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Summary:

Uganda is a land-locked country in Eastern Africa, bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, the Sudan and Tanzania. The largest lake on the continent, Lake Victoria, is located on the country’s south-eastern border. Uganda is rich in natural resources, and has relatively fertile soil, biodiversity, rich vegetation and significant water resources; about 18 per cent of the country’s surface area is comprised of water bodies and swamps (OneWorld, 2009).
Approximately 80 per cent of the Ugandans depend on agriculture for their livelihoods and the sector generates 90 per cent of the country’s export earnings (OneWorld, 2009). Uganda has one of the highest population growth rates in the world, with the large majority of the population residing in urban areas (USDS, 2010). Although its Human Development Index has improved over the past decade and income poverty has improved considerably, it remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Its rural population is particularly impoverished (UNDP, 2007).

Uganda occupies 241,038 square kilometres, of which 43,941 square kilometers, representing 18.2% is open water and swamps. Most parts of Uganda lie at an average height of 1,200m above sea level. Project profiles have been developed based on the prioritized and ranked intervention strategies. The project profiles are not area specific including: 

  • Community tree growing in the highland areas, which are prone to landslides.
  • Adaptation to drought in the semi-arid areas Uganda lies across the equator and occupies 241,038 square kilometres, of which open water and swamps constitute 43,941 square kilometres.

This represents 18.2% of the total area. Most parts are on average height of 1,200m above sea level. The lowest altitude is 620m (within the Albert Nile) and the highest altitude (Mt. Rwenzori Peak) is 5,110m above sea level. The climate is equatorial, with moderate humid and hot climatic conditions throughout the year. It has two rain seasons in a year, which merge into one long rainy season as you move northwards from the equator. The first rain season is from March to June, while the second season is from August to November.

ADAPTATION NEEDS AND PRIORITIES:

Uganda’s climate is tropical, with temperatures that are largely constant throughout the year (McSweeney et al., 2009). Seasonal rainfall is influenced primarily by the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a low pressure and heavy precipitation weather system that forms near the earth’s equator. The position of the ITCZ shifts throughout the year, and causes Uganda to experience two wet periods: the short rains in October to December and the long rains in March to May (McSweeney et al., 2009; USDS, 2010). The position of the ITCZ is very sensitive to changes in the surface temperature of the Indian Ocean, and the start and duration of these rainfalls vary from year to year.
Since 1960, Uganda’s average annual temperature has increased by 1.3°C, with a significant rise in the number of hot days and nights (McSweeney et al., 2009). In addition, the country has experienced statistically significant declines in rainfall since this time, a rate of decrease of 3.5 per cent per decade (McSweeney et al., 2009). Uganda has also been experiencing more frequent extreme weather events including droughts, floods and landslides over the past several decades (GOU, 2007; OneWorld, 2009). There has been speculation that Lake Victoria’s drop in water levels from 2000 to 2006 may be due to climate change, although this is likely only partly true given the excess releases at the outflow of the lake for power generation purposes (DFID, 2008).
With continued climate change, temperatures in Uganda are projected to increase by 1 to 3.1°C by the 2060s, and 1.4 to 4.9°C by the 2090s (McSweeney et al., 2009). Projected changes in annual rainfall are largely consistent in suggesting there will be an increase in rainfall, with the country potentially experiencing an increase of between 7 and 11 per cent (McSweeney et al., 2009). Models also point to the likelihood that there will be an increase in heavy rainfall events, although they disagree widely as to the changes in El Niño events, which can strongly influence Uganda’s rainfall (McSweeney et al., 2009).
Regardless of the specific changes in precipitation, changes in temperature in the country are likely to have serious implications for water resources, food security, natural resource management, human health, settlements and infrastructure (DFID, 2008). Through its dependence on agriculture, Uganda’s economy is intricately connected to changes in climate, and the impacts of climate change are likely to have significant impacts on the wellbeing of the country’s population (Hepworth, 2010).
Uganda’s National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) notes that the country’s livelihoods and food security are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, given the high proportion of the country’s population that depends on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods (GOU, 2007). In particular, the NAPA notes a number of key socioeconomic sectors where adaptation activities will be most important: land and land use; farm forestry; water resources; health; weather and climate information; awareness creation; policy and legislation; and infrastructure. The NAPA identifies a number of priority adaptation projects for the country as listed in Table 3, including a community tree growing project, land degradation management project, and strengthening of the meteorological services (GOU, 2007).

NATIONAL LEVEL POLICIES:

Uganda’s policies and reports identifying adaptation needs, priorities, and planned actions include the country’s Initial National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and NAPA, as well as broader planning documents such as the Five-year National Development Plan, Vision 2025 and the National Policy for Disaster Preparedness Management. There is evidence that climate change considerations are being integrated into a number of high-level strategies and planning documents.

