Farmers urged to diversify agriculture to cope with climate change

6 October 2026, 2:49 pm

By Ongora Denish

Farmers in Amolatar District are being encouraged to diversify their agricultural activities as a way of building resilience against the growing effects of climate change.

The call comes as farmers in Acii Sub-county embrace beekeeping as an alternative livelihood, with the Acii Bee Farmers Group receiving beehives and assorted beekeeping equipment worth Shs 32.5 million from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries under the Uganda Climate Smart Agriculture Transformation Project.

The equipment was handed over to the farmers during a ceremony held at the District Production Department.

Speaking during the handover, Assistant Resident District Commissioner Sarah Tyan said changing weather patterns are increasingly exposing farmers to crop failure and other climate-related risks.

She encouraged farmers to diversify beyond crop production and adopt climate-smart agricultural enterprises such as beekeeping, which can provide an alternative source of income when crop production is affected by adverse weather conditions.

Tyan urged the beneficiaries to make effective use of the support provided to strengthen their livelihoods and transition from subsistence farming to commercially oriented agriculture.

The Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Geoffrey Vuciri, urged the beneficiaries to properly maintain the beehives and other equipment to ensure the sustainability of their enterprise.

Vuciri commended the government for introducing a co-financing model under the climate-smart agriculture programme, where farmers contribute 20 per cent of the project cost while the government provides the remaining 80 per cent.

He said the model promotes ownership and encourages beneficiaries to take greater responsibility for maintaining the assets provided to them.

The District Production and Marketing Officer, Francis Ojok, urged the farmers to form a cooperative society to strengthen collective marketing, promote value addition and improve their bargaining power.

Ojok pledged continued agricultural extension support to help the farmers address production and management challenges affecting their beekeeping enterprise.

Amolatar District is among the 69 districts implementing the Uganda Climate Smart Agriculture Transformation Project, which seeks to increase agricultural productivity, improve market access and strengthen the resilience of agricultural value chains to climate-related shocks.

The project also aims to strengthen the capacity of farmers and institutions to respond to crises and emergencies affecting agricultural production.