Food insecurity in Karamoja could worsen- new study

A new study carried out by the government of Uganda and its development partners says a new weather pattern could worsen food insecurity in the Karamoja region if no action is taken.

The study found that the average monthly rainfall in the region increased over the last 35 years and that the rainy season is now longer by two months. However, the rains – which now fall from around March to the end of the year are increasingly varied in volumes. This unpredictability was found to undermine agricultural production, thereby threatening to aggravate food insecurity in Karamoja. Titled ‘Impacts of Climate Change on Food Security and Livelihoods in Karamoja’ it found that temperatures have been rising in Karamoja over the last 35 years.  The rising temperatures threaten to increase the frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves in the region, therefore reducing availability of water for crops and animals.

The study was carried out in 2016 by the Ministry of Water and Environment with support from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the CGIAR Consortium’s Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security and with sponsorship from the Swedish government as well.

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editor@independent.co.ug