Locals embrace climate smart agriculture

22 November 2025, 3:23 pm

By Kaguta Joel,

Families that were displaced by floods in Kasese district have embraced Climate smart farming initiative to achieve food security and build climate resilience.

In May 2020 several families across the entire district woke up shock and found when they had lost everything including crop gardens, livelihoods, and most painfully, a place they call home due to floods of several rivers streaming from Rwenzori Mountain.

The reality of the 2020 incident are the 2000 people who were displaced and are currently living at Muhokya internally displaced camp along Kasese-Mbarara High way in Muhokya town Council, about 10 kilometers from Kasese town.

Janet Nyangoma, a resident of Kanyangeya cell in Kasese Municipality is one of the 2000 people whose five roomed- permanent house was swept away and lost everything in it include important documents like baptism cards for his children.

Nyangoma and others were relocated to Muhokya camp with hopes to be relocated soon by government but the process has delayed. The office of the prime minister has been delivering donations to the displaced but with the increasing reduction in humanitarian aid global, food aid into this camp has drastically reduced over the years, and the result is wide food insecurity and malnutrition among the children.

This forced Nyangoma, the mother of six children to resort to digging for other people and gets paid for her sustain her family as the government look for a permanent place where to relocate them.

Nyangoma explained that after failing to access land where to grow her own food, he was introduced to climate smart farming initiative by Abayuuti Climate Action Network.

The organization hired land for the displaced families and assigned them an extension agricultural officer whose role was to guide the farmers on best climate smart agriculture.

Now, Nyangoma has a hired a land in Busambo cell in Muhokya town Council where she is having an acre of onions.

Mr. Chrispus Mwemaho, the Co- founder of Abayuuti Climate Action Network explained that their intervention has enabled the displaced families to achieve food security and build resilience through climate smart farming practices.

Mr. Mwemaho said that families are now able to grow their own food and feed their households.

Nyangoma said that as a proud mother, her children are able to pay school fees on time and she has managed to meet basic necessities like kerosene, soap, food, medication, and clothes.

The initiative by the Abayuuti Climate Action Network has turned displacement into an opportunity that gives back dignity, hope and future to the people living in this displaced camp. Mr. Edson Agaba, the Kasese district agricultural Engineer disclosed that the agricultural department is currently implementing a micro-scale irrigation agricultural program to help farmers own mini irrigation schemes on their farms.