How regions are putting systems to enhance climate resilience

Solar energy is playing a significant role in promoting smart agriculture as one of the mitigating measures against the effects of climate change. It integrates advanced technologies to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability in the host and refugee communities in the refugee-hosting districts of West Nile.

With solar-powered irrigation technology, smallholder farmers have transformed from subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture, where they are able to grow crops all year round.

Alex Lodiong’s life as a refugee living in Palorinya Refugee Settlement in Obongi district has been shaped by the devastating impacts of climate change.

Originally from a rural community in South Sudan, which he fled in January 2017, Lodiong experienced a gradual decline in agricultural productivity due to erratic weather patterns and prolonged droughts. These conditions made it increasingly difficult for families to grow food, leading to food insecurity and economic instability for both nationals and refugees. The refugees were also depending on food rations from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

The harsh living conditions in the settlement included limited access to clean water and healthcare.

“After UNHCR made the decision to reduce our food rations, life became difficult for my family. As the rains dwindled and our crops failed, people began fighting over resources. This forced me to take my family out of the refugee settlement in search for safety and stability,” Lodiong explains.

He leased an acre of land from a member of the host community in Alimira village, Itula sub-county, and started growing vegetables. He irrigated the garden using a watering can before graduating to fossil fuel-powered irrigation.

“With time, I concluded that the diesel pump was not sustainable because of the high cost of fuel. I had heard about the solar-powered irrigation systems, and I made inquiries about how I could acquire one,” he says.

Three years ago, the refugee farmer received solar-powered irrigation under the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers (UgIFT) Program in Obongi district.

Transforming households
Like Lodiong, Edward Lubang is also a refugee farmer who now earns Shs20 million every year from growing vegetables on land he irrigates with a solar-powered system. He lives in Morobi Refugee Settlement in Obongi district.

Three years ago, with a capital of Shs300,000, he started growing vegetables. He says after three months, he earned Shs5 million from the first harvest.

“In the second harvest, I earned Shs11 million, and in the next one, I earned Shs15 million. On the third harvest, I realized I could have earned more if it was not for the high cost of transporting my vegetables to the market,” Lubang says.

With his profits, he bought a tricycle to transport his produce. Since then, he has been able to improve his home, send his children to school, and venture into cattle keeping.

“Solar irrigation cut my costs, reducing the amount of money I was spending on diesel for the irrigation pump. Now, I can hire more than two acres to grow vegetables, and my target is to raise Shs20 million in the next dry season,” Lubang vows.

Johnson Opigo, the district production officer for Obongi, believes that it is only through the use of solar-powered irrigation that smallholder farmers can transform their household incomes. The district has 64 smallholder farmers who have transitioned to solar-powered irrigation technologies.

“These are farmers who have at least 1.5 to 2 acres of land. Having plenty of sunshine has helped us run these irrigation systems beyond eight hours every day. Besides, there is plenty of water from River Nile that allows the farmer to harvest throughout the year,” he says.

On the market, solar-powered pumps cost Shs1.8 million. However, some companies are offering subsidies of 60 percent to the refugee communities and 50 percent to host communities.

“We have reduced the prices of the solar panel to Shs720,000 and Shs900,000 respectively. We have two projects of renewable energy solar pumps and clean cooking which are geared towards addressing the environmental challenges,” says David Okello, who works for Tulima Solar Company.

For Kalisum Maneno, a member of the Umaku Farmer Field School in Yumbe district, the solar-powered irrigation has saved residents from drinking dirty water.

“Before the solar-powered irrigation system, women used to experience gender-based violence because they would walk long distances to fetch water shared with cattle. But now, we drink clean water and produce vegetables all year round. These vegetables are highly nutritious for children, lactating mothers, and pregnant women,” she says.

Fighting malnutrition and food insecurity
Patrick Obed, the team leader of Welthungerhilfe (WHH), says the organization has established solar-powered irrigation to pump water from one of the high-yielding boreholes to supply water to small-scale farmers in a demonstration farm of one acre.

“We have done this to fight malnutrition, food insecurity, and adaptation to climate change. The irrigation scheme has the capacity to connect all the farmers in the parish,” he says.

Wetland restoration initiatives
Across Masindi and Buliisa districts, communities and community-based environmental organizations are stepping up efforts to restore wetlands that are vital for mitigating the effects of climate change.

