School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences (SFEGS) Collections

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    The role of non-state actors in promoting environmental risk reduction in the Upper Manafwa catchment, Eastern Uganda
    (Makerere University, 2025) Mukimba, Lydia
    The slopes of Mount Elgon in Eastern Uganda are increasingly grappling with various environmental risks resulting from landslides, floods, severe runoff and heavy rains. These hazards have rendered its inhabitants highly susceptible to environmental risks. There is, however, a paucity of information on the role of non-state actors in environmental risk reduction in tropical regions. This study evaluates the contributions of non-state actors’ involvement and effectiveness of strategies used in promoting environmental risk reduction in the upper Manafwa catchment. The study assessed the factors that enable non-state actors to promote environmental risk reduction and analysed the strategies used by non-state actors to enhance environmental risk reduction. The study also evaluated the challenges faced by non-state actors in promoting risk reduction. The study followed a descriptive survey of a cross-sectional design to collect data from a sample size of 370 respondents using questionnaires, key informants using KII interviews and 16 FGDs using focus group discussion guides. Binary logistic regression, principal, component analysis, multi linear regression, chi-square and content analysis was used to analyse data. The findings revealed that the dominant non-state actors involved in environmental risk reduction in the Mt Elgon region include; Give directly with 20.3%, Red Cross -Uganda at 20.0%, Trees for the future 18.7% and MTEG 16.2%. The most effective strategies used by these actors include provision of early warning systems (P-value=0.000) and relocation of people (P-value=0.001). Results from binary logistic regression tested at 95% confidence interval (p-value<0.05) indicated factors affecting non-state actors are, existing institutional and legal frameworks, provision of tree seedling, incentives, awareness creation were the significant factors. Significant relationships (P≤0.05) were, however, observed for the challenges faced by non-state actors. The limited funds and lack of community trust were the most significant challenges affecting activities of Non-State Actors. Study results indicated that the role used by non-state actors explain 6.1% variation in risk reduction in the upper Manafwa catchment. The study, therefore, concludes that non-state actors have played a significant role in environmental risk reduction. It is then recommended that local community strategies should be effectively implemented. Communities need more sensitization programs to be equipped with skills to mobilize themselves to form local environmental risk reduction committees. Keywords: Non-State-Actors, Environmental-risks-reduction, upper Manafwa
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    Assessment of community resilience to climate change shocks in low-income neighborhoods of Masaka city, Uganda
    (Makerere University, 2025) Nabiroko, Martha
    Cities worldwide face crises from climate change, compounded by socio-economic disparities, especially affecting low-income neighborhoods. This study evaluates community resilience to climate shocks in Masaka's low-income neighborhoods to guide responses and boost urban resilience in Uganda. Quantitative data were collected through surveys (n=160), and analyzed with chi-square test, PCA, and multiple regression. Qualitative data were collected through Key informant interviews (n=14), and focus groups (n=12) analyzed thematically to support the quantitative findings. Chi-square results for the association between low-income neighborhoods and climate shocks indicated that floods (0.017), storms (0.04) and drought (p=0.029) were the rampant climate shocks impacting houses, food security and clean water access. Key community resources contributing to the resilience based on their loadings included housing (0.687), sanitation (0.610), and public health (0.552). Resilience varied across all the low-income neighborhoods given the difference in social economic characteristics of residents. The multiple linear regression analysis indicated that Education level, possession of productive assets, and monthly income influenced resilience in the low-income neighborhoods of Masaka City. Low-income neighborhoods in Masaka show varying resilience to climate impacts, with disparities in infrastructure, education, and resource access affecting adaptive capacity. To improve resilience, the study recommends investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, improving education and climate awareness programs, promoting financial inclusion, and community initiatives, along with targeted research and policies to support vulnerable groups.
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    Analyzing the implications of forest cover change on land surface temperature variations in protected areas; a case of Mpanga Central Forest Reserve, Uganda.
    (Makerere University, 2025) Batte, Asuman
    In Uganda, tropical forests are critical to maintaining ecological stability, serving as carbon sinks, and regulating climate systems. Deforestation and land use changes have, however, caused significant forest degradation, intensifying local and global climate variability. This study aimed to; (1) quantify spatiotemporal changes in forest cover, (2) assess the variation in NDVI and LST over time, and (3) explore the impact of forest cover change using NDVI as a proxy on LST variations between 1993 and 2023. The study utilized satellite imagery from Landsat (5-TM, 7-ETM+, 8-OLI/TIRS) spanning 1993 to 2023 processed through Google Earth Engine and ArcGIS 10.8. All images were processed at 30m spatial and 16-day temporal resolutions, with cloud cover thresholds of 7%–9% to ensure high-quality data for temporal analysis. The results indicate significant land cover changes over the past three decades, with settlement expanding from 0.8% to 4.2%, while shrubland and natural forests declined (-12.7% and -10.5% respectively). Cropland expanded by 15.3%, while grassland and wetland exhibited minor fluctuations (3.0% and 0.5%, respectively). A Correlation analysis revealed negative relationships between forest cover and settlement (r = -0.623), cropland (r = -0.787) and wetland (r = -0.907), explaining forest loss due to urbanization and land-use conversion. Long term NDVI trends showed a gradual decline in mean values over 30 years, indicating vegetation degradation, while annual seasonal NDVI peaked between May and July (2023 showed the highest NDVI peak 0.80 in July) and 1993 had lower NDVI values between January and May. LST records revealed a warming trend, with January Mean Annual temperatures rising from 24.60°C (1993) to 26.73°C (2023) and October showing the most substantial increase (22.11°C to 28.25°C). However, the Pearson correlation analysis between NDVI proxy and LST (r = -0.090, p = 0.635) indicated a very weak relationship. Despite, enhanced forest protection combined with integrated monitoring of structural and ecological indicators (canopy, biomass, soil moisture) is recommended to effectively assess and manage local thermal dynamics. The findings call for integrated land management strategies to support Uganda’s climate action efforts under SDGs 13 and 15, and Vision 2040.
