Climate Change Solutions Lie With Poor Communities
Bwaise Floods
Ben Twinomugisha
24 September 2009
http://allafrica.com/stories/200909250094.html
opinion
While scientists across the globe agree that climate change is already occurring, indigenous communities in Uganda have not yet taken into account the hardships likely to emerge as a result.
Most Ugandans remain unaware of scientific adaptation strategies for coping with climate change. They have, however, braved the adversity associated with climate variability and responded informally to it, albeit in an ad hoc manner, for centuries. Any adaptation to climate change in Uganda is based on past experiences. Strategies to cope with climate change should therefore build on systems which can be adapted to local philosophy.
The forces of globalisation are affecting Ugandan communities. Whilst the traditional coping mechanisms have their merits, we cannot ignore the fact that we live in a global village and cannot fence communities off from global influences. But we can strive to connect them to these influences so that traditional coping and survival mechanisms are not lost, but rather become a point of reference within a broader system.
The government has ratified numerous international climate change commitments including the National Adaptation Programme of Action. However, the issue of popular participation remains a challenge to be addressed. There is lack of wide consultations on the government's policy framework, yet Ugandans; especially the vulnerable poor communities need to be offered opportunities to express themselves, since they mostly bear the brunt of climatic changes. There is urgent need to bridge this information gap if the country expects to have representative views incorporated in its presentation at the UN negotiations in Copenhagen in December 2009.
Climate Change policy need to consider potential contributions from the poor communities in order to come up with an all inclusive plan. For example, the Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA) contains significant content on adaptation to climate change, including the provision of water for production, agricultural information dissemination, training and research. However, the PMA sectoral programmes, such as the National Agricultural Advisory Service (Naads) and similar policies have faced challenges during the implementation. The results of these policies have been of little use to poor people who still depend on rain-fed agriculture, lack good land, irrigation facilities and financial means.
The government's approach on climate change interventions is headed down a similar route as the Naads and this is likely to sideline local knowledge on traditional coping mechanism, yet it is the rural farming communities that will need to use this information most. More effort is needed to strengthen the capacity of local people as well as improving on their traditional knowledge in order to develop relevant techniques that can be included in national policies.
Mr Twinomugisha is a climate change adaptation expert
