Kulika Uganda designed and implemented a climate smart agriculture project in collaboration with Nakasongola Local Government. With support from FAO, the project reached out to farmer groups and iture
The project was implemented in Nakasongola district with a focus on Climate Smart Agriculture. The project was aimed at giving support to the Nakasongola District Team to mainstream climate change adaptation activities into the district development plans, carrying out a participatory documentation of good practices, success stories and lessons learnt by interacting with the GCCAbeneficiaries and project team members and documenting good practices and lessons learnt. Participants came from the 6 cattle corridor districts in Uganda including Nakasongola (others are Sembabule, Kiboga, Mubende, Luweero and Nakaseke) who are members of the ENR-CSO Network
Outcomes and Impact
A Climate Change Task force was established and sensitized on climate change adaptation and mitigation. The task Force team was trained and the District has capacity to develop and operationalize action plans for climate change adaptation and mitigation. They have mainstreamed climate change in district plans. The good practices and success stories were documented and are in the process of being published. Some of the information was submitted to the Ministry of water and environment to be included as a component in the annual report. A lot of experience sharing and cross learning was achieved though the exposure / learning visit was conducted to see climate change adaptation technologies that had been put in place by each of three districts (Nakasongola, Luwero and Nakaseke).
Success Story for Herbert Sesinde
Sesinde Herbert, 35 years old smallholder male farmer from Kasambya Village, Kyambogo Parish, Kakooge Sub-county, in Nakasongola District. Iam a married man and I have 2 children. Planting of trees has contributed to changing the micro climate conditions on my farm and this has subsequently helped me to adapt to the harsh climate change impacts in Katuugo Sub County. Before the GCCA project, I was planting crops like maize, cassava beans and G. Nuts. I attempted to plant trees like musizi (ie meiopsis eminii) but was using smaller spacing than what is recommended, I did not have enough knowledge and skills. My farm would get badly affected by drought, lack of water and sufficient soil moisture for crop growth. As a result I would get very poor crop yields, my family would often experience food insecurity and would lack sufficient income because there would be very little if at all any surplus crops to sell.
The introduction of the GCCA project in my sub county by the sub county leadership in collaboration with FAO and NADIFA resulted in positive changes at my farm and my livelihood. Through the project, I was able to establish a tree nursery garden, in which I raised tree seedlings initially for planting on my farm, but later on for selling out to my group members and other people within and outside my local community. I planted different tree species such as musizi, and fruit trees including lemons, tangerines, and oranges and timber trees like gravelia.
I raise about 1000 trees per season and sell all of them at a price ranging between shs.2500 – shs. 3500 per grafted fruit tree seedling. I sell each timber seedling at sh. 500 – shs. 700/-. On average I get a minimum of two million shillings per season.
The income realized has helped me to support my family better, and from the savings I have made I am constructing a new better and bigger house. I am also gradually expanding my tree nursery. I trap surface run off water whenever it rains to irrigate not only my seedlings but also the grown orange trees in my garden of 50 mature trees, and another one of 100 younger trees. From each mature trees I get at least 5 basins of oranges per season, and each is sold at between shs. 5000 to 8000/=.
