If trees could be provided for the farmers, they could plant them. And if possible they should also teach the right time of planting. So that the crops, they will yield earlier before the season of the drought. Since there is now technology and techniques have now improved, and those people who study more, they can know when it will rain, or when there will be no rain. These things could be put forward for us. So that we would be able to know.
Denis Adrabo
Outcomes
Participatory photography can allow for more than the generation of interesting and unique content for consumption by a Western audience. At a minimum, content created by participants raises awareness about issues faced by farmers in Rhino Camp, and the broader region of Northern Uganda. Stories shared here, are replicated around the globe by the millions of substance, and small scale farmers confronting the impacts of climate change on a daily basis.
Driven by participants, this project helps to inform the ongoing work of GADC to facilitate meaningful change for their farmers. It is acknowledged that whilst the opinions of the farmers involved in this project do not represent all the perspectives of the broader community, the content generated does highlight key issues impacting communities in Rhino Camp. At the conclusion of the project participants formulated and validated ideas that could help address issues raised through their work.
- Provision of seedlings and environmental education to combat soil erosion;
- Growing calendars to address the informal nature by which individuals take up growing cash crops;
- Weather updates via SMS to help farmers around planting and harvesting times; and
- Provision of equipment and pesticides with potential for micro-enterprise to help farmers increase yields and create incoming generating activities to replace the sale of charcoal.
Work published online is supported by a report which has been provided to GADC and other partner organisations including the Ugandan local government (Rigbo Sub-County) and NGOs with the aim of helping facilitate socially and environmentally progressive changes through the GADC farmer training programme.
Grace Candiru has been directly impacted by climate change in the last 4 years with yields reducing as a result of changes in rainfall patterns in the Rhino Camp region of Northern Uganda. In this double exposure an image of her crops which were burnt off after another failed growing season are exposed over a portrait of Grace.
Changes in rainfall in the last decade were a common feature of conversations with farmers in the area. Since the project, East Africa, and Uganda experienced exceptionally high rainfall totals causing widespread displacement and hardship. These rainfalls were the consequence of the amplification of natural cycles/processes - read more here.
It is hoped that this image and those of participants in this series will raise awareness about the impacts of climate change. I will be hoping to generate action in the community to help mitigate the impacts of climate change, and also raise awareness to add to the weight of evidence showing the consequences of inaction on climate change at a global scale. © Divesh Mistry, March 2018