Undergraduate Research Grant at Must

Undergraduate Research Grant at Must

Description

How Smallholder Farmers in South-western Uganda Cope with Climate Variability? The Department of Environment and Livelihoods Support Systems, Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies (FIS), MUST, is partnering with Makerere University Centre for Climate Change Research and Innovations (MUCCRI) to conduct Climate Change research in South-western Uganda, funded by USAID. The grant will facilitate fieldwork for two undergraduate students, culminating in writing excellent dissertations and publications. Background Climate change can no longer be dismissed as a passing fad. Its impacts are pervasive –and the world’s poorest –especially living in Sub-Saharan Africa are likely to be worst affected. Smallholder farmers particularly face heavy production losses in periods of prolonged drought and erratic rainfall, especially because the production systems are extractive and dependent on nature.

As a consequence, farmers are constantly responding to climate variability/change, either through adaptation or mitigation strategies. Smallholder farmers in South-western (SW) Uganda respond to climate variability –but the strategies employed are poorly understood, anecdotal or undocumented. In this proof-of-concept investigation, we will work with two undergraduate students in the second year [looking to start their final year projects] to handle the following related themes [one theme per student].

Under each topic, gender aspects will be explicit.

1) Coping with water stress in livestock production systems

2) Coping with reduced crop yields in crop production systems: a critical examination of seed safety and agronomic adaptations

More information