Agricultural experts in Uganda are raising the alarm, warning that farmers must urgently adopt climate-resilient practices to cope with the escalating impacts of climate change.
The call was made during the Climate Smart Agriculture Learning Event hosted by SNV Uganda under its Climate Resilient Agribusiness for Tomorrow (CRAFT) project.
Bashir Kasekende, Acting Country Director for SNV Uganda, emphasized the need for agricultural stakeholders to collaborate through strategic partnerships to streamline efforts.
“We must work together to achieve a common goal while avoiding duplication,” Kasekende urged. He noted that the CRAFT project provides a platform for sharing interventions and best practices aimed at enhancing climate-smart agriculture in the country
The event also highlighted the importance of financial preparedness for farmers to implement climate-smart solutions. Joseph Okee, Senior Agricultural Extension Coordinator at the Ministry of Agriculture, called on farmers to build their capacity to meet financial assistance eligibility criteria.
“Farmers need to establish structures and systems that attract investment and support, ensuring they can scale up climate-smart practices effectively,” Okee stated.
Adero Lonna,one of the beneficiaries of the CRAFT Project in Kole District and a leader in a 16,000 -member cooperative society says that the project has enabled them have improved seed and multiplication.
“Through working with CRAFT, it has helped us to increase our productivity and production of both cooperatives and small holder farmers because it has built capacity and nurtured farmers to be self reliant as well as issues of fake seeds are reducing,”she remarked.
The CRAFT project, spearheaded by SNV Uganda, has been pivotal in introducing sustainable agricultural practices to mitigate climate risks while boosting productivity and profitability for farmers.
The initiative focuses on strengthening value chains, enhancing farmer resilience, and fostering sustainable agribusinesses.