Climate change is increasingly becoming a major topical issue globally and its impact on food security has a long standing interest world over amongst researchers in a quest to establish a sustainable food supply systems to the ever increasing populations. The study was carried out on food security and the changing climate among Batwa communities in Kannungu district. The specific objectives of the study were; to identify the indicators of changing climate in Kanungu, assess the current food security status amongst Batwa communities, analyze future food security and strategies for enhancing food security in a changing climate, and suggest policy recommendations to be undertaken on how to enhance food security in a changing climate. The study was conducted using secondary data collected by IHACC (Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change) project operating in Batwa communities as the primary source of information with Focus Group interviews at Mukongolo Batwa settlement to supplement on the existing literature through getting firsthand information on study objectives. At the end of the study, it was established that Batwa communities severely suffer from food insecurity with constrained access to land as a major resource a problem further catalyzed by poor knowledge and adaptive capacity towards the current changes in climate. The study concluded that capacity building about issues of climate change is detrimental in necessitating food security among Batwa communities. The study also concludes that Batwa communities should benefit more from proceeds of managing of Bwindi impenetrable National park since it was their ancestral land which may enhance them to be entitled to the benefits from the income generated from the park to improve their livelihood sustainability.Therefore the study recommended that capacity building on climate change, stream lining the tenure system among Batwa communities and infrastructural developments as policy recommendations to enhance food security amidst the changing environment.
Table of Contents
1.0 Background
2.0 Statement of the Problem
3.0 Objectives of the study
4.0 Scope of the Study
5.0 Justification of the Study
6.0 Methodology
6.1 Study Area
7.0 Findings and results of the study
7.1 Demographic characteristics of the study population.
7.1.1 Gender of Respondents
7.1.2 Age Brackets
7.1.3 Level of Education Attained
7.1.4 Status of Employment
7.1.5 Employment Type among Batwa Communities
7.2 Indicators of climate change in Kanungu District
7.3 Current food security status among Batwa communities
7.3.1 Availability of food at household level;
7.3.2 Sustenance of food in a period;
7.3.3 Food variety and nutrition;
7.3.4 Daily dietary intake at household level
7.3.5 Consistency in the size of food eaten by adults in the household
7.3.6 Proportion of food eaten by adult members of the household
7.3.7 Adult food consumption status at household level;
7.3.8 Daily adult hunger incidences at household level;
7.3.9 Quality of food fed to children in a household
7.3.10 Food variety and nutrition among children in a household
7.3.11 Meal consumption status among children
7.3.12 Consistency of food portions given to children in a household;
7.3.13 Variability in meal consumption among children in a household;
7.3.14 Hunger incidences among children in the household
7.3.15 Daily hunger incidences among children at household level
7.4 Future food security and strategies for enhancing food security in a changing climate
7.5 Policy recommendations towards enhancing food security amidst changing climate in Batwa communities in Kannungu
8.0 Discussions, Recommendations and Conclusion
8.1 Indicators of Changing Climate
8.2 Assessing the current food security status amongst Batwa communities
8.3 Analyzing future food security and strategies for enhancing food security in a changing climate
8.4 Policy recommendations to be undertaken on how to enhance food security in a changing climate
9. Recommendations of the study
10. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Thematic Focus
The primary objective of this research is to evaluate the impact of climate change on food security among the Batwa communities in the Kanungu district of Uganda. The study seeks to understand how environmental shifts, land-use restrictions, and socioeconomic factors intersect to exacerbate food insecurity for this marginalized indigenous population.
- Identification of climate change indicators within the Kanungu region.
- Assessment of current food security and dietary patterns at the household level.
- Evaluation of future food security risks and potential adaptation strategies.
- Development of policy recommendations to enhance long-term food security and climate resilience.
- Analysis of the correlation between land-tenure limitations and food production capabilities.
Excerpt from the Book
7.2 Indicators of climate change in Kanungu District
Climate is essentially significant to societies due to its influence on farms of production and social relations through a wide range of codified knowledge in social institutions as knowledge has been used to diminish the thresholds related to environmental risks. Global climate is changing and climate models indicate continued and accelerated climate change in the future even with policy intervention. Previous and current research reveals wide range of information regarding changes in climate of various areas world over. In this case climate change being a long term phenomenon is manifested through short term climate variability depicted from weather uncertainties (unpredictable seasons), persistent climate abnormalities for example droughts, eminent environmental degradation and rampant food insecurity occurring at various levels amidst low adaptive capacity.