The move is aimed at restoring ecosystems in the most vulnerable and flood-prone regions where unpredictable weather patterns, heavy rainfall, and environmental degradation have disrupted livelihoods, destroyed homes, and contaminated water sources.

Some of these include the Lake Kiyanja catchment area, Nyamagita catchment area, and the Lubigi wetland. Various initiatives are underway, from planting indigenous vegetation to introducing sustainable agricultural practices.

Tosh Bwana, the chief executive officer of Umoja Conservation Trust and an environmentalist, says wetlands serve as critical buffers against flooding, help filter and improve water quality, and are habitats for various plant and animal species.

However, decades of encroachment due to agricultural expansion and unregulated development have severely degraded these ecosystems, leaving local communities increasingly vulnerable to seasonal flooding and environmental degradation.

“Wetlands are often referred to as nature's sponges because of their ability to absorb and store excess water, especially during periods of heavy rainfall. They also play a key role in regulating water flow and reducing flood risks. The restoration is one of several ongoing projects aimed at improving water absorption and creating buffer zones to protect communities,” he says.

The Kakindo Integrated Women Development Agency (KAWIDA) in Buliisa district is working to combat these threats by planting native vegetation along the River Waki wetland edges to improve its capacity to absorb water.

“The project is also establishing buffer zones, where farming and development activities are restricted to further protect the wetland's natural functions. Restoration is not about protecting the environment alone. It is about safeguarding the livelihoods of people who depend on these ecosystems for farming and fishing,” says Macris Mugume, KAWIDA’s acting executive director.

In addition to replanting native species, the project is working to educate communities on sustainable land-use practices by adopting farming methods that are less disruptive to the ecosystems, such as agroforestry and crop rotation.

“Smallholder farmers living around the Nyakarongo and Kirasa wetlands have been trained in crop diversification and soil conservation techniques to boost productivity,” says Job Byaruhanga, Masindi district’s agricultural officer.

Education and community involvement have been key drivers of success in these wetland restoration efforts. Local farmers have been receptive to these changes, recognising that restoring wetlands is essential for the long-term viability of their crops.

Micah Asiku, the executive director of Community Development and Conservation Agency (CODECA), says community leaders have been actively involved in enforcing wetland protection laws, ensuring that encroachers are removed, and that restoration efforts are sustained.

“In some areas, local councils have introduced community-based monitoring systems. We are empowering our people to be the guardians of these ecosystems because they are the ones who will benefit most from their restoration,” she says.

Residents under Kabango, Kasubi, and Mubende Wetland Conservation Association (KAKAMWECA) are now reaping from the 64-hectare wetland in Kabango Town Council that they restored.

“Fifteen groups under KAKAMWECA – whose members were once wetland encroachers – are now involved in savings and credit schemes after the Ministry of Water and Environment boosted them with Shs15 million,” says Amos Byabakama, the association's chairperson.

The ministry also supported the association with 3000 seedlings of indigenous tree species, pangas, wheelbarrows, 100 beehives and gumboots.

“No one was forced to leave. They left voluntarily following a thorough sensitisation campaign. We were told to restore this wetland due to the negative effects which are anticipated to come with the exploration of oil in the Albertine Graben," Byabakama adds.

Olivia Nabukenya, Masindi district’s environment officer, commends the association for being resilient and also for accepting to vacate the wetlands.

"If the association was not so keen, people would have come back to encroach on the wetlands again. The members are receiving Shs6 million annually for the carbon absorbed by the trees they planted,” she says.

Community empowerment efforts on wetland restoration have yielded results. Acting on a tipoff from members of the community, authorities in Kirasa Cell in Masindi district halted the construction of a fuel station by a top-tier fuel company.

The construction came under scrutiny for unlawful activities, including excavation in a gazetted wetland area.

The government of Uganda has committed to the restoration and protection of all degraded wetlands. In February 2024, in line with the Ramsar Convention, all wetlands in the country were officially gazetted to protect communities from the effects of climate change.

The Ministry of Water and Environment is also implementing an eight-year project, Building Resilient Communities, Wetland Ecosystems and Associated Catchments in Uganda, with the aim of restoring wetlands, increasing resilience, and supporting sustainable land management practices.

The project is funded by the Green Climate Fund and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

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General Manager Editorial Daniel Kalinaki. Weekend Editor Robert Madoi.
Editor, Sustainability Hub Gillian Nantume Features Editor Caesar Karuhanga Abangirah