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CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND

AFRICAN AGRICULTURE GRANTEE CONVENING

24-25 February 2011

Project Name: Strengthening East African Resilience

and Climate Change Adaptation Capacity through

Training, Research and Policy Interventions

Grantee : Makerere University- College of Agricultural and

Environmental Sciences (CAES) Presenter : Samuel Kyamanywa & Patrick Okori

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Brief Background of the Institution

• Makerere University has changed to a Collegiate type of

administrative structure with 8 Colleges ’s. CAES is one

of the largest Science teaching Units at the University

(offering B.Sc., MSc and PhD degrees)

• CAES has:-3 schools, 8 departments, 2 Research

Institutes, multiple research and community engagement

programmes through the MUARIK and Continuing

Agriculture Education Centre (CAEC), and over 2400

students.

• The College of Agriculture and Environmental Science is

poised to address areas such as climate change

adaptation across curricular, research, and policy

development activities and to develop scientists of the

future to address new issue areas.

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Brief Background of the Institution

College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

School of Forestry, Environmental

& Geographical Sciences

School of Food Technology,

Nutrition & Bioengineering

Dept. of

Extension

and

Innovation

studies

Department

of Forestry,

Tourism and

Biodiversity

Managemen

t

Department of

Environmental

Management

Dept of Geog.,

Geo-Informatics

& Climatic

Sciences

Dept.

Agribusines

s & Natural

Resource

Economics

Dept. of

Agricultur

al

Productio

n

School of Agricultural

Sciences

CAEC Agricultural Policy

Analysis Centre

Rangeland Resources

Centre

Centre for Waste

management

Centre for Climate and

Water resources

Geographic and

Biodiversity information

Centre

Dept of

Agricultural and

Forestry

Engineering

Department of Food

Technology and Nutrition

MUBFS

MUARIK

Food Technology and

Business Incubation

Centre

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Your other projects/programs on climate change

adaptation

• Enhancing Production Systems Adaptation To Climate

Change For Increased Crop /Livestock Productivity

– Catchment-Based Integrated Soil Fertility and Water

Management for Increased Crop Production

– Vulnerability and impact of climate change on livestock

productivity and food security in the rangeland pastoral

communities

– Develop ecologically adapted crop management strategies

for pests and diseases for increased crop productivity.

– Improve agricultural productivity through enhanced water

availability and utilization

• Enhancing Food Security through Improved Seed Systems of

Appropriate Varieties of Cassava, Potato and Sweetpotato

Resilient to Climate Change in Eastern Africa.

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Objectives of the Rockefeller Foundation Grant

a. Form an Advisory Climate Change Panel, with resident Senior

Advisor, in order to focus climate change adaptation activities related to

agriculture to ensure effective, interdisciplinary research and

participation across Makerere University

b. Review curricula to include climate science and climate change

adaptation issues.,

c. Undertake critical research on climate change adaptation within the

framework of a competitive grant scheme in order to generate

knowledge and technologies on adaptation in forestry, agrometeorology,

climate science, arable agriculture and livestock production, and natural

resources management.

d. Create a regional community of practice on climate change adaptation

in agriculture to increase knowledge-sharing and collaboration on

capacity development, research, and policy engagement

e. Engage collaboratively on policy issues related to climate change

adaptation

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Key Activities Related to the Grant

Objective 1: Form an Advisory Climate Change Panel

• Select committee from across and outside of University

to advise, guide and oversee project activities at

Makerere University.

• Hire programme administrator to support climate

change adaptation activities across Makerere

University.

• Select programme coordinator from within Makerere

University to manage day-to-day activities of the

initiative (50%) and facilitate transfer of knowledge

from Senior Advisor.

• Hire climate change expert to serve as Senior Advisor

to the Faculty of Agriculture, resident at Makerere

University Research Institute at Kabanyolo (MUARIK).

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Key Activities Related to the Grant

Objective 2: Review curricula

– Develop and upgrade curricula to build capacity for

the management and undertaking of research on

climatic change adaptation within Uganda’s National

Agricultural Agenda. Objective 3: Undertake critical research

– Create a data base of on-going climate change

adaptation research at Makerere University.

– Understand available resources and funding sources.

– Create competitive grant scheme for agriculture

climate adaptation research at Makerere University.

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Key Activities Related to the Grant

Objective 4: Create a regional community of practice

– Review of existing networks,

– Identification of potential collaborators and discussion of plans for

regional community of practice with Makerere University

– Develop social networking tool, build community and create

processes for use.

