Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda

This case study assesses the economic impacts of climate change on agricultural production in three villages within the Karamoja region of Uganda: Oryeotyene North ward (Abim district), Nakayot (Napak district), and Lopedot (Amudat district). The report analyzes recent losses from droughts and floods, projects future production losses up to 2050, and evaluates adaptation strategies to improve resilience for crop and livestock farming.

• Recent severe climate events have caused substantial production losses across all three study villages, with some households experiencing losses of 50 to 100 percent of their total expected production.
• The 2014 drought caused significant economic losses per household, with the highest impact in Lopedot ($748 to $1,224), followed by Nakayot ($159 to $501) and Oryeotyene North ward ($179).
• Livestock holdings provide greater resilience to climate events than crop production; in Lopedot, while the 2014 drought severely hit livestock through water and pasture loss, the impacts were less comprehensive than for crops because animals could be moved to other regions.
• Illustrative projections of crop production losses from extreme climate events up to 2050 vary by location and scenario: Oryeotyene North ward (9% to 18%), Nakayot (15% to 32%), and Lopedot (19% to 28%).
• Long-term climate trends up to 2050 are projected to reduce yields for key crops, with potential reductions of up to 12% for maize and up to 20% for beans.
• In Nakayot, the 2014 drought is estimated to have reduced the potential value of crop production by approximately 55 to 62 percent compared to a normal year.
• In Lopedot, the 2014 drought reduced the value of crop production by approximately 85 percent compared to 2012 levels.
• Improving water availability is identified as a critical adaptation priority with high net benefits relative to costs, specifically through water conservation and collection.
• Capacity building and crop diversification are high-priority adaptation responses with high net benefits, aimed at helping farmers identify crops suited to changing climatic conditions.
• The report warns that without adaptation, the gap in living standards between the Karamoja region and the rest of Uganda is likely to widen as national per capita income grows.

APA

Dale, N., Markandya, A., Wanzira, H., & Nakendo, I. (2015). Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Uganda_CC-economics_Karamoja_case-study2.pdf

Chicago

Dale, Nick, Anil Markandya, Humphrey Wanzira, and Isaac Nakendo. Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2015. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Uganda_CC-economics_Karamoja_case-study2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dale |first1=Nick |last2=Markandya |first2=Anil |last3=Wanzira |first3=Humphrey |last4=Nakendo |first4=Isaac |title=Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=October 2015 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Uganda_CC-economics_Karamoja_case-study2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dale2015economic, author = {Dale, Nick and Markandya, Anil and Wanzira, Humphrey and Nakendo, Isaac}, title = {{Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Uganda_CC-economics_Karamoja_case-study2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }