Joshua Zake Doctoral Thesis highlights, 17 March 2015

Masterseminar 910301 and Disertantenseminar 910400 –

Sommersemester 2015

Email: joshua.zake@boku.ac.at or joszake@gmail.com

Smallholder Banana Farming Systems and

Climate Variability: Understanding the

Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation in Mpigi

District, Uganda

Supervisors:

Sophie Zechmeister-Boltenstern, (Univ.Prof. Dr.phil.) Institute of Soil Research

Michael Hauser, (Ass. Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.), Centre for Development Research

Introduction

• Uganda is one of the most unprepared and vulnerable countries

in the world in respect to impacts of climate variability disasters

• Farmers' perceptions are rarely integrated in the implementation

of climate change disasters preparedness policy strategies.

• Climate variability will worsen soil fertility depletion, which is

already a major constraint to agricultural productivity

• Agroforestry farming systems are more resilient (through soil

fertility improvement, C storage) to climate variability compared

to monocultures.

Main objective of the study

To contribute to sustainable banana farming systems

for food security amidst climate change impacts among

smallholder farmers in Central Uganda.

Specific objectives

(i) To examine farmers’ perceptions of the implementation of

climate change disaster preparedness policy strategies;

(ii) To evaluate the soil fertility status and C storage in

smallholder banana farming systems under the current climate

variability.

Study site characteristics

--Banana and Coffee are

major food and cash in

Uganda.

--Banana is grown as

monoculture or banana-

coffee agroforestry.

--Dominant soils are highly

old weathered Ferralsols.

--Rainfall is bimodal; Annual

average is 1320 mm.

Site selection

The study was conducted in Nkozi

and Kituntu sub-counties.

Materials and methods

--Literature review

--Preparation of research tools i.e.

survey questionnaires and check lists

for key informants and focus group

discussions.

--Research tools were tailored to

integrate gender issues.

Materials and methods

Farmer selection (socio-economy)

The respondents (133) and farmers (30) involved in the survey,

focus group discussions were randomly selected were as key

informants (30) were purposively selected

Farm selection (carbon storage)

• The 20 farms evaluated for soil fertility and C storage were

identified through simple stratified sampling and selected

purposively.

• Thus, each farming system was a stratum and 10 farms were

evaluated under banana monoculture versus banana agroforestry

Location of

selected farms

Paper 2– Zake et al. (2015). J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci.

Soil sampling and analyses

--Soil samples were randomly collected

from 100x100 m plots located along flat

plains within 20-40 m from the valleys on

each of the selected farms.

--They were obtained from the top and

sub layers and for each layer 6 replicates

were obtained. Thus, in total 240 samples

were collected.

--Soil samples were analyzed for total soil

organic matter, total soil C, total N, plant-

available P, exchangeable K, pH, soil

texture, bulk density.

Soil sampling and analyses

• Depth of top and sub soil layers was determined using a tape

measure.

• Soil core samples were collected for each soil layer up a 20 cm

depth. Soil core diameter was measured and fresh weight of

each core sample was measured using a field scale.

• Soil C stocks were calculated based on total organic carbon and

bulk density using formulae according to Murphy et al. (2003).

Data collection

Aboveground plant

biomass (on Ha basis) of

major trees (coffee,

bananas & key tree

species) was determined

using allometric equations

based on measurements

of diameter and height of

trees & tree bulk density.

Belowground biomass for

each tree species was

derived from the

aboveground biomass

using the equation by

Cairns et al. (1997).

Data analyses

• Total C pools under each were calculated as a sum of

aboveground, belowground and soil carbon in the soil layers.

• Data generated using the survey questionnaires were analyzed

using SPSS 16 to generate percentages for variables and

correlations between the variables using Chi-square.

• Gender was integrated in the analyses to compare perceptions

of males and females.

• Further analysis was done using a 2-factorial model to

determine analysis of variance at 5% using GenStat 13.

Interaction between key actors and farmers in the implementation of community

early warning actions in Mpigi district.

Paper 1 – Zake and Hauser (2014); Journal of Environmental Hazards.

Key results (socio-economy)

Respondents’ perceptions of early actions implemented against climate

change disasters in Mpigi district based on gender (n = 133).

Paper 1 – Zake and Hauser (2014); Journal of Environmental Hazards.

Key results (carbon storage)

Selected soil chemical properties of banana farming systems in

Mpigi district, Central Uganda.

Paper 2– Zake et al. (2015). J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci.

Paper 2– Zake et al. (2015). J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci.

Key results

Paper 2 – Zake et al. (2015). J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci.

Conclusions

• The inadequate implementation of climate change disaster

preparedness strategies at community level triggers early actions

by farmers

• Banana-coffee agroforestry improves soil fertility and C storage

under the prevailing climate conditions.

• Future research should focus on:

--Evaluation of the effectiveness of implementation of climate

change disasters management strategies by existing actors;

--Evaluation of C pools in deeper layers and greenhouse gas

emissions of smallholder banana farming systems.

Take home message

• Implementation of community climate change adaptation and

mitigation strategies should be strengthened.

• Farmer’s early actions for addressing climate change disasters should

be supported.

• Promotion of Banana-coffee agroforestry would result in more C

storage per ha compared to banana monoculture.

• Agricultural and environmental policies should implement this

shift.

Acknowledgements

Individuals

Supervisors

--Prof. Sophie Zechmeister-Boltenstern;

--Dr. Michael Hauser.

Advisory Team

--Priv. Doz. Dr. Stephan A. Pietsch;

-- Ao. Univ. Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Jürgen K. Friedel.

Others

--DI Elke Stinnig;

--Ass.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.

Axel Mentler,

--Dr. Charles Walaga;

--Colleagues at the Institute of Soil Research and

CDR

Institutions

--OeAD/APPEAR

Program;

--Institute of Soil

Research;

--Centre for Development

Research;

--Environmental Alert;

--Mpigi District Local

Government;

--Smallholder farmers

from Kituntu and Nkozi

sub-counties

Thank you very much/Danke/Mwebale nnyo!!!

References

• Paper 1 - Zake, J. and Hauser, M. (2014). Farmers' perceptions

of implementation of climate variability disaster preparedness

strategies in Central Uganda. Journal of Environmental Hazards.

doi:10.1080/17477891.2014.910491

• Paper 2 - Zake, J., Pietsch, S. A., Friedel, J. K. and

Zechmeister-Boltenstern, S. (2015). Can agroforestry improve

soil fertility and carbon storage in smallholder banana farming

systems?. J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci. doi: 10.1002/jpln.201400281