Objective 5: Engage collaboratively on policy issues

– Development of clear communications strategy on climate change

– Train scientists and researchers on how to interact and communicate

with government officials

– Conduct roundtable discussions with officials and jointly with

regional networks,

– Writing of policy briefs and memos jointly created with regional

networks, signed off by Climate Change Advisors, to influence

current / new policies.

– Present to select parliament committees with regional networks.

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Highlight on the Progress to date

Objective 1: Form an Advisory Climate Change Panel

•Project Advisory body:

– A committee of 17 members has been established.( School of- Agric.

Sciences, School of Environ. Geog. and Climatic Sciences; Directorate

of Res.& Graduate Studies; Parliament of Uganda Climate change

Colloquium; NARO , RuForum Min. of Water and Environ, and

MAAIF). 4 meetings held

•Project Management:

– A project co-ordinator Dr. Okori appointed to manage the project on

daily basis

– Project management office established.

– Project Administrator, Ms. Ruth Najuma Hired

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Highlight on the Progress to date

Objective 1: Form an Advisory Climate Change Panel

• Recruitment of Climate change Expert:

– In the design of the project, the climate change Expert was to

play a a pivotal role in overseeing Curriculum review and

development, support research, and support policy dialogue. Un

fortunately we faced a challenges in recruiting the expert.

– The technical and advisory committee decided to constitute a

team of local experts (climate change expert committee) to

undertake the work that was supposed to be done by the expert.

– The climate change expert committee is composed of three

experts from Ministry of Water and Environment, Department of

Geography Geo-informatics and Climate Sciences, and NARO

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Highlight on the Progress to date

Objective 2 : Review curricula

• Curriculum review team is in process and Report due July 1st .

Objective 3: Climate Change and Adaptation Research

•Competitive Grants: The TAC recieved 14 proposals. 5 proposals were selected

for funding

– Strengthening Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience among Small

Holders Farmers. PI Dr. Vicent Muwanika Dept of Environmental

Management.

– Screening for Forages for Drought and Reseeding ability for feed and

adaptation to climate change in Drylands inhabited by Agro Pastoral

Communities. PI Prof E.N Sabiiti, Dept of Agricultural Production

– Improving Integrated Production and Pest Management of rice for Climate

change Adaptations in Uganda. PI Dr. Bosco Bua – Kyambogo University.

– Adapting Agricultural Production to Climate Change in Kabale Highland

region. PI Dr. Lwasa Shuaib- Dept Geographic, Geo-informatics and

Climatic science

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Highlight on the Progress to date

Objective 4: Create a regional community of practice

• Compiling data base of on going Climate change activities in the country.

• In partnership with PAMOJA Media we are developing social networking

technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing of best practices

amongst climate change adaptation students, researchers, practitioners, and

officials

• Some members trained on use of online communication.

Objective 5: : Engage collaboratively on policy

• Signed a memorandum of understanding with Food, Agricultural and Natural

Resource Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN)

• Establishing a data base of institutions and individuals to be engaged in policy

dialogue.

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Key Challenges

• Employing the climate change expert

• Getting institutions and individuals to share information on what they

are doing

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Next steps

Objective 2.0

• Complete Curriculum review by 31st July 2011

• Mainstream climate change issues in some of the running academic

programs.

• New Undergraduate and M.Sc. programs ( outputs of the review

process) to be submitted to University Senate by October 2011.

• Development and review of teaching materials and lesson plans for

M.Sc. Program by February 2012

• Start implementing M.Sc. Program by 1st August 2012.

• Identifying funding opportunities for new M. Sc. program.

Objective 3.0

• The Walker institute to backstop the research teams to strengthen

research methodology in the ongoing

• Monitor and evaluate the on going research projects.

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Next steps

• Objective 4.0

• Organise workshops to identify collaborators, partners and institutions

and discuss plans for regional community of practice with Makerere

University

– Responsibilities and expectations for each partner based on

similar, existing collaborations. ()

• Complete development of social networking tool,

• Build community of practice and create processes for its use by 2011

(May 2011 and December 2011)

• Establish criteria for evaluating performance of community of practice

for continued relevance and effectiveness (end of April 2012),

• Climate Change Adaptation Conference to bring together regional

community of practice with regional and international experts,

practitioners, and Universities (October –November 2012):

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Next steps

Objective 5.0

• Develop clear communications strategy on climate change to

understand:

– Whether and when to engage in policy development

– How to engage in policy issues

– Which topics to address (July 2011)

• Scientists and researchers trained on how to interact and

communicate with government officials (April-May 2011)

• Production of policy briefs and memos jointly created with regional

networks, signed off by Climate Change expert committee , to

influence current / new policies. (December 2011)

• Attendance at and presentation to select parliament committees.

• These activities are to be implemented in partnership with FANRPAN