The climate of Uganda is regarded as its most valuable natural resource,
and a major determinant of other natural resources, such as water, forests,
and wildlife, as well as human activities based on these resources,
such as agriculture and ecotourism (Republic of Uganda, MWE 2007).
Together these resources provide the means of livelihood for many Ugandans
and enhance economic growth, which is predominantly agriculture based.
However, the past few decades have been marked by climate variability, resulting
in increased frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods,
and landslides, causing damage to natural resources and slowing social and economic
development.
Prolonged droughts can have serious impacts on agricultural production.
Even long dry spells during the rainy season are sufficient to reduce agricultural
production, thus seriously affecting the livelihoods of the rural communities.
They lead to reduced incomes and therefore to decreased health status and standards
of living. Thus assessing the vulnerability of agriculture to climate change is
critical to understanding the impact of climate change on the welfare of the population
and the country’s preparedness to deal with climate change in general.