Smallholder Livestock Farmers' Knowledge Base and Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts in Wabinyonyi Sub-County, Nakasongola District, Uganda

Abstract

The effects of climatic change are increasingly becoming more felt among smallholder livestock farmers. Adaptation to a reasonable extent depends on farmers’ local knowledge, based on unusual changes in weather patterns such as; extreme and prolonged weather events resulting in changes in timing of and conditions for grazing. Four focus group discussions with smallholder livestock farmers' and four key informants were held with respondents from Nakasongola District. Some of the drivers of climatic change were mentioned as anthropogenic activities such as massive deforestation for wood fuel and charcoal burning. Adaptation strategies were early morning grazing, exchange of animals for grazing rights, selling off livestock at giveaway prices, reservedly fencing off part of the land to use during the dry season, burning dry grass in anticipation of better grass, and moving long distances in search of water. Limited knowledge about climatic change drivers, pressures and negligence by smallholder farmers limits small holder farmers’ adaptive capacity. Some adaptive strategies like periodic bush burning during the dry seasons were counterproductive to climatic change mitigation efforts. The study concludes that smallholder livestock farmers’ resilience to climatic change is low and needs to be enhanced. The local knowledge based more on the observed weather and climatic changes rather than on properly conceptualised drivers and pressures limits their adaptive capacities and strategies. This also limits mitigation efforts against climatic change impacts.

Keywords: Livestock, Climate, Variability, Adaptation, Knowledge Base.