Climate change impacts on food availability and coping responses in Pallisa district.

Abstract

Climate change has been reported to undermine agricultural productivity, especially in climate-sensitive regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda inclusive, affecting food availability especially and more especially the semi-arid areas of Uganda. This study was conducted to investigate how climate change affects food availability and overall household resilience and food security in Pallisa District, Uganda. The specific objectives were to: i) examine the trends in climate change (rainfall and temperature) from 1990 to 2021 in Pallisa District, ii) examine the perceived impacts from climate change on food availability, and iii) assess the coping responses to climate change impacts on food availability. A cross-sectional survey research design was used to collect data on changes in temperature and rainfall, and the related impacts on food availability and coping strategies. Quantitative data was collected from a sample of 375 household respondents using a survey semi-structured questionnaire. Qualitative data was obtained through Focus Group Discussions and Key Informant Interviews. The study found that rainfall and temperature varied significantly over the study period of thirty-one years from 1990 to 2020. The most common impacts of climate change on food availability were increased temperature (59.8%), pests and diseases (37.8%), shift in rainfall season (36.6%) and delayed onset of rains (31.7%), among other impacts which results into low crop yields. The notable responses included; early planting (80%), crop diversification (60.4%), adoption of early maturing crop varieties (49.1%) and planting resistant crop varieties (38.6%). The food chain is highly vulnerable to climate change which threatens food security especially in the low-income communities and it is therefore recommended that government and development partners help in building equitable food systems to sustain livelihoods and ensuring food security for future generations.