Terms of change: How farmers in Uganda talk about climate change

• Type of Material: Conference Paper
• Authors: Carla Roncoli, Emory University; Ben S. Orlove, University of California Davis; Merit R. Kabugo, Makerere University
• Language: English
• Date: 2010-10-17
• Publisher: Emory University Libraries
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: Authors 2010
• Final Published Version (URL): https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/57692082/164325-libre.pdf?1541356945=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DTerms_of_change_How_farmers_in_Uganda_ta.pdf&Expires=1726010318&Signature=RuKltF4c201YcYAg08ofe-dMgRPUDzkpNlZ80c5GOrBDCH4Wd2F6j2wFClBiJEAHNOtdss-o3mUhWxs2WzxZeJPyGMP~EghZ-GIsCkrayX6G6kqKHEkL15jieZ4tadc2FGQsnO8YHXYb1dXf-wyWFUfRC-RCZh54-Kb99yqL~PmK1L6I8v8hovzKId8rIDH2IRUL1wGhrLePF2QbbQqialEzWI84H0OHejZehkPqU5-b1hF2YIHwmbBRVjh21hfKK4hVniCI83z6qktQ4SR0Oak6knDJ5BfKcCP8Wd0mnZGgAGCy9Nsg9CG-qT3Av-X5IgIZFRrWkGYjCRvsSbeYZQ__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: AMS Conference on International Cooperation in the Earth System Sciences and Services
• Conference or Event Name: Symposium on Policy and Socio-economic Research
• Volume: 10
• Keywords: farmer; rural populations; social settings; adaptation; Africa; communication strategies; vulnerability; climate information
• Research Categories: Agriculture, General; Economics, Agricultural

Abstract

Even in areas that have not experienced such extreme climate change impacts as in the Arctic, local residents are beginning to notice shifts from what is their established knowledge of local climatology and normal variation within it. Rakai district in southern Uganda is located near the Equator but, due to interannual variability in the timing and amount of precipitation and the vulnerability of crops to moisture deficits, the area frequently experiences climate-related food insecurity. Rural households derive most of their food and income from rainfed agriculture, including a mix of perennial (banana, coffee) and annual crops (maize, beans, peanut). Because of the centrality of rainfall for their livelihood, at the onset of the rainy season farmers scrutinize the skies. They formulate predictions, and discuss the weather, comparing it to the recent and distant past. In particular, they note that rains are less regular and less abundant than in the past and the seasons less clearly demarcated.