We were visiting a school somewhere far away from Nyamiyaga.
Along the road we passed by other schools where the teachers were innovatively teaching the learners from under huge mango trees. The heat had become excessive. The children were sitting, eyes half closed, some yawning and a bit tired.
The air was heavy with silence as the outside, the relentless sun beating down on barren fields, shimmering with the heat. Earlier, the bell rang for lunch, but some of the children did not rush to the dining hall.
Many of them don’t have a meal to look forward to, as their families are struggling with failed harvests and the high cost of food. Some may not have eaten since the day before, their stomachs growling quietly.
The effects of climate change are making it harder for communities to grow food, and many families can’t afford to send their children to school. The children sit there, the classroom is filled with hunger and uncertainty, and the future, much like the fields outside, seems dry and uncertain.
Now I have put the impact of climate change in your head. It’s like the kind of hunger caused by the changing climate, and it’s coming for more than just your food. It’s coming for your lunch itself, your lifestyle. Yes, you read that right.
It’s taking a seat at the table, it’s on the menu in conference rooms and winning the battle against human efforts. Our greed for profit is unsatisfiable for us to defeat it. Our plates have always reflected nature’s generosity.
But now, the weather is acting like that moody aunt who shows up uninvited, disrupts everything, and leaves without a word. Droughts, floods, and unpredictable rainfall patterns are shaking things up, making it harder for our farmers to keep up with what’s growing on their land.
You might want to prepare for a future where lunch isn’t what it used to be. Someone has just put the brakes on the food supply. These staple foods, once easy to grow are now facing a battle against the climatic elements, with erratic rainfall and rising temperatures disrupting their growth.
As your head starts to wrap around the implications of your next meal, the situation gets worse. In most parts of Uganda, farmers are reporting a decrease in farm yields. Even those who rely on lakes and water bodies. Good luck.
Rising temperatures are making the lakes less hospitable for fish, which means fewer fish fingers on your plate. You must be now saying, “but why should I care about all this? I’ve still got beans and rice from the market.”
Well, that’s true for now. It’s not just about your beans and rice from the market. Climate change isn’t just about making crops hard to grow; it’s about making them more expensive. Have you thought about how much you bought them?
As harvests become less reliable, food prices skyrocket. Acclimatise yourself with this thing economists call food inflation. The beans could become more precious than gold. Suddenly, your lunch isn’t looking so affordable anymore.
Uganda’s agricultural sector contributes significantly to our GDP. It’s the backbone of rural livelihoods, providing food and income to millions of people. Tamper with food security in this country, everything could go down. But the backbone is beginning to crack under the pressure of climate change.
With rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns, farmers are struggling to grow the crops they once relied on. Check your WhatsApp status updates and see the public’s serious jokes on the previous heat we were experiencing.
The Banyankore were right to call February-Katambuga (sunshine that cracks the compound). And when the rain came, we saw the flooded cars looking like water bottles in this poorly drained Kampala.
But we got there because we are not climate smart in our plans and adaptation. We build anywhere, we cut any tree, we destroy swamps. We don’t care. Amaizi tigebwa ahu garabire (literally-water never forgets where it passed.
When agriculture falters, everyone feels the squeeze. If you can’t find your favourite food at the market because the harvest didn’t meet demand, you’ll probably pay a higher price for what’s available.
If that high price forces you to cut down on your meal portions, you’re looking at food insecurity. And if the climate crisis continues unchecked, food scarcity could become the new normal and crack everything.
Soon, that humble plate of beans might cost more than a night out at a fancy restaurant and the quality will be just as disappointing. Ugandans are nothing if not resilient. We need to provide social safety and climate adaptation and environmental conservation policies to support our farmers to be innovative and adopt climate- smart agriculture techniques.
So that they stay ahead of the changing weather, from using drought resistant crop varieties to planting trees that can absorb carbon. The bamboo tree is on top of carbon consumption. So, is climate change coming for your lunch? The answer is yes.
But it’s not too late to fight back. We may face a future where food is more expensive and harder to come by. The good news is that we’re not entirely helpless. With the right and bold policies, innovative practices, and a little bit of creativity, Uganda can turn the tables on climate change.
Your lunch can not only be delicious but is also climate/waste-proof. Now that’s something worth fighting for. In the meantime, enjoy your beans while they’re still affordable. I hope your next fish stew doesn’t end up being a rare delicacy. Bon appetit!
The author is a concerned citizen.