Entebbe, Uganda. Uganda has launched a three-year programme aimed at strengthening the resilience of livestock-dependent communities to climate change by addressing gaps in land security, insurance, livestock value chains and climate information.
The initiative is part of a broader African programme, Accelerating Food Systems Transformation for Resilience to Climate Change in Africa, being implemented by the Ugandan Government in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
The programme will also cover Kenya and Somalia.
Uganda’s livestock sector is an important part of the country’s economy, supporting an estimated 4.5 million people and accounting for about 17 percent of agricultural gross domestic product.
However, increasing climate shocks and weather variability are putting pressure on livestock production and the communities that depend on it, particularly pastoralists.
The new programme seeks to address some of the structural challenges limiting the sector’s ability to withstand climate-related shocks.
It will focus on four key areas: strengthening livestock value chains, expanding climate and index-based livestock insurance, improving land tenure security, and developing climate-land information systems to support evidence-based decisions.
Bright Rwamirama Kanyontore, Uganda’s Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, said the initiative would complement existing government programmes, including the Agro-Industrialization Programme and the Parish Development Model.
“The project aligns with the Government of Uganda’s Agro-Industrialization Programme and the Parish Development Model. It is expected to complement ongoing government efforts while addressing critical gaps,” he said.
The programme is also expected to support stronger livestock value chains, improve legal frameworks governing trade and build the capacity of institutions and communities involved in the sector.
Land and insurance gaps
Discussions during the programme’s launch identified insecure land tenure and limited access to appropriate insurance as some of the major challenges facing pastoralist communities.
Participants called for the development of more affordable and suitable insurance products that can protect livestock keepers against losses associated with drought and other climate-related shocks.
They also stressed the need to strengthen implementation of existing land policies, particularly in areas where pastoral communities depend on access to grazing land and other natural resources.
United Nations Resident Coordinator in Uganda, Leonard Zulu, said efforts to build resilience should go beyond increasing agricultural and livestock production.
He said the systems supporting production including land access and market connections must also be strengthened.
“Resilience is not only about increasing output; it is about fixing the systems around it, such as access to land and market linkages,” Mr Zulu said.
The approach, he said, could help create jobs, improve food security and nutrition, expand trade and position livestock as a driver of inclusive economic growth across the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region.
Turning resources into value
The programme comes amid growing concern over the vulnerability of African food systems to climate change and food insecurity despite the continent’s substantial natural and human resources.
Medhat Elhelepi, the ECA project coordinator, said Africa’s challenge was not simply a shortage of productive resources but the failure to fully convert existing resources into economic opportunities.
“Africa’s persistent hunger, despite its land, livestock, labour and market endowments, is fundamentally a challenge of converting existing assets into value, jobs, trade and resilience, rather than a lack of resources,” he said.
He said country-led solutions could help unlock the potential of the livestock sector while strengthening communities’ ability to cope with climate shocks.
The programme will begin with technical assessments designed to identify policy and institutional gaps and guide reforms and investment.
Uganda’s Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, said evidence generated through the programme would be used to inform policy reforms, improve coordination among institutions and guide investments aimed at improving livelihoods and climate resilience.
The launch brought together government officials, development partners, pastoralist representatives, private-sector players and researchers.
The organisers said the involvement of multiple stakeholders would be critical to addressing the interconnected challenges facing livestock, land management and climate resilience in Uganda and the wider IGAD region.