability. Consumption of crops produced on-farm contributed most to food availability for households with limited food availability, yet the majority of these households were not food self-sufficient. Off-farm and market-oriented on-farm activities were more important for households with greater food availability. Overall, off-farm income was important in the north, while market-oriented on-farm activities were important in western and central Uganda. Food availability patterns largely matched patterns of agroecological conditions and market access, with households doing worst in Uganda’s drier and remote northeast. Less food-secure households depended more on short-cycle food crops as compared with better-off households, who focused more on plantation (cash) crops, although this varied among regions. Targeting interventions to improve food security should consider such differences in enterprise choice and include options to improve household market access and off-farm income opportunities