Contribution of Climate Smart Agriculture Practices to Household Food Availability in Refugee Settlement Areas: A case of Yumbe District, Uganda

Abstract

This study investigated the contribution of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices to household food availability in refugee settlement areas of Yumbe District, Uganda. The research was motivated by increasing pressure on land due to refugee settlement and agricultural expansion, which prompted government and non governmental organizations to promote CSA practices from 2018 onwards. Despite these efforts, limited empirical evidence existed on the actual impact of CSA interventions on household food availability in refugee contexts. The study was conducted in Bidibidi settlement and host communities, targeting 375 farming households. Data were collected on household socio demographic characteristics, CSA practices, and food availability indicators. Descriptive statistics were used to profile households, while binary logistic regression was applied to estimate the relationship between CSA practices and household food availability. Results revealed that agroforestry (p = 0.096) and irrigation (p = 0.048) significantly improved household food availability, whereas kitchen gardening (p = 0.067) negatively influenced food availability due to its limited scale. The findings highlight that while most households had access to agricultural land (97.1%), ownership was low (37.1%), particularly among refugees who rely on temporary allocations. Women constituted the majority of household heads (56.3%), underscoring their central role in food security within refugee settlements. The study concludes that CSA practices, especially agroforestry and irrigation, enhance resilience and productivity, thereby contributing to household food security, while small scale kitchen gardening alone is insufficient to meet household food needs. Policy recommendations include scaling up agroforestry and irrigation interventions, strengthening gender responsive programming to empower female farmers, and improving land access arrangements for refugees and host communities. Overall, the study provides evidence that CSA practices can play a transformative role in enhancing food availability and resilience in refugee contexts, with implications for both national agricultural policy and regional refugee management strategies.