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    Adoption of sustainable agricultural practices for improving the livelihoods of refugees in northern Uganda.
    (Makerere University, 2025) Akurut, Edith
    Uganda has significantly continued to receive a large number of refugees in the region and this is positively correlated with its proportional increase in peace and stability. The presence of favorable climatic conditions enhances agricultural productivity and this has triggered redirecting of refugees into agricultural production as the major source of livelihood. However, in Ugandan setting, it has not yet been clearly established how adoption of sustainable agricultural practices has enhanced the livelihoods of the refugees. The study therefore aimed at determining the extent of adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, factors influencing the adoption and effect of adoption on the livelihoods of refugees in Palabek refugee settlement. The study utilized a cross-sectional design to analyze the contribution of adoption of SAPs in the enhancement of livelihoods in the context of a single settlement and a sample size of 278 respondents was chosen using simple random sampling and a questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data while a focus group discussion and interview guide was used to collect qualitative data from the respondents. The study results revealed that crop production is the main agricultural activity practiced by refugees living in Palabek refugee settlement in a bid to improve on their food security and household incomes. The study further revealed that diseases, limited land and limited technical support are the most serious challenges hindering adoption of SAPs by refugees. It is concluded that food security in Palabek refugee settlement is rather influenced by agricultural production and the associated dynamics that ultimately determine the well-being of the refugee communities. It is important to appreciate that any variation in factors of production, weather and land will determine livelihood status of the community for such a specific period of time. It’s recommended that refugees should adopt SAPs to mitigate effects of climate change, supporting the refugees with training on SAPs and other agricultural inputs like, farming tools, land, farmers training, improved seeds which are high yielding and quick maturing for improved productivity and production.
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    Grafting success of elite clonal Hass avocado rootstocks.
    (Makerere University, 2025-11-24) Natuhwera, Phionah
    Avocado production is constrained by a shortage of improved cultivars, reliance on local cultivars that have led to low yields and low quality. In addition, smallholder farmers, who are the backbone of the country’s agricultural production, usually encounter several challenges while participating in the avocado value chains. The continued use of conventional avocado varieties that are low yielding and susceptible to pests and diseases by smallholder farmers has been due to limited access to clean planting material of high-value Hass avocado varieties. Thus, this study aimed to develop elite clonal rootstocks for enhancing the production of grafted Hass avocado in Uganda. The experiment was conducted at NAFFORI from September 2023 to February 2024. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with factorial concept and three replications. Data were collected on the number of days to shoot emergence, the number of young and green leaves, shoot length, and graft survival percentages. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel 2011, and further analyses were conducted in Minitab software. Significant tests were carried out using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and all statistical tests were performed at 5 % level of significance. The results revealed significant differences (P≤0.05) in mean graft percentage, height, and leaf production among the 12 avocado varieties. Reed exhibited the highest mean graft success percentage (94.1± 0.781%), followed by Esther (88.77±0.79%), while the local variety had the lowest mean graft success percentage (18.87± 0.38%). The analysis of the number of young leaves also indicated significant differences among the varieties (P≤0.05). Semile 43 had the highest mean number of leaves (9.23±2.62) while Fuerte and Esther exhibited the lowest mean number of young leaves of (4.933 ± 0.445) and (4.833 ± 0.536), respectively. Land races were found to be more compatible when grafted onto Hass avocado. Significant differences were observed in days to shoot emergence, success and survival percentages at (P ≤ 0.05). Maximum and significant shoot length and plant height were attained at 10-11 am grafting with 60 cm grafting height (T3H3). Based on the findings, it is recommended that Reed and Rincon, with vigorous growth and high survival rates (40%), can be used as rootstock varieties for grafting Hass avocado. Grafting should be conducted in the mid-morning hours (10–11 am) when environmental conditions are optimal, as this time resulted in the highest graft success rate (76.63% ± 2.93). A grafting height of 60 cm is recommended to maximize shoot length and plant vigor, as it demonstrated significantly better growth performance than lower grafting heights.