Potential and limitations of dryland communities in adapting to climate change in Mwanga district

Abstract

In order to document the potential and limitations in adapting dryland communities to climate change in Mwanga district a study was carried out in late March 2012. Because the project focused on crops production and livestock production and natural resources management (beekeeping in particular), potential and constraints of these three sectors were identified. The data were collected from households situated in four proposed project villages of Kiruru Ibwejewa, Kirya, Kwakoa and Kileo and a structured questionnaire was used in this regard. The questionnaire was administered to 64 respondents, 16 for each study village. Along with the survey, other methods used were observation transect walks, key-informant interview and literature review. The main identified constraints in crops production were unreliable rainfall, high costs of inputs, unavailability of the improved seeds and prevalence of pests and diseases. Marketing constraints for crops included low price, lack of buyer within the village, and market inaccessibility. Regarding livestock production, the main constraints were bush encroachment, poor vegetative cover and shortage of water. On the other side, beekeeping had large but unexploited potential because of lack of improved beekeeping and honey processing knowledge, and ineffective organization. Also, theft of honey and beehives was among the reported constraints. It is recommended that the understanding of contextual realities is important before implementing any climate change adaptation interventions because such understanding will provide a pointer on the appropriate and feasible interventions based on the field realities. From such understanding it will be possible to plan appropriate use of scarce financial, social and human resources in a profitable way.