Three citizens of Soroti, eastern Ugandan explain their experiences of climate change, offer explanations for the changes they are witnessing, and how to adapt for the future.
My name is Oliba Peter and I am 48 years old.
I was born in Serere and I have worked here as a bicycle mechanic for 12 years.
The rain comes very late here and when it comes it is rough, just like the wind. It’s not predictable, like it used to be.
We no longer get enough food from the soil which has increased starvation. There are also many diseases that come as a result of famine, which affect us very much.
This change has come as a result of cutting down trees and digging in swamps. It’s been happening for ten years and now it has become very bad.
We are trying to plant trees but we don’t have the money to support us. We are also trying to tell people to stop farming in the swamps but it is very difficult because the people get money from there when they grow rice.
In the future I think the situation is going to be very bad. The swamps are going to dry up, there will be a shortage of water for people and animals, it’s going to become very dry and there is no way we shall get food to eat.
I think the local leaders and the Non Governmental Organizations are responsible for this problem because they don’t teach people how to take care of the environment.
They should come and tell people on how to look after the environment. They should also tell people not to farm in the swamps.
My name is Opio Simon. I have been a farmer in Soroti for 15 years.
Climate change has affected my farming activities because the rains are delayed, sometimes when I put down crops, the leaves dry up and the yields don’t come.
This is happening because the population is increasing very fast which increases the pressure on the land. Many bushes and trees are being cut down for people to get somewhere they can cultivate.
I am trying to plant some trees and to be very careful with the few trees left. I also try to keep some bushes around and be very careful with the natural environment.
The people themselves are responsible for this problem. It is getting worse because of poverty. People cut down trees to burn charcoal which they sell to get money.
I have also realized in some developed countries, factories are producing smoke that has a certain chemical which destroys the climate.
The local leaders should teach the people how to take care of the local environment using strict laws that should be put down by the government.
People should be encouraged to plant more trees and the government must try to think again on how it can reduce the population of people so that pressure on land is reduced.
My name is Asha Ariokot and I am small trader in Soroti.
The seasons this year have changed and affected our agriculture and business because prices have risen.
The seasons have changed because people cut down trees, burn bushes and here in town, the smoke from cars and burning of bushes goes up in the air to form Chloral Floral Carbons (CFC’s) which destroy the ozone layer causing climate change.
Famine caused by climate change in Soroti led to shortage of food which led to an increase in prices.
The groundnuts that I had planted when the rains started were destroyed by the sun after the rain disappeared, so now I have to plant more groundnuts in order to get food.
Climate change is happening because people have destroyed forests, burned bushes and destroyed wetlands which help in rain formation.
This has resulted in a lot of famine. Prices have gone up, there is no food. What people had stocked has been sold for school fees and they don’t have money now, so everybody is affected.
We have been more badly hit than you people over there because you have two seasons.
It’s very hard for the people here. They rely on some NGOs like SOCCADIDO and Red Cross who came to help us with food.
In the future we must put more effort into agriculture and planning, like storing what we plant now and investing in other activities like businesses, which, if NGOs give us assistance, can help us do something during the dry season.
Man is responsible for this; me and you. Man is responsible for everything, especially the farmers who clear wetlands and those who burn bushes and trees for charcoal.
The people should change their ways. When they cut trees they should plant more and they should stop destroying wet lands and preserve them instead.
People have left their homes because of climate change. Karamojongs have come to work as house girls in town to try to get something for their families in villages because their land is a desert.
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