A recent spell of prolonged drought across several parts of the country threatens to plunge millions of Ugandans into a severe food crisis after scorching sunshine caused widespread crop failure.
Farmers in the worst-affected areas say they have lost much of their harvest, with the situation leading to higher food prices and uncertainty over the second planting season.
In south-western Uganda, the prolonged dry spell, which persisted between May and July, has taken a heavy toll on farmers, livestock keepers and rural communities.
It has contributed to declining crop yields, drying water sources, rising food prices and increasing transport costs. Coffee farmers say the prolonged dry spell has had both positive and negative effects on production.
Mr Alex Bahikiriwa Nyakatete, a coffee farmer from Mpaama Village in Ntungamo District, said that while the sunny weather had been ideal for drying harvested coffee beans, improving their quality and reducing post-harvest losses, the dry conditions are now threatening the next harvest.
He explained that after harvesting, coffee plants naturally begin to flower in preparation for the next production cycle. However, the flowers have been drying up before developing into coffee cherries because of the prolonged drought.
‘With this prolonged dry spell, many flowers are drying up, and if the rains delay further, next season’s harvest will be much lower. That will be a double tragedy because in the previous season, I had lower coffee harvests as the coffee berries dried immediately after flowering due to a dry spell,’ he said.
Farmers growing tomatoes, watermelons, passion fruit, oranges and vegetables say they are struggling to keep their crops alive because of a lack of water. Those without irrigation systems have watched their crops wither before harvest, while those with irrigation face high pumping and fuel costs.
Mr Joshua Mujuni, a tomato farmer, said the reduced supply of fresh produce during the dry spell has driven up market prices.
He added that farmers who irrigate during the dry season must do so consistently because if irrigation is interrupted, crops that had begun recovering often wilt and dry up under the intense heat.
‘When you irrigate today and fail to water again because, for example, the water source has dried up or fuel has become too expensive, the crops suffer even more. The soil becomes too hot and hard, making it difficult for the roots to access moisture. Consistent watering is necessary to keep the soil moist and cool,’ another farmer said.
Mr Felix Tusiime, an agronomist, advised that irrigation should be accompanied by practices such as mulching, which helps the soil retain moisture, reduces evaporation and keeps it cooler, enabling crops to withstand prolonged dry conditions. Adding subheadings will improve readability without changing the story. Here’s Phase 2 with appropriate newspaper-style subheadings.
Climate change effects bite
Agricultural experts and United Nations agencies warn that extreme weather conditions caused by climate change are likely to worsen food insecurity and push thousands of people who depend heavily on rain-fed agriculture deeper into poverty.
Mr Jimmy Owiny Eron, the agricultural officer for Alango Sub-county in Otuke District, said climate change is no longer a distant threat but a persistent reality affecting farming communities in different ways.
‘Climate change is real and it is affecting the farming community in different ways. Last year, during the first planting season, there was a lot of drought, and most of the crops that farmers planted dried up.’ Mr Owiny added that the beginning of this year’s first planting season was no different, with rainfall lasting for only about two weeks. ‘From June to July, it was totally dry in Otuke, which greatly affected all the crops.’
Karamoja faces worsening hunger crisis
An acute food crisis is unfolding across several parts of the greater Karamoja Sub-region following widespread crop failure caused by prolonged drought. In Rengen Sub-county, Kotido District, scores of people are reportedly surviving without proper meals after their households ran out of grains and cereals.
Mr Elijah Lokoribok Lobur, the LC3 chairperson of Rengen Sub-county, said several elderly people and children had died from hunger because there was nothing left for residents to eat.
‘All the sorghum and maize fields, as well as the local cucumber used as sauce, which were planted in early April, were scorched by the relentless heat,’ he said.
Mr Lobur confirmed that parish chiefs were compiling data on the reported deaths before submitting it to the district, which would then forward it to the Office of the Prime Minister.
Mr Paul Lotee Komol, the LC5 chairperson of Kotido District, said they had briefed the central government on the situation on the ground and that some relief supplies had already been delivered.
He confirmed that grain fields and other crops had been scorched, warning that the district expected even more difficult times ahead.