A case of early action and mitigation to climate change variability by a smallholder farmer in Mpigi district called Mr. Buzimba Franci. I came across this interesting case during my Doctoral research studies in Mpigi District, Central Uganda.

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Francis harvesting coffee from is farm.
Adaptation, Early Action and Mitigation for Climate Variability Impacts; A case
of Francis Buzimba Mugerwa – a smallholder farmer in Mpigi district, Central
Uganda, 2012
By Joshua Zake, Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Natural Resources and Life Science, Vienna, Austria. Tel:
+256773057488 or +256712862050; Email: joszake@gmail.com or joshua.zake@boku.ac.at
During the implementation of project research activities on understanding the impacts of climate variability
on selected banana farming systems in Central Uganda, I interacted with Francis Buzimba Mugerwa in
Mpigi district. What I saw at his farm was very remarkable in respect to adaptation, early action and
mitigation of climate variability impacts. This is the basis for documenting this case study to share some of
his experiences and lessons.
Francis Buzimba Mugerwa is a 66 year old smallholder farmer. He is married and supports 17 people in his
household including his wife, children and other dependants. He lives with his family in Buzilango village,
located adjacent to the shores of Lake Victoria in Ggolo parish, Nkozi sub county in Mpigi district. His farm
covers a land size of 10 acres on which, he grows bananas as major food crop and coffee as the main cash
crop. He also keeps poultry and piggery. Francis can be reached on mobile telephone +256752229585 or
+256772538199 for further information and interaction about his farming activities.
Climate variability challenges in Ggolo parish, Nkozi sub county, Mpigi district
According to Francis Buzimba Mugerwa – a banana-coffee farmer, the climate in Ggolo parish has
changed compared to the time he settled in the area 30 years ago in 1982. He rates the climate currently
as bad because crop yields and harvests are poor resulting in food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition in
the community. That there is also increased prevalence of human,
crops and livestock diseases. This is largely due to reduced rainfall,
unreliable rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts and high
temperatures in the community. Thirty years ago, the area received
short rains from February to June and long rains from August to
December. Currently, the area receives short rains from March to
May and long rains from September to November. He believes that
the main causes of climate variability in the area are the high rate of
deforestation, forest degradation, encroachment on wetlands and
land/soil degradation.
Responding to the challenges through adaptation and mitigation
Francis uses the integrated enterprises approach as a way of
responding to climate variability impacts and challenges through
adaptation and contributing to mitigation. Poultry, piggery, bananas,
coffee, maize, beans, sweet potatoes, fruit trees (such as mangoes,

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Francis applying chilli in the banana
plantation to control banana weevils
Francis’s banana- coffee plantation.
oranges, and jackfruits), Eucalyptus, Ficus Nantalesis, and other tree shrubs (such as Callindra, Sesbania)
are among the enterprises he has on his farm. The advantage with this approach is that he is able to
access alternative sources of food and income that when one enterprise is affected by climate variability
impacts, he depends on the other enterprise to surpass the period of stress. For instance, when his maize
and bean crops were affected by the prolonged droughts in 2007, he managed to go through this stress
period by depending on other enterprises including coffee, banana, poultry, piggery and trees.
He selected the enterprises in a way that they can mutually co-exist and are beneficial to each other. Thus
the livestock, crops and trees are well established as an intensive agro-forestry system. This has enabled
him to sustain the enterprises. He replenishes and maintains soil fertility by applying manure from poultry
and piggery units in the banana-coffee plantation. The
manure is first composited and later applied in the field. At
planting, one wheel barrow of manure (about 60-80 kg) is
applied per hole per plant (coffee/banana) per year. Later
after one year, he adds one wheel barrow of manure in
rectangular holes established between 4 banana/coffee
plants. Additionally, he mulches the banana-coffee
plantation using maize stovers and nappier grass. The
manure and mulch increases soil organic matter and also
conserves water in the soil that the coffee and banana crops
are able to withstand prolonged droughts. Furthermore, he
established soil and water conservation trenches in his
coffee-banana plantation to control soil erosion, run off and
nutrient loss from his farm. Consequently, he continuously obtains goods yields from his crops compared to
other farmers in the area who are not implementing these practices.
The presence of trees on farm by establishing them along the farm boundary
and within the agro-forestry system; the manure management practices; and
construction of soil and water conservation trenches in the coffee-banana
plantation also contribute to climate change mitigation by Francis.
What early warning early actions do you practice at your farm?
Through his own experiences with climate variability related hazards in the
area especially prolonged droughts, Francis practices the following as some of
the early actions to deal with these hazards at his farm: Planting drought
resistant crops such as cassava, upland and yams; Planting chilli (kamulali) in
the banana-coffee plantation and at maturity, he harvests the chilli fruits and
places them at the base of cut banana pseudo stems where they rot and kill
banana weevils.

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Who facilitates/supports in undertaking this?
Francis appreciates Newcaffee and Nkozi sub county through the National Agriculture Advisory Services
program that have given him extension services; support through training, access to improved crop
varieties and livestock breeds; and guidance for management of his enterprises.
Call for action
He as well encourages his fellow farmers to learn from his experiences and lessons considering that
climate variability is already impacting on us and it’s not about to go. Therefore, we have to learn to live
with it through adaptation, early warning and early action and mitigation. At his farm is willing to train and
mentor fellow farmers through exposure and mentoring. He calls upon the Government to advance
adaptation, mitigation, early warning and early actions for climate variability in the community. This should
be through increasing smallholder farmers’ access to appropriate irrigation technologies such as water
pumps; reduction on government tariffs/taxes charged on agricultural chemicals so that farmers can afford
herbicides for treatment of pests and diseases.
Acknowledgements
I greatly appreciate Francis Buzimba Mugerwa for participation in this research by freely sharing his
experiences and lessons. Mpigi district production sector stakeholders through leadership of Mr. Kaweesi
Jonathan – the district agricultural officer are equally appreciated for their input and guidance during the
stakeholder’s inception meeting whose outputs were very useful in subsequent research activities. Hakim
Ssajjabi, the agricultural advisory service provider for Nkozi sub county is thanked participation in the
household survey.
The UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Netherlands Directorate-General for
International Cooperation (DGIS), The Austrian Development Cooperation, Austrian Partnership Program in
Higher Education and Research for Development (appear) are appreciated for extending financial
facilitation for project research activities on understanding the impacts of climate variability on selected
banana farming systems in Central Uganda. Furthermore, am indebted to the Institute of Soil Science and
the Centre for Development Research both at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
(BOKU) for providing excellent working environment for conducting this task.
Disclaimer
“This document is an output from a project funded by the UK Department for International Development
(DFID) and the Netherlands Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS) for the benefit of
developing countries. However, the views expressed and information contained in it are not necessarily
those of or endorsed by DFID, DGIS or the entities managing the delivery of the Climate and Development
Knowledge Network, which can accept no responsibility or liability for such views, completeness or
accuracy of the information or for any reliance placed on them.