ICT Use to Improve Climate Change Adaptation and Livelihood Resilience

CASE STUDY

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Climate change is threatening ecosystems and the livelihoods of the populations that depend on them. Agriculture, which employs over 70% of the population in many developing countries, is highly vulnerable to climatic variations. Given agriculture’s pivotal role in providing food security, reducing poverty and driving economic growth, innovative technologies and practices that address climate variability and change-related stresses across farming systems are urgently needed to help farmers become more resilient and less vulnerable to risks associated with climate variability.

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OBJECTIVES

• Develop ICT tools to strengthen the adaptive capacity and resilience of agro-pastoral communities to the impacts of climate change by providing timely climate risk and vulnerability information.

• Study how ICT tools can enhance the adaptive capacity of individuals and communities.

• Build research capacity in developing countries by engaging graduate students from local universities to participate in research and field trials.

• Measure the exposure of individuals’ and communities’ assets to the impacts of climate change and variability.

• Inform countries’ agricultural and climate adaptation policies with research-based evidence.

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PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Climate Change Adaptation and ICT (CHAI) project is designed to strengthen the adaptive capacity and resilience of agro-pastoral communities in the “cattle corridor” zone of Uganda. The project is implemented in four rural districts, which represent a range of water management zones and agro-ecological conditions.

Funded by the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the CHAI Project is jointly managed by FHI 360 and Uganda Chartered HealthNet in partnership with Makerere University and the Ugandan Ministry of Water and Environment.

RESULTS

A biophysical and social vulnerability assessment conducted during the first phase of the project found that more frequent and severe climatic events result in acute water shortages that diminish the value of livestock and lead to a wide variety of negative effects, including the loss of livestock and crops, reduced livelihood opportunities, social conflict over limited water resources and pasture, the sale of productive assets, and an increase in the incidence of human/animal/plant diseases and deforestation.

PROJECT NAME CHAI COUNTRY Uganda SECTOR Climate change

ASSOCIATED MATERIALS

ICT will help Ugandan farmers cope with climate change: http://www.scidev.net/global/policy/news/ict-will-help-ugandan-farmers-cope-with-climate-change.html COMESA understudies climate change adaptation and ICT: http://www.comesa.int/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=713:comesa-understudies-climate-change-adaptation-and-ict-&catid=5:latest-news&Itemid=41 Policy Brief: http://www.zjda.gov.cn:83/gate/big5/www.healthnet.org/sites/default/files/CHAI%20Policy%20Brief%20No1-July%202012.pdf

For additional information:

EMAIL: bgebru@fhi360.org

WEB: www.fhi360.org/technology

AUGUST 2013

FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated,

locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts in health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, civil

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In response to these findings, CHAI tested and deployed a set of information and communication interventions, which include a weather and market data collection module, analysis module, and SMS broadcasting module. Preliminary findings from household surveys indicate that information received through the system improved farmers’ ability to respond to climate-induced water challenges. The CHAI project continues to support research on the impact of the use of ICTs for improving adaptive capacity of communities. In May 2013, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) announced that it intends to replicate CHAI throughout the region after studies of its effectiveness are concluded.

TECHNOLOGIES USED

• FM radio, text-messaging and the internet were employed to provide seasonal weather forecasts and to disseminate data on agricultural innovations, market prices, and the changing climate to advise farmers on how to reduce the climate related risks they face.

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• Mobile phones were used by the Meteorology and district-based Production Departments to gather weather, livestock and crop data.

• GPS maps showed projected changes in precipitation and temperature, the migration routes of livestock in search of water and pasture during times of water stress, and drought conditions in the intervention areas.

• Radio and SMS messages with information on low-cost water harvesting techniques, drought coping mechanisms, and information resources helped to enhance the adaptive capacity of communities.

TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS EMPLOYED

• SMS messages: Gammu SMSD (SMS Daemon)

• Mobile data collection and management: Open Data Kit (ODK) and ODK Aggregate

• Generation of livestock and crop market reports: Jasper Report, an open source reporting engine.

• Map generation: Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing tools