Analyzing Climate Smart Agriculture Practices’ Adoption Drivers in Refugee Hosting Districts of Uganda. A Case of Yumbe District

Abstract

Climate change and environmental degradation pose significant threats to food security, particularly in refugee affected regions of Uganda. This study examined the adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices among households in Bidibidi refugee settlement and Romogi Sub County, Yumbe District. The objectives were to identify commonly applied CSA practices, analyze socio economic and institutional drivers of adoption. A cross sectional household survey was conducted with 375 respondents selected through multistage sampling. Data were collected using structured interviews and analyzed with descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression.
Results indicated that the most widely adopted CSA practices were planting climate adapted crop varieties (94.7%), adjusting planting dates (82.4%), and establishing kitchen gardens (79.2%). Intercropping and soil and water conservation were moderately practiced, while agroforestry (23.5%) and irrigation (68.3%) were least adopted. Adoption drivers varied across practices: land ownership, household income, education, and access to extension services were significant for crop varieties and agroforestry; land tenure, household leadership, and schooling influenced planting dates; irrigation adoption was shaped by water access, household size, and group membership. Structural factors such as secure land tenure and resource availability consistently emerged as critical determinants, while demographic variables like gender and marital status showed limited influence. The study concludes that CSA adoption in refugee and host communities is highly context specific, with resource constraints limiting uptake of capital intensive practices. Strengthening land tenure security, expanding water infrastructure, and enhancing participatory extension services are essential to scale CSA adoption. These interventions will improve household food security, build resilience to climate shocks, and contribute to sustainable livelihoods in Uganda’s refugee affected regions.