CURRENT ADAPTATION ACTION:

A very high number of climate adaptation activities being implemented in Uganda when compared to other East African countries, with the majority comprised of regional, African and global initiatives; a smaller number projects are being implemented exclusively in Uganda. These activities are primarily focused on capacity building, policy formation and integration, and research, with a few aiming to enhance community-based adaptation and field implementation. For the most part, these projects are sectorally diverse; a number of projects are being implemented in the agriculture (livestock, food and crop) sector, followed by freshwater resources and disaster risk management. Other areas of focus include urban areas, climate information services, human health, energy and pastoralism.
There are also a large number of international organizations involved in funding this project work, including the Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) program financed by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the African Development Bank, the Rockefeller Foundation and the governments of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

PROPOSED ADAPTATION ACTION:

Within its NAPA, Uganda identified nine projects that could assist in building its capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change, as presented in Table 3. It is unclear if any of these NAPA projects have been funded. However, many of the adaptation initiatives underway in Uganda touch upon the objectives of these projects. For example Denmark’s CC-DARE program is helping to integrate climate change into development planning and implementation, and a number of projects are addressing water efficiency and water use within the agricultural sector.
In addition to these proposed projects, Uganda developed a project for consideration by the Adaptation Fund, “An Integrated Approach to Building Climate Resilience in Uganda’s Fragile Ecosystem.” The concept was declined by the Adaptation Fund Board, and it is unclear if this proposal will be revised.

ASSESSMENT:

There is evidence that Uganda has undertaken a considerable amount of policy planning and analysis around climate change adaptation; climate change adaptation is considered in the country’s National Development Plan, Vision 2025 and the National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management. It has also completed its NAPA, although there is no available evidence that Uganda has secured funding for its NAPA projects. However, some existing projects are addressing certain priority adaptation areas in the areas of freshwater resources, human health, agriculture, and climate information identified as priorities in the NAPA.

A number of reports have been prepared within the past few years that survey adaptation action within Uganda and make recommendations for future activities. A study prepared by the consultants LTS International for DFID notes a number of criticisms around the preparation of Uganda’s NAPA and thus of the priorities identified. In particular, there is concern around the technical rigor of the prioritization exercise, how the projects are designed, and the low profile of the steering committee that planned the document (LTSI 2008). In order to enhance Uganda’s response to climate change, this scoping study identified the following needs:

  • Research and knowledge: Undertake a comprehensive study on future climate change impacts in Uganda and associated uncertainty, which will help to galvanize political action and make adaptation options clearer.
  • Leadership and coordination: Support political leadership on climate change as well as a coordinating body with sufficient clout to reach across government.
  • Technical assistance: Needs in this area include emergency planning and enhanced environmental governance and regulation of water resources.

In addition, a recent study prepared for GIZ investigated the different actors involved in climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts in Uganda, which demonstrated the large number of organizations involved in adaptation work in the country; approximately 84 different government and non-government actors were identified as being involved in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts (Preller, 2009). The study makes the case for greater coordination, communication and networking, which the report noted was lacking at the time of writing, and potentially was leading to duplication of activities and a failure to discover synergies between projects (Preller, 2009). The study also found that the majority of actors involved in the climate change space in Uganda were engaged in research, awareness raising, capacity development, education, and strategy development, with a fewer number involved in policy and legislation, coordination, advocacy/lobbying, and financial cooperation activities (Preller, 2009).
Moreover, a report prepared for DFID on adaptation action in Uganda points to the need to address capacity constraints in terms of resources and personnel, as well as a need to address confused mandates between government departments and other actors in order to ensure effective coordination (DFID, 2008). The study also points to a need for enhanced donor coordination in order to reduce the number of duplicated initiatives.
Finally, a recent study supported by the Heinrich Boll Foundation notes that Uganda has made much positive progress on climate change adaptation over the past several years, and the issue has gained political salience within the country (Hepworth, 2010). The report notes that much progress has ensued within government including the creation of a Climate Change Unit within the Ministry of Water and Environment, a Parliamentary Forum on Climate Change, and efforts to integrate climate change within the National Development Plan and sectoral plans in water and agriculture (Hepworth, 2010). However, the report also points out that there is considerable deficit of technical capacity within the country, and that resources are often not contributing to enhancing Uganda’s domestic resilience. Current policies and plans are deemed underdeveloped, and coordination of efforts within and outside of government is weak (Hepworth, 2010). In order to address these gaps the report makes a number of recommendations, including the following:
1. Establish and support a national or regional research and advocacy facility in order to facilitate the interpretation and use of climate science;
2. Support reporting and media work to understand climate change and further awareness within the country;
3. Support the development of a National Climate Change Policy as well as research into the national and localized economic and social impacts of climate change in order to establish priority activities;
4. Strengthen the capacity of government to coordinate ongoing adaptation activities;
5. Engage the private sector more meaningfully; and
6. Ensure that Uganda’s climate change response effectively considers differences among genders.

 

Primary Source: Hove, Hilary; Echeverría, Daniella; Parry, Jo-Ellen. (2011) “Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action: East Africa.” Adaptation Partnership / International Institute for Sustainable Development.

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