These adverse conditions have significantly disrupted the lives of residents, especially those who depend on agriculture and animal husbandry for their livelihood.

In an attempt to take action and offset the terrible impacts of climate change in the Teso region, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is working to equip farmers and communities with tools to fight back.

With funding from the Norwegian Embassy in Uganda and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), FAO implemented projects to build resilience to climate change and increase food and nutrition security among smallholder farmers and agro-pastoralists in the Teso and Cattle Corridor from Uganda.

Under this project, FAO built local chick rearing centers and irrigation facilities, as well as seed multiplication and conservation centers, in Amolator, Katakwi and Kaberamaido districts. These initiatives are designed to increase agricultural productivity, improve food security and build resilience in the region.

Water facilities in the area include a solar powered irrigation system in Aleble, Amolatar District. It has a hydrant system that covers over 20 acres and is expandable, having the capacity to pump 10,000 liters of water per hour. There is also the Magoro Irrigation System in Katakwi District which currently covers 30 acres but has the potential to be expanded using movable pipes.

In Toroma, Katakwi District, the Toroma Valley Reservoir was reconstructed by FAO. This reservoir can serve at least 1,500 cattle and about 1,000 small ruminants during drought periods.

“Farmers around were very active producing many types of grain and some vegetable crops, but on a very small scale. But given the kind of work they were doing, we thought they could be supported and start producing commercially, especially with crops,” says FAO National Consultant in charge of agricultural water production, Mr Dennis Besigye.

According to FAO Country Representative, Dr. Antonio Querido, the water systems are meant to enable farmers to endure periods of drought and extend their farming seasons.

“This irrigation system gives farmers an opportunity to have field-level water, allowing them to take advantage of fertile soils and be able to do more than two to three seasons in a year. So these irrigation systems create an opportunity for farmers to expand their production system to explore other crops and ensure that they have production. It uses solar energy to pump water from the ground source and deliver it to farmers at field level. The hydrants allow us to distribute water at a lower cost and we believe this system can be scaled up to other districts and also other parts of Uganda,” explains Dr. Querido.

Betty Agweng, one of the beneficiaries in Amolatar believes that the irrigation system will greatly improve their production and nutrition, allowing them to continue farming throughout the year without breaks.

Two community incubators were established; one in Omodoi Cell, Ochero Local Council, Kaberamaido District and the other in Katakwi Local Council, Katakwi District. These facilities will accelerate the multiplication of improved genetics in the region.

According to Dr. Querido, the initiative aims to support communities in improving their local chicken genetics and creating a sustainable production system. the hatcheries have a combined capacity of producing 1880 chicks per week.

“By doing this, we believe we will create an ability to improve the genetics of our local birds because they are disease resistant. This gives farmers the opportunity to increase their stock.”

Dr Brian Babigumira of the National Agriculture Organization (Naro) notes that the improved indigenous chickens supplied to farmers are disease resistant and can thrive in harsh conditions.

“The genetics we bring here were developed using local Ugandan chicken, so there is no way this chicken will affect the genetics that are in this area. Indigenous chickens have evolved with the environment for many years, which has allowed them to develop adaptive traits – they can survive high levels of disease challenges, so they have a higher survival rate,” he explains.

Cassava is an essential staple food in the Teso region, but soil conditions are not ideal for most crops. It is important to develop better cassava varieties that can withstand harsh environmental conditions and produce high yields. This is a top priority for the region’s agricultural sector.