By Ahirirwe Leticia,
Op_Ed
Across Uganda, the prolonged dry spell is more than a weather challenge; it is a growing crisis threatening livelihoods, food security, and the survival of millions of rural households. While the scorching sun affects everyone, its impacts are not felt equally. For grassroots women, smallholder farmers, and vulnerable communities, every dry day represents lost income, empty food stores, and increased struggles to provide for their families.
Uganda’s agricultural economy depends heavily on rainfall, with many smallholder farmers relying on seasonal rains to grow crops and support their livelihoods. Recent forecasts have warned of drier-than-normal conditions in parts of the country, raising concerns about crop failure, water shortages, and pressure on farming communities.
For many rural women, agriculture is not just an economic activity, it is a lifeline. Women are often responsible for producing food, collecting water, caring for families, and managing household nutrition. When rainfall becomes unpredictable, these responsibilities become heavier. A woman who once walked a short distance to fetch water may now spend hours searching for it. A mother who depended on her harvest to feed her children may now face difficult choices between buying food, paying school fees, or meeting basic household needs.
The dry spell is exposing the deep inequalities within our food systems. Many grassroots women farmers cultivate small pieces of land with limited access to irrigation, climate information, affordable financing, and improved farming technologies. Unlike large-scale farmers who may have resources to adapt, smallholder farmers often have no safety net when crops fail.
Across different parts of Uganda, farmers have reported crops drying before maturity, declining water sources, and increasing uncertainty about harvests. In regions such as Ntungamo, Sembabule, Karamoja, and parts of Northern Uganda, communities have experienced serious losses affecting crops, livestock, and household incomes.
This situation should remind us that climate change is not only an environmental issue, it is a human rights and gender justice issue. The women who contribute greatly to feeding communities are often the least protected from climate shocks. Their voices must be central in discussions about climate adaptation, agriculture policies, and development planning.
Uganda must move beyond emergency responses and invest in long-term solutions that strengthen community resilience. This includes expanding access to small-scale irrigation, promoting water harvesting, supporting climate-smart and agroecological farming practices, improving access to weather information, and ensuring that women farmers have equal opportunities to access land, finance, and agricultural services.
Grassroots women should not only be viewed as victims of climate change. They are innovators, knowledge holders, and leaders who have been adapting to environmental challenges for generations. Supporting them means strengthening Uganda’s food systems and protecting the future of our communities.
The current dry spell is a warning that we can no longer treat climate challenges as distant problems. The fields drying today represent families struggling tomorrow. The voices of women farmers must be heard, their knowledge valued, and their resilience supported.
Climate justice begins when those most affected are placed at the centre of solutions.
