Uganda

on this page: Kabale
Kapchorwa/Bundibugyo


A farmer-led visioning, negotiation and planning process for enterprise selection in Kabale that integrates income generation and conservation objectives.
KABALE, SOUTHWEST UGANDA
Sloping terraces on steep slopes

Research work has involved a wide range of experts and topics. NARO institutes at Namulonge (NAARI), Kawanda (KARI), and FORRI took the lead during 1998-2001 where researchers from NARO's bean, wheat, sorghum and maize, potato, soils and agroforestry programs were involved. Recent attachment has been to the Katchwekano ARDC of NARO's outreach program. There have been strong NGO links to Africare, CARE, Africa 2000 Network and the Kabale Farmers Association (KADFA) in Kabale. Research fellows from CIAT (sociology), TSBF/Makerere (soils) and CIP (IPM) have been based in Kabale at various 2-3 year periods between 1996-2002. A number of projects have provided targeted support in development communications (IDRC), rural sociology (DFID and PRGA), soil management and community-based approaches (IDRC). ASARECA networks: ECABREN, PRAPACE, AFRENA work in this site and ICRAF, CIAT, TSBF and CIP are also involved.

Kabale's major issues are: lack of cash sources, distant and untapped markets, poor soil fertility (N, some places P and K), soil conservation issues (soil creeping and poor bund management), lack of trees and firewood, social issues (drunken men), and fragmented land (dispersed ownership). The system here is indicative of much of Rwanda and E. Congo. The hillside/valley configuration and associated land use issues presents a good case scenario for participatory community watershed management where there is a high level of fragmentation.

The research work starting in 1999 was organized around 4 task forces: (1) on intensification and diversification; (2) soil management; (3) dissemination (includes seed systems) and (4) policy. There has been a dearth of research in Kabale so AHI is supporting work on alternative land use (to low yielding sorghum), increasing the cash and food crop options (wheat, climbing beans, new sorghum varieties, maize), and linking crop husbandry to improved soil management. Integrated pest management has been featured since 1995, on potato bacterial wilt (CIP and NARO) and bean root rot (CIAT and NARO). Strategic research continues on the latter with CIAT, NARO and Makerere. The policy work is concentrating on by-law revision and understanding NRM conflicts and their resolution. Seed systems work where local entrepreneurs manage multiplication and sales/dissemination was fostered in 1997 by the CIP research fellow and NARO and continues to be very successful today. Climbing bean adoption is another success story in the area, and has been jointly fostered by AHI, NARO, CIAT, Africare and the extension services.

Some of the project details include:

  • Development communications: (1) telecentre installation and management (2) information needs assessment and target grouping (3) use of different dissemination methods (4) study the effectiveness and use of telecentres in rural community situations.
  • Rural sociologist: (1) understand the NRM conflicts, resolution and institutional arrangements related to valley bottom management, terrace management and livestock grazing conflicts. Developing and documenting methodology used. (2) Understand the dynamics of farmer research groups so as to improve management and foster empowerment. (3) Understand the impact of participatory research.
  • Soils: (1) diagnostic work on "ebeija" a local soil issue (2) understand trade-offs of legume management (above and below ground contributions) (3) study a participatory nutrient flow method to assist farmers in understanding the impact of their practices on soil fertility (4) study interactions between soil fertility and disease management.

NRM issues include:

  • Vegetation cover relatively good and stable except on cultivated lands and on "thin" outcrop areas. Increasing percentage of landscape having thin soils due to downward movement (water, gravity and farm cultivation techniques)
  • Scarce land and fragmented ownership makes collective hillside management difficult. This is further exacerbated by long distance to plots and limited labour. There is a high percentage of female-headed households. Hillside management has declined over the last 50 years, as less attention is given to bund maintenance. Terrace breakage occurs and "stealing" fertile soil located on bund edges has increased. Farmers are not willing to plant stabilizing materials on the bunds because this is the "best" land for crops.
  • Interactions between hillside and valley bottom (wetland) management concerning water and soil are complex. Valley bottom drainage is periodically problematic related to too much or too little rainfall
  • Livestock and crop managers have incompatible land use issues
  • Limited tree cover and available wood. Gullies may originate in woodlots on sloping lands.
  • National government wetland protection prevents swamp drainage and limits local livelihood options.
  • Soil fertility amendment issues given there are limited organic matter resources and difficulty of transferring materials up the hillsides. Residues are often burned to assist in cultivation given low decomposition rate and to prevent weeds, pests and diseases. Inorganic sources are little used and unavailable.
  • Use of fallowing to improve soil fertility is declining, although there is an increase in lands left uncultivated to a variety of reasons.
  • Soil and water conservation of sloping terraces increasing hazards of erosion and gullies

KAPCHORWA/BUNDIBUGYO, UGANDA

Kapchorwa is a north-facing district situated on Mt. Elgon, spanning a wide range of altitudes from the peak of the mountain to the lowlands. AGILE's area of interest lies in agricultural lands high on the mountain and adjacent to national park boundaries where residents from highland and lowland areas are farming under the stress of land tenure insecurity related to park boundary disputes. Relatively unsustainable farming practices, low enterprise diversity, extremely limited use of conservation structures on very steep hillsides, limited use of crop rotation and soil fertility amendments are causing low yields, large amounts of soil loss and siltation in the lowlands and human nutritional deficits. The area is remote, with poor road access and limited markets. The multiple challenges faced by the local population must be viewed in the context of land insecurity, limited assistance from government and other development actors, but relatively strong local commitment to improve livelihoods, the environment and their engagement with outside actors.

Bundibugyo district lies within the western Albertine Rift, on the slopes of the Rwenzori mountain ranges in south-western Uganda. It borders Kabarole District (Uganda) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The District is characterised by an extremely rugged terrain (steep hills and V-shaped valleys) and highly erosive and degraded agricultural landscapes. It is endowed with rich biodiversity in the Semliki and Rwenzori Mountain National Parks, both home to various endemic plant and animal species. It receives relatively high rainfall (1500-2000 mm annually), which together with unstable geological formations causes frequent landslides. The District is one of the remotest in Uganda, having only one dry-weather access road, poorly developed market infrastructure, limited presence of NGOs and service providers, and poor socio-economic amenities. Consequently, local people face unprecedented poverty, limited support from development agencies and untapped income-generating potentials.