Farmers’ adaptation to climate change and crop yield: a case of Amuru and Apac districts of Northern Uganda
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Date
2022-02-02
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
Abstract
With increasing incidences of the negative impacts of climate change to smallholder
farming, an understanding of the effects of farmers’ adaptation options to climate
change on crop yield is critical in designing practical measures and policies for
increasing food production and food security. This study assessed the effects of
smallholder farmers climate change adaptation intensity on crop yield with focus
on maize, groundnuts and beans in Apac and Amuru districts, northern Uganda.
Cross-sectional survey design was employed for data collection. Data were
analysed using both descriptive and econometric approaches. Results showed that
the most common climate change adaptation strategies used by smallholders
related to varietal adjustments including planting different crop varieties each
time, drought-resistant varieties, early maturing varieties, improved seeds and
changing the time of planting. Yield comparisons between adapters and nonadapters for the three major crops showed that adapters realized significantly
higher yields than non-adapters for most of the climate change adaptation
strategies. This study suggests that farmers who used more adaptation strategies
realized higher yields than the non-adapters. Our findings call for increased efforts
by stakeholders to strengthen agricultural extension services and coverage to
enhance smallholder farmers capacity to adapt to the effects of climate change.
Description
Keywords
Adaptation capacity, adaptation intensity, adapters, non-adapters, varietal adjustments
Citation
Francis Atube, Daniel M. Okello, Geoffrey M. Malinga, Martine Nyeko & Ipolto Okello-Uma (2022) Farmers’ adaptation to climate change and crop yield: a case of Amuru and Apac districts of Northern Uganda, International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 20:5, 967-981,