STRENGTHENING DROUGHT RESILIENCE OF PASTORALISTS IN THE KARAMOJA SUB-REGION, UGANDA
The northeast of Uganda is in the grip of a severe drought, leaving more than half a million people at risk of starvation. The semi-arid and remote Karamoja region on the border with Kenya, inhabited by nomadic herding communities termed pastoralists, has long lagged behind the rest of Uganda in terms of development. In 2022, a surge of cattle raids by armed groups worsened the situation. At the same time, the region has enormous untapped development potential. Livestock farming is the central pillar of the sub-region’s economy, and this is highly dependent on the availability of water.
In light of this, with funding from KfW, the GFA team is assisting the Ugandan government in constructing three medium-sized dams that will provide water all year around. These dams will be surrounded by smaller satellite water reservoirs to shift grazing pressure from the larger dams. In addition, boreholes will provide access to safe drinking water for herders and neighboring communities. Simultaneously, the project will offer livestock interventions aimed at strengthening animal health, livestock marketing, and animal nutrition through improved pasture management. During the 12-month initial phase, our team will tackle the highly complex and sensitive issues of land ownership and user rights, before the actual investment phase begins (one-year initial phase, three-year construction phase, two-year operations and maintenance (O&M) phase).
#Agriculture #Uganda #Karamoja #drought @kfw
