Former wetland users in Shuuku town council, Sheema district, believe that adopting an integrated approach would help double their chances of becoming more resilient to climate change impacts.
Ms. Penelop Chandali Mpabwa, a resident of Kyampitsi ward, Shuuka town council, is one of the several former wetland users who voluntarily left the wetland in return for alternative livelihoods. Mpabwa is a host farmer, under the Kibaluko piggery group, consisting of ten members.
The group received 4 pigs in 2021. The majority of the farmers have reported improvement in their livelihoods since they can breed and sell piglets as well as other agricultural products such as coffee, bananas, and are earning reasonable incomes compared to what they were earning from cultivating potatoes in the wetland.
“I sold two pigs I received. Used the proceeds to pay fees. The balance of which I used to buy six more piglets. I breed and sell, as a routine now,” she said. Mpabwa also plants maize, coffee, and bananas to supplement the income streams. The waste from the pigs, according to Mpabwa, is helping reduce the costs of having to buy fertiliser.
Whereas Mpabwa is doing well like several of her group members, her concern is the that waiting period before actual earning is quite big. Her wish is that the project considers taking an integrated approach to livelihood options where a target beneficiary is given a chance to benefit from more than one enterprise.
“If it can be supported by a mini-irrigation system, I could make more earnings. We also need more training in the management of these enterprises so that we can increase the chances of improving our livelihoods.