Household resilience to climate change hazards in Uganda

Abstract

Purpose As climate change shocks and stresses increasingly affect urban areas in developing countries, resilience is imperative for the purposes of preparation, recovery and adaptation. This study aims to investigate demographic characteristics and social networks that influence the household capacity to prepare, recover and adapt when faced with prolonged droughts or erratic rainfall events in Mbale municipality in Eastern Uganda. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional research design was used to elicit subjective opinions. Previous studies indicate the importance of subjective approaches for measuring social resilience but their use has not been well explored in the context of quantifying urban resilience to climate change shocks and stresses. This study uses 389 structured household interviews to capture demographic characteristics, social networks and resilience capacities. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis. Findings The ability of low-income households to meet their daily expenditure needs, household size, and networks with relatives and non government organizations (NGOs) were significant determinants of preparedness, recovery and adaptation to prolonged droughts or erratic rainfall events. Practical implications The results imply that policymakers and practitioners have an important role vis-à-vis encouraging activities that boost the ability of households to meet their daily expenditure needs, promoting small household size and reinforcing social networks that enhance household resilience. Originality/value Even the low-income households are substantially more likely to prepare for and recover from prolonged droughts or erratic rainfall events if they can meet their daily expenditure needs. This finding is noteworthy because the poorest in society are generally the most vulnerable to hazards.

Building a framework towards climate-smart agriculture in the Yangambi landscape, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

“…Findings of our study corroborate those reported by the National Capacity Needs Assessment (MECNT and UNDP, 2009) and Chinedum et al (2015) in DRC. They match those found by Chia et al (2016) in Cameroon, Onyeneke et al (2017) in Nigeria, Saalu et al (2020) in Kenya and Oriangi et al (2020) in Uganda.…”

Testing the Proposed Municipality Resilience Index to Climate Change Shocks and Stresses in Mbale Municipality in Eastern Uganda

“…In terms of the three divisions in the municipality (Figure 2), results revealed that, Industrial division has the highest average resilience score (1.7), followed by Northern division (0.9) and Wanale division (−1.9). The relatively higher resilience score by Industrial division contradicts findings of the previous study in the municipality that focused on only the social dimension and reported that Industrial division was the least resilient [50].…”

Climate Change and Young People in Uganda: A Literature Review

“…Other notable impacts documented in the literature include rising lake water levels (Mugyenyi et al, 2020), torrential downpours causing floods in cities and towns, and rising temperatures (Klara & Hajdu, 2017; Oriangi et al, 2020; Tenywa et al, 2017; Nagasha et al, 2019). While being on the receiving end of the effects of climate change presents young people as one of the groups of individuals who have fallen victim to human-driven environmental changes, their response to local, national, and global efforts to mitigate its effect on society could well make them part of the solution.…”

“…While being on the receiving end of the effects of climate change presents young people as one of the groups of individuals who have fallen victim to human-driven environmental changes, their response to local, national, and global efforts to mitigate its effect on society could well make them part of the solution. Overall the literature review presents young people as “victims and solution providers” in the climate change and development equation (Osuret, et al, 2016; Oriangi et al, 2020).…”

“…Alongside times of intense and destructive precipitation is another form of disruption caused by insufficient rain. In Mbale, Eastern Uganda, 63% of people surveyed had been impacted by both drought and erratic rainfall (Oxfam 2017, in Oriangi et al, 2020). Some districts, specifically Kiruhura and Isingiro, now report frequent and severe droughts (Nagasha et al, 2019).…”