TITLE:
Contribution of Agriculture in the Enhancement of Refugees Livelihoods in Nakivale Settlement
AUTHORS:
John Muhangi, Herbert Ainamani, Fina Opio
KEYWORDS:
Agriculture, Enhancement, Refugees Livelihoods
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.12 No.9,
September
21,
2022
ABSTRACT: Uganda
has significantly continued to receive a large number of refugees in the region and this is
positively correlated with its proportional increase in peace and stability.
The presence of favorable climatic conditions enhances agricultural
productivity and this has triggered redirecting refugees into agricultural
production as the major source of livelihood. However, in Ugandan setting, it
has not yet been clearly established how agriculture has practically enhanced
the livelihoods of the refugees. The study therefore aimed at identifying the
agricultural activities practiced by refugees living in Nakivale refugee
settlement, identifying the challenges faced by refugees involved in
agriculture and their possible solutions as well as examining the contribution
of agriculture towards livelihoods of refugees in Nakivale Refugee settlement.
The study utilized a case-study approach to analyze the contribution of
agriculture in the enhancement of livelihoods in the context of a single settlement
and a sample size of 80 respondents was chosen using simple random sampling and
an interview guide was used to collect primary data from the respondents. It
was revealed from the study that crop production is the main agricultural
activity practiced by refugees living in Nakivale refugee settlement in a bid
to improve on their food security and household incomes. The study further revealed that climate change,
diseases/parasites and diseases, limited land and low prices for the produce
are the most serious challenges facing refugees’ farmers. It is concluded that food security in Nakivale refugee settlement is
rather influenced by agricultural production and the associated dynamics that
ultimately determine the well-being of the refugee communities. It is important
to appreciate that any variation in factors of production, weather and produce
prices will determine livelihood status of the community for such a specific
period of time. It’s recommended that farmers should adopt climate smart farming to mitigate effects
of climate change, supporting farmers with agricultural credit and other
agricultural inputs like fertilizers, pesticides, farming tools, land, farmers
training, improved seeds which are high yielding and quick maturing, market
linkages for improved productivity and production.