The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2017) shows that the climate is changing, with global atmospheric temperatures increasing and resulting in drought. The intermittent drought episodes in the Karamoja subregion since the 1920s have subjected the region to periodic crop production failure, livestock loss, and subsequent poverty.
In districts like Nabilatuk, Moroto, Napak, and Kotido, the people express the suffering they go through during the drought episodes. Lojalu Anna from Acegeretolim village in Nabilatuk district shared, “In 2017, the sunshine was too much for us to handle. We just left everything to God. He knows why he made Karamoja the way it is, and he is the only one who can save us from the suffering.”
In such circumstances, the scorching sun dries crops, destroys livelihoods, and exacerbates poverty.
Livestock used to be one of the main sources of food and income. However, the drought is associated with livestock diseases worsened by the drying of pastures, causing some livestock to lose weight, become emaciated, and ultimately die, leaving many families impoverished.
In areas like Lorengedwate, men who previously relied on livestock farming for employment are now unemployed. Indeed, as one traverses in some villages like Okutot in Nabilatuk district between 12:00 and 3:00 PM in the months of January to March, most men and youth are idle, resting under the shade of trees.
Lomokol James from Loret village in Nabilatuk district, shared, “I used to survive on pastoralism all my entire life from childhood, but the sun has caused many diseases for my cattle and goats, I have lost very many of them as you can see now, I have nothing. I only resorted to crop farming to be able to survive here.” This has resulted in both absolute poverty and relative poverty among the people of Karamoja year after year.
Households have post-harvest storage infrastructure known as granaries, or locally referred to as edula, where they store their sorghum, maize and sunflower, or pumpkins. These granaries are typically made out of wooden poles, clay, and grass. However, the scorching sun can cause the granaries to deteriorate over time, leading to the theft of women’s foodstuffs.
Natulei Iriama Easther from Katanga village in Nabilatuk town council, Nabilatuk district, shared her experience, stating, “I remember one year, I stored my sorghum in the granary, but the sun weakened it, and a thief just put a hole underneath and stole my sorghum.”
The majority of women in Karamoja who are involved in crop farming are living in absolute poverty. The men who own ox-ploughs for ploughing also face poverty traps and often resort to exchanging their ox ploughs for a few kilograms of sorghum to survive droughts. Additionally, some families are forced to take their children out of school to care for livestock in the Kraals of Acerer in Nakapiripirit district.
There is no doubt that climate change can cause anything anywhere in Karamoja, from poverty to increased vulnerability. However, empirical evidence suggests that long term poverty is difficult to reverse, and individuals who have been impoverished for five years or more are more likely to remain poor the rest of their lives. Therefore, it is imperative for donors, state actors and CSOs focused on Karamoja to find a clear solution to address the effects of climate change in the Karamoja sub region.
Author: Ayub Mukisa (Ph.D). Executive Director, Karamoja Anti Corruption Coalition. Email. ayubmukisa@gmail.com
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