Investment in early warning systems can change Karamoja

Government has tasked the Ministry for Finance to urgently provide Shs135b for the procurement of food to alleviate the hunger crisis in Karamoja Sub-region amid complaints of inadequate interventions by Members of Parliament.

While appearing on the floor of Parliament last week, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja told MPs that the funds will be used to procure food for three months, as well as seeds for planting.

Karamoja is known for its harsh climate, cyclical cattle raids, the ever high rates of malnutrition, and alcoholism. It is one of the poorest regions of Uganda, and home to about 1.2 million people, most of them living in abject poverty.

Chronic food insecurity and poverty are widespread. Many districts are said to be in a ‘stress’ phase, with families expected to run out of food, deaths increasing and famine visible in the entire region due to prolonged drought.

Drought early warning systems (DEWS) have the potential to strengthen the capacity of communities in managing and reducing drought effects through building preparedness and providing coping strategies.

This network, known as DEWS, collects, analyses, validates, and disseminates data on vital signs such as livestock diseases, rainfall patterns, pasture condition, nutrition status of children, and availability of water.

Owing to intermittent drought events in the Karamoja Sub-region, DEWS can contribute to household food security and nutrition by providing households with information on timely planting, crop diversification, farm equipment, drought management and drought-tolerant crop varieties. There will be a need for Uganda National Meteorological Authority to focus on information dissemination, and the Ministry of Agriculture to always provide drought-tolerant crops and provision of training opportunities to communities for increased production in semi-arid areas.

The early warning information should be able, once investment is realised, to be disseminated and reach aid agencies and government departments as paper bulletins. The same messages are transmitted through radio, and to most people in the rural villages, the local parish chief will also disseminate the information by word of mouth to his communities.

Before the purchase and distribution of the said seedlings, the Ministry of Water and Environment, through the Directorate of Water Resources Management , is responsible for all water resources monitoring, assessment, and management over the country. Thus, their engagement with the development of the early warning system is very essential.

Notably there seems to be a lack of interoperability and cohesion between the Ministry of water and Environment and Ministry of Agriculture on the Karamoja question, the two need to speak one language.

Early warning is only effective if followed by early action, it is commendable that the government is willing to put the Shs135b to food but it will be a catastrophe if it’s unsustainable. It is equally important that the government puts aside a few billions for early warning systems and the data collected elicits timely response and action.

To trigger effective anticipatory actions before a natural hazard hits a vulnerable community, the government needs clear and robust protocols. Such protocols can be based on quantitative analysis of the risk profile and the forecast skill, alongside an assessment of physical thresholds and triggers to act.

All of these pieces of information should be contained in an early action protocol.

It is expected that as climate change unfolds the frequency and intensity of climate related shocks will change, therefore improving EWS is one way to adapt to a changing climate.

The writer Geofrey Kasumba is an Information Scientist

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