Awinera Launches Climate Adaptation Research Initiative

Awinera Africa Ltd has launched a major new multi-year research initiative focused on climate adaptation strategies for smallholder farmers across Northern Uganda, supported by the World Bank Climate Investment Funds.

The initiative, which spans 2024 to 2027, will examine how smallholder farming households in Uganda's Acholi, Lango, and Karamoja sub-regions are adapting to increasingly erratic rainfall patterns, prolonged dry spells, and seasonal flooding — climate shocks that have become more frequent and severe in recent years.

The research will employ a mixed-methods approach, combining nationally representative household panel surveys with experimental trials of climate-smart agriculture technologies. Participating farmers will be randomly assigned to receive bundled interventions including drought-tolerant seed varieties, weather-indexed crop insurance, and access to agricultural extension advisory services through mobile platforms.

"We know that climate change is not a future threat for smallholder farmers in Uganda — it is happening now," said Dr. Annet Adong, Director of Awinera. "This research will generate the rigorous, policy-relevant evidence that governments and funders need to design interventions that actually work at scale."

Findings from the initiative will be shared with Uganda's Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), and regional climate policy bodies. A series of policy briefs, technical reports, and open-access datasets will be published over the course of the project.