The study was conducted in the districts of Nakaseke and Nakasongola stratified into four farming systems of crop dominancy, pastoralists, mixed crop and livestock and fishing. The study was guided by two research questions: (1) how do community residents perceive climate change/variability? (2) What is the trend and nature of climate variability and how does it compare with people’s perceptions? Ninety eight percent (98%) of the respondents reported that the routine patterns of weather and climate had changed in the last 5 to 10 years and it has become less predictable with sunshine hours being extended and rainfall amounts being reduced. This compared well with the analyzed secondary data. Over 78% respondents perceived climate change and variability to be caused by tree cutting other than the known scientific reasons like increase in industrial fumes or increased fossil fuel use. Climate data showed that over the period 1961 to 2010 the number of dry spells within a rainfall season had increased with the most significant increase observed in the first rainfall season of March to May as compared to the season of September to November. The first dry season of June/July to August is short while the second dry season of December to February is long during the study period. The two rainfall seasons of March to May and September to November seem to be merging into one major season from May to November. Temperature data shows a significant increasing trend in mean annual temperatures with the most increase observed in the mean annual minimum temperatures than the maximum temperatures. Key words: Climate variability, community perceptions, Uganda cattle corridor, dry spells

An assessment of the socio-economic implications of landslide occurrence in the Kigezi highlands of South Western Uganda was conducted. Landslide occurrence is on the increase and threatens community livelihoods in these highlands. Detailed field investigations were undertaken with the help of local communities between June 2018 and May 2020 to identify and map recent and visible landslide scars in Rukiga uplands of Kigezi highlands. In the course of field inventories, 85 visible landslide scars were identified and mapped using handheld GPS receivers to produce a landslide distribution map for the study area. A socio-economic analysis was conducted to establish the effects of landslide damage on people’s livelihoods as well as their existing coping and adaptation mechanisms. The assessment was administered through field observations and surveying, focus group discussions, key informants and household interviews as well as the use of Local Government Environmental Reports. The study established an increase in the spatial-temporal distribution of landslides over the Kigezi highlands in the past 40 years. The landslides have resulted in a reduction in the quality of land, loss of lives, destruction of transport infrastructures, settlements, farmlands, crops and other socio-economic infrastructures. Therefore, it is important to look for reliable and sustainable measures to prevent landslide hazards. Total landscape reforestation with deep-rooted trees can possibly reduce the landslide risk. It is also important to undertake policy implementation for preparedness and mitigation plans against landslides in this region and in the country at large. Proper soil and water conservation measures could help in enhancing soil strength against landslide hazards.

Understanding variations in rainfall in tropical regions is important due to its impacts on water resources, health and agriculture. This study assessed the dekadal rainfall patterns and rain days to determine intra-seasonal rainfall variability during the March–May season using the Mann–Kendall ( $MK$ ) trend test and simple linear regression ( $SLR$ ) over the period 2000–2015. Results showed an increasing trend of both dekadal rainfall amount and rain days (third and seventh dekads). The light rain days ( $SLR$ = 0.181; $MK$ = 0.350) and wet days ( $SLR$ = 0.092; $MK$ = 0.118) also depict an increasing trend. The rate of increase of light rain days and wet days during the third dekad (light rain days: $SLR$ = 0.020; $MK$ = 0.279 and wet days: $SLR$ = 0.146; $MK$ = 0.376) was slightly greater than during the seventh dekad (light rain days: $SLR$ = 0.014; $MK$ = 0.018 and wet days: $SLR$ = 0.061; $MK$ = 0.315) dekad. Seventy-four percent accounted for 2–4 consecutive dry days, but no significant trend was detected. The extreme rainfall was increasing over the third ( $MK$ = 0.363) and seventh ( $MK$ = 0.429) dekads. The rainfall amount and rain days were highly correlated (r: 0.43–0.72).

The changing climate has negatively impacted food systems by affecting rainfall patterns and leading to drought, flooding, and higher temperatures which reduce food production. This study examined the ability of communities to cope with food insecurity due to the changing climate in the Serere and Buyende districts, which are two different agro-ecological zones of Uganda. We administered 806 questionnaires to households, a sample size which was determined using Yamane’s formula, with the snowball sampling method used to select the households. The questionnaire sought information, including that regarding the respondents’ resources, the effects of climate change on households, and the coping mechanisms employed to reduce the impact of climate change on food security. The data collected was coded and analyzed using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). Agriculture was found to be the main source of income for 42.4% of male adults and 41.2% of female adults in Serere. In Buyende, 39.9% of males and 33.7% of females rely on selling animal, poultry, and food crops. Aggregate results further showed that 58.3% of females and 42.2% of the males from both districts had suffered from the impacts of climate change, and that the effects were more evident between March and May, when communities experienced crop failure. The study further found that the percentage of households who had three meals a day was reduced from 59.7% to 43.6%, while the number of households with no major meals a day increased from 1.3% to 1.6%. We also found that 34.3% of households reported buying food during periods of crop failure or food scarcity. Moreover, despite reporting an understanding of several coping mechanisms, many households were limited in their ability to implement the coping mechanisms by their low incomes. This reinforced their reliance on affordable mechanisms, such as growing drought-resistant crops (32.7%), rearing drought-resistant livestock breeds (26.1%), and reducing the number of meals a day (14.5%), which are mechanisms that are insufficient for solving all the climate-related food insecurity challenges. We recommend that the government intervenes by revising policies which help farmers cope with the negative effects of climate change, promoting the sensitization of farmers to employing the coping mechanisms, and subsidizing agricultural inputs, such as resistant varieties of crops, for all to afford.

This study explores the implications of Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) on the rainfall and temperature spatial patterns over the Eastern Africa region. The Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) models under the SRM scenarios of G6solar and G6sulfur are evaluated against the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). First, six GeoMIP models are evaluated against historical data and are found to capture the climate spatial patterns in the region fairly well but with a dry bias for all the models. Secondly, the models are run under both the SRM scenarios and the SSP scenarios for 2051–2080. Results show that G6solar SRM scenario predicts increased annual precipitation in the region compared to SSP245 but predicts reduced annual precipitation compared to SSP585 in the same period. The G6sulfur scenario predicts reduced annual precipitation compared to both SSP245 and SSP585 in most parts of the region with more reductions expected over SSP585 compared to SSP245 in the same period. For temperature, the G6solar scenario predicts a reduced annual mean temperature compared to both SSP245 and SSP585 in most parts of the region, with more reductions in temperature against SSP585 compared to SSP245 in the same period. However, G6sulfur shows some inconsistent results, with some models predicting increased temperatures under SRM compared to SSPs, especially for SSP245, while other models predict reduced temperatures in the same period.