Kanungu district located in the south western Uganda is also affected by climate change and below are the indicators of climate change in the area following a clear analysis of Mukongolo Batwa community settlement in Kanungu through a focus group interview.
Interview results portray that Batwa indigenous people have heard and observe changes in climate of their area and therefore agree that there exist long term changes in the weather elements predominantly temperature and rainfall.
Interviewees note that temperatures in Kanungu have annual cycle of variation with hotter temperatures at the beginning and third quartile of the year. But they agree that since 2000, general weather has become noticeably hotter. One of the interviewee stated that some days are hotter than others after observing dissipation of daily heat from about 5:30pm nowadays opposed to 3:00pm to 4:30pm in the past. Similarly morning temperatures currently begin rising 9:00am contrary to the previous 11:00am. Such perceptions correlate with reported increase in temperatures of about 1.5oc across much of Uganda with typical rates of with typical rates of warming around 0.2oc per decade.
Summary of Chapters
1.0 Background: Discusses the global definitions of food security and the specific vulnerability of indigenous populations to climate-induced environmental degradation.
2.0 Statement of the Problem: Highlights the transition of the Batwa from forest-dwelling hunter-gatherers to settled agriculturalists and the resulting challenges in adapting to climate change.
3.0 Objectives of the study: Defines the four core goals, ranging from identifying climate indicators to suggesting policy solutions.
4.0 Scope of the Study: Details the geographical and thematic focus of the research, centered on the Kanungu district.
5.0 Justification of the Study: Argues that ensuring food security for the Batwa is critical for labor productivity and national development.
6.0 Methodology: Outlines the reliance on secondary data from the IHACC project supplemented by primary fieldwork and focus group interviews.
7.0 Findings and results of the study: Presents comprehensive statistical data on demographic traits, climate perceptions, and severe levels of food insecurity among children and adults.
8.0 Discussions, Recommendations and Conclusion: Analyzes the findings in the context of broader environmental literature and offers specific policy interventions.
9. Recommendations of the study: Proposes specific measures for democratic forest governance and land tenure security.
10. Conclusion: Summarizes the severe risks posed by climate change to the Batwa and calls for urgent, multifaceted support.
Keywords
Food Security, Climate Change, Batwa, Kanungu District, Indigenous Populations, Rainfall Variability, Adaptation, Agriculture, Food Insecurity, Land Tenure, Subsistence Farming, Malnutrition, Environmental Degradation, Resilience, Livelihood Sustainability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research explores the intersection of climate change and food security within the marginalized Batwa communities of the Kanungu district in Uganda.
What are the primary indicators of climate change identified in the study?
The study identifies increased temperature variability, unpredictable rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events like droughts and heatwaves as the primary indicators.
What is the primary objective of this paper?
The goal is to analyze the food security status of the Batwa people, identify adaptation challenges, and provide policy recommendations to improve their resilience.
Which scientific methodology was applied in this research?
The study utilizes secondary data collected by the Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change (IHACC) project, supplemented by primary focus group interviews in the Mukongolo settlement.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body covers demographic profiling of the Batwa, an analysis of their current food security status (including hunger incidences among children), and strategies for future adaptation.
Which keywords define this study?
Key terms include Food Security, Batwa, Climate Change, Kanungu District, and Indigenous Adaptation.
How does land access affect the Batwa's food security?
The study finds that the eviction of the Batwa from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has left them landless and dependent on small-scale, unstable agriculture, which is a major driver of their food insecurity.
Why is the Batwa community considered particularly vulnerable to climate change?
They are vulnerable due to their limited financial resources, reliance on rain-fed subsistence farming, and a lack of land ownership, which prevents them from building long-term food storage or resilience.
What is the role of traditional knowledge in this study?
The study suggests that merging indigenous knowledge with modern scientific evidence is vital for developing effective, localized coping strategies for climate change.
- Citar trabajo
- Hakimu Sseviiri (Autor), 2015, Food Security among Batwa in a Changing Climate in Kanungu District, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/379683
