Local Community Adaptation to Climate Change: A Case Study of Bushika Sub County; Bududa District. April, 2015.

Abstract

World over, it has been acknowledged that climate change is occurring and accompanied by devastating effects on people livelihoods. This change in climate patterns has resulted into crops failure, landslide, flooding, and drought. This study was conducted with the general objective of assessing the local community adaptation to climate change in Bushika Sub County. The study employed a method that included the use of documented materials which were used to retrieve secondary data recorded from meteorological station from 1983 to 2013: Questionnaire survey was administered to 354 household respondents which were conveniently selected; and interviews were conducted with three key officers. The results showed an increase in current trend and pattern of temperature and rainfall variation in the study area. The adaptation to the observed temperature and rainfall patterns included growing of drought resistant crops, agro-forestry, and shift in the seasonal planting. The results further revealed decline in crop yield over the last thirty years. Therefore, the need to adopt more adaptation strategies to address climate change impact is very